Article in Journal of Sustainability Science and Management · April 019 citations 11 reads 1,581 authors: Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects

participation, society and culture, and the 
effects of the engineering solutions themselves. 
Al-Atawi et al. (2016) conducted another study 
in Tabuk. They employed the analytical 
hierarchy 
process 
(AHP) 
in 
developing 
sustainable transport strategies using travel 
data. The study found that the strategy of 
promoting a clean environment was ranked 
higher, while that of charging motorists upon 
entering the city was ranked lower. The authors 
concluded that it was important to rank 
transport sustainability at different stages of 
implementation 
to 
provide 
better 
recommendations 
for 
the 
implementation 
process. Moreover, there is also an unpublished 
study by Al-Obaidallah (2012) on the critical 
evaluation of public transport in Dammam in 
terms of services and availability. 
However, none of the studies mentioned
had considered the same factors used in this 
study despite similar methodologies by Al- 
Atawi et al. (2016) and Aljoufie (2016). 
Therefore, this study aims to bridge the gap 
by evaluating the impact of travel time, cost, 
weather conditions, privacy, accessibility and 
comfort using AHP in Dammam. Decision- 
making deals with complex criteria associated 
with the sorting out of alternatives, transport 

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Journal of Sustainability Science and Management 
Volume 14 Number 2, April 2019 : 157-171 
160 
ISSUES UNDERMINING PUBLIC TRANSPORT UTILIZATION IN 
DAMMAM CITY, SAUDI ARABIA: AN EXPERT-BASED ANALYSIS 
mode, and awareness of the environmental 
impact in terms of GHG emission, and AHP 
identifies the hierarchical influences of these 
factors (Banai, 2006). In most cases, the 
decisions are combined with intangible and 
tangible elements, which are usually influenced 
by interest groups, politicians, government 
organizations and the community (Meyer & 
Miller, 2001). Decision- making on public 
transport policies is both a political and 
technical process (Wachs, 1985). It is usually 
made by several participants and ïnvestors 
(Hall, 1980; Levine, 1999).