Identifying priority attributes for improving Ulaanbaatar bus services using the analytic hierarchy process

Abstract Ulaanbaatar is the capital and the biggest city of Mongolia. There has been rapid urbanization since 1990. Due to the rapid growth in population and vehicles, traffic congestion has rapidly intensified too. To mitigate the traffic congestion, uses of public transportation is strongly recommended, but the quality of public transportation is not meeting the expectations of Mongolian citizens. In this paper, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been employed to identify priority attributes of Ulaanbaatar bus services. A survey was conducted for a total of 30 people including Mongolian experts and citizens and Korean experts. Results reveal that Ulaanbaatar bus service is unsafe and the bus route is inefficient. In the short term, safety and security attributes should be complemented and, in the long term, convenience and comfort for public transportation commuters should be prioritized in Ulaanbaatar.