Evaluation Of The Quality Of Public Transport In Lattakia City Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach: AHP-KENDALL Model

Abstract

Decisions regarding public transport development are typically made by local government officials or managers of local transport companies through a top-down approach. However, if the outcomes fail to align with public needs, such improvements cannot be deemed sustainable, necessitating adjustments over the long term. This study introduces a new model designed to support decision-making in public transport development by analyzing the preferences of various stakeholder groups (passengers, potential passengers, and local government) and achieving a coordinated, sustainable decision. The proposed model integrates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with Kendall’s rank correlation coefficient and incorporates an additional level of stakeholder significance in the decision-making process. A case study is presented for the Syrian city of Lattakia, demonstrating that the application of this model facilitates more integrated and sustainable solutions to the city's public transport challenges. Consequently, the model may encourage greater public use of transport services, potentially leading to reduced CO2 emissions.