Fuzzy set approach in mass transit mode choice

In Calcutta metro, railways, roads and waterways are available to provide mass transport services. An attempt has been made to use non-conventional abstract mathematical theory to solve the multimodal mass transport system. Fuzzy functions have been used as an analytical tool, to express the satisfaction level of attributes as viewed by different interest groups. The central concept of fuzzy set theory is the membership function which represents numerically the degree to which an element belongs to a set. This function takes values from zero to one. For synthesizing information, rating matrices have been constructed with different alternative modes as columns against various attributes/factors as rows. Each rating matrix represents the evaluation made by a respective interest group. Having identified the corridor and selective modal characteristics, the preferred mode may be chosen by this method. Additionally, when the need for introducing some new mode or increasing the services of some old mode are felt, this procedure may be used as a simplified tool.<>