Evolving Trends and Gaps in Transit Accessibility Index Research in Asia: A Bibliometric Analysis

Authors

  • Lutfi A. Rahaman Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Nabilah Naharudin Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Siti Aekbal Salleh Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
  • Elina Alias Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/bej.v23i2.8920a

Keywords:

Transit Accessibility Index, Transit Equity, Urban Mobility, Bibliometric Analysis, Public Transportation

Abstract

Transit Accessibility Index (TAI) has become a key tool for evaluating how effectively public transport systems connect populations to essential opportunities in rapidly urbanising Asian cities. Despite increasing scholarly attention, existing studies remain fragmented, geographically concentrated, and methodologically constrained, limiting the development of context-sensitive and equity-oriented frameworks. This study addresses these limitations through a bibliometric analysis of TAI research in Asia from 2002 to 2024, based on 260 publications indexed in Scopus. The analysis examines publication trends, geographic distribution, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution. Results indicate significant growth in research output, reflecting the integration of accessibility into sustainable mobility and transit-oriented development agendas. However, research remains concentrated in a few countries, while collaboration is largely intra-national, limiting regional knowledge exchange. Thematic analysis reveals a strong focus on spatial accessibility and system performance, with limited attention to equity, informal mobility, and climate resilience. Although data-driven approaches are increasing, their application remains uneven. This study provides a systematic synthesis of TAI research in Asia and highlights the need for more inclusive, multidimensional, and context-sensitive accessibility frameworks to support sustainable urban planning.

 

Author Biographies

  • Lutfi A. Rahaman, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    Lutfi A.Rahaman is a PhD in Built Environment candidate at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam. His main research interests are MCDA and public transportation. He has published papers related to these areas in journals such as Planning Malaysia Journal and Édition Diffusion Presse Sciences. He can be reached through his email at 2024556241@student.uitm.edu.my 

  • Nabilah Naharudin, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    Nabilah Naharudin, is Associate Professor at Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam and member of Geospatial Intelligence (Geo-AI), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam. Her main research interests include Spatial-MCDA, GIS and walkability studies. She has publications related to the areas in International Journal of Geoinformatics, Revue Internationale de Geomatique, Planning Malaysia Journal and more. She can be reached through her email at nabilahnaharudin1290@uitm.edu.my

  • Siti Aekbal Salleh, Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    Siti Aekbal Salleh, is Associate Professor at Faculty of Built Environment and Head of Sustainable Technology for Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainable Development at Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam. Her main research interests include remote sensing, GIS, urban climate, climate change and change assessment impact. She has published articles in journals including Sustainable Cities and Society, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Urban Climate. She can be reach through her email at aekbal@uitm.edu.my 

  • Elina Alias, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

    Elina Alias, is a PhD in Built Environment candidate at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam. Her research focuses on GIS, accessibility, and heritage tourism planning. She applies GIS in combination with MCDA methods, including fuzzy logic in AHP, automated optimization programming, and ranking approaches to enhance universal accessibility in heritage tourism routes, site suitability analysis, and index measurement in design planning. Her broader research interests include spatial analysis, sustainable urban development, and inclusive tourism design. She can be reached at 2024878368@student.uitm.edu.my 

References

Falagas, M. E., Pitsouni, E. I., Malietzis, G. A., & Pappas, G. (2008). Comparison of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar: Strengths and weaknesses. The FASEB Journal, 22(2), 338–347. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.07-9492LSF

Farber, S., & Fu, L. (2017). Dynamic public transit accessibility using travel time cubes: Comparing the effects of infrastructure (dis) investments over time. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 62, 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2016.10.005

Gebeyehu, M., & Takano, S. E. (2006). Application of logical planning model for public transport improvement programs in the city of Addis Ababa. Studies in Regional Science, 36(3), 663–682. https://doi.org/10.2457/srs.36.663

Gu, X., Tao, S., & Dai, B. (2017). Spatial accessibility of country parks in Shanghai, China. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 27, 373–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.08.006

Guo, S., Pei, T., Wang, X., Song, C., Chen, X., Chen, J., Shu, H., Liu, Y., & Wu, M. (2022). Equity of subway accessibility: A perspective from work commute trips. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 113, 103515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103515

Hadi, W., Chrisnawati, Y., & Ikhsan, H. N. (2018). Public transportation accessibility: Towards sustainable transit oriented development (Case study: Depok Baru Station–Jakarta, Indonesia). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 202, 012012. IOP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/202/1/012012

Kamada, M., Kitayuguchi, J., Inoue, S., Kamioka, H., Mutoh, Y., & Shiwaku, K. (2009). Environmental correlates of physical activity in driving and non-driving rural Japanese women. Preventive Medicine, 49(6), 490–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.09.014

Le Blanc, D. (2015). Towards integration at last? The sustainable development goals as a network of targets. Sustainable Development, 23(3), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1582

Leong, W. Y., Chong, W. W., & Kwok, M. (2024). Shifting travel patterns through narrative gamification: Evidence from a school-based program in Singapore. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 16, 101198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2024.101198

Malekzadeh, A., & Chung, E. (2020). A review of transit accessibility models: Challenges in developing transit accessibility models. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 14(10), 733–748. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2019.1625087

Mamun, S. A., Lownes, N. E., Osleeb, J. P., & Bertolaccini, K. (2013). A method to define public transit opportunity space. Journal of Transport Geography, 28, 144–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2012.12.007

Monajem, S., & Nosratian, F. E. (2015). The evaluation of the spatial integration of station areas via the node place model; an application to subway station areas in Tehran. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 40, 14–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2015.07.009

Mongeon, P., & Paul-Hus, A. (2016). The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: A comparative analysis. Scientometrics, 106, 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5

Naharudin, N., Ahamad, M. S., & Sadullah, A. F. (2017). Framework for developing a spatial walkability index (SWI) for the light-rail transit (LRT) stations in Kuala Lumpur city centre using Analytical Network Process (ANP) and GIS. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1892(1). AIP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5005758

Satranarakun, A., & Kraiwanit, T. (2023). Rules and regulations for enhancing metro rail accessibility in a developing country. Corporate Law and Governance Review, 5(1), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.22495/clgrv5i1p10

Shi, Y., Blainey, S., Sun, C., & Jing, P. (2020). A literature review on accessibility using bibliometric analysis techniques. Journal of Transport Geography, 87, 102810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102810

Uddin, M. A., Hoque, M. S., Tamanna, T., Adiba, S., Muniruzzaman, S. M., & Parvez, M. S. (2023). A framework to measure transit-oriented development around transit nodes: Case study of a mass rapid transit system in Dhaka, Bangladesh. PLOS ONE, 18(1), e0280275. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280275

Wan, T., Lu, W., & Sun, P. (2023). Equity impacts of the built environment in urban rail transit station areas from a transit-oriented development perspective: A systematic review. Environmental Research Communications, 5(9), 092001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/acf8b2

Wang, L., Cao, X., Li, T., & Gao, X. (2019). Accessibility comparison and spatial differentiation of Xi’an scenic spots with different modes based on Baidu real-time travel. Chinese Geographical Science, 29, 848–860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-019-1073-8

Zhai, X., Zhao, J., & Chen, Q. (2018). Analysis of the public transit accessibility in Changsha City, China, after the introduction of a subway network. International Journal of Modern Physics B, 32(32), 1850354. https://doi.org/10.1142/S021797921850354X

Zhang, Q., Liu, C., Lu, L., Hu, J., & Chen, Y. (2024). Sustainability assessment of urban public transport for SDG using geospatial big data. Sustainability, 16(11), 4542. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114542

Downloads

Published

03-07-2026

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 2 (2026): Built Environment Journal

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Lutfi A. Rahaman, Nabilah Naharudin, Siti Aekbal Salleh, Elina Alias

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International

 

How to Cite

Evolving Trends and Gaps in Transit Accessibility Index Research in Asia: A Bibliometric Analysis. (2026). Built Environment Journal, 23(2). https://doi.org/10.24191/bej.v23i2.8920a

Similar Articles

1-10 of 145

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.