Lunch Talk: How do sports games impact public transportation crowding and urban mobility networks? Evidence from Washington, DC, US
On-board crowding reduces the appeal and effectiveness of public transportation (PT). While widely studied, the impact of irregular travelers—such as attendees of Planned Special Events (PSEs)—remains underexplored. Demand surges from events like sports games can overwhelm transit corridors, causing unsafe platform densities, longer clearance times, and network delays. This seminar covers a holistic framework using automated data sources (smart card, ride-hailing, and bike-sharing data) to evaluate the impact of sports games on:
Time: Fri 2026-06-12 12.00 - 13.00
Location: Online
Video link: Join via Zoom
Abstract: Planned special events, such as sporting events, can cause sudden demand surges and disruptions, thereby placing additional strain on urban mobility networks. Assessing their impact on urban transportation systems is essential for improving operations during such events and for informing future transportation planning, ranging from public transportation service adjustments to synergies between different transportation modes. This study proposes a framework for assessing the impact of planned special events that is based exclusively on using automated data sources. In particular, recurring sporting events, such as baseball, hockey, and basketball, in Washington, DC, US, are considered in the analysis using smart card data, bike-sharing, and ride-hailing trip data. Results indicate that public transportation (metro) accounts for the largest modal share (25%-35%) across all sporting events during the pre- and post-game periods, whereas the contribution of shared bikes is negligible (<1%). Ride-hailing is more prevalent in areas with lower public transportation accessibility, and varies across sporting events held at the same venue. Overall, this study provides a reproducible, data-driven framework for evaluating the system-wide impacts of planned special events, serving as a solid foundation for future event transportation planning.
Bio: Anastasios Skoufas is a Researcher and PhD Candidate in public transportation systems at the Division of Transport Planning at KTH and a former Visiting Researcher at the JTL-Transit Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Anastasios is working on modeling the travel behavior of passenger groups, further leveraging automated data sources to inform evidence-based policy initiatives for more efficient transportation systems. Last, Anastasios has an MSc in Transport and Geoinformation Technology (KTH, 2022) and an MEng in Surveying Engineering (with a major in Transportation Engineering) (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, 2019).Link to Anastasios Skoufas' profile.
Zoom link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/69323412699