Transit User Perceptions of the Benefits of Automatic Vehicle Location

2002 ◽  
Vol 1791 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong-Ren Peng ◽  
Danlin Yu ◽  
Edward Beimborn
Keyword(s):  
Automatic Vehicle Location ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
User Perceptions ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
Attitudinal Survey ◽  
Vehicle Location ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
Schedule Reliability

An attitudinal survey on transit riders’ perception of the importance transit users place on features of an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system is reported. Onboard surveys and on-time field checks were conducted in the cities of Manitowoc and Racine, Wisconsin, to determine how users in those cities perceive their transit systems and how well each transit system performs. The surveys indicate that transit riders put a great value on increased on-time performance and improved schedule reliability. Passengers value features that AVL technology could bring, such as improving on-time performance, knowing when the next bus will arrive, knowing how long the delay is in case of delay, and knowing that another bus could be dispatched in case of breakdown. The surveys indicate that AVL technology could improve transit services and add value to passengers. The survey also found the expected ridership increase resulting from the AVL technology to be moderate. On-time performance surveys conducted in each city indicate that transit services in these communities generally operate on time at the route level. Although there are bigger variations at the timepoint level, transit services are usually on time. The implementation of AVL could further improve on-time performance, but maybe only marginally.

scholarly journals Optimization Model for Reserve Fleet Sizes in Traditional Transit Systems considering the Risk of Vehicle Breakdowns

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowen Hou ◽  
Shuzhi Zhao ◽  
Huasheng Liu ◽  
Jin Li
Keyword(s):  
Optimization Model ◽  
Queueing Theory ◽  
Solution Method ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
User Costs ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
Optimized Model ◽  
In Transit

Traditional transit systems are susceptible to unexpected costs and delays due to unforeseen events, such as vehicle breakdowns. The randomness of these events gives the appearance of an imbalance in the number of operating vehicles and of unreliable transit services. Therefore, this paper proposes the queueing theory as a means to characterize the state of any given transit system considering the risk of vehicle breakdowns. In addition, the proposed method is used to create an optimized model for reserve fleet sizes in transit systems, in order to ensure the reliability of the transit system and minimize the total cost of any transit system exposed to the risks of vehicle breakdowns. The optimization is conducted based on the two main characteristics of all bus systems, namely, operator costs and user costs, in both normal and disruptive situations. In addition, the situations in our optimization are generated in scenarios that have a certain degree of probability of experiencing delays. This paper formulates such an optimization model, presents the formulation solution method, and proves the validity of the proposed method.

scholarly journals A Novel Trip Coverage Index for Transit Accessibility Assessment Using Mobile Phone Data

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengyi Cai ◽  
Dianhai Wang ◽  
Xiqun (Michael) Chen
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Base Stations ◽  
Mobile Phone Data ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
The Public ◽  
Transit Accessibility ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
The Individual

Transit accessibility is an important measure on the service performance of transit systems. To assess whether the public transit service is well accessible for trips of specific origins, destinations, and origin-destination (OD) pairs, a novel measure, the Trip Coverage Index (TCI), is proposed in this paper. TCI considers both the transit trip coverage and spatial distribution of individual travel demands. Massive trips between cellular base stations are estimated by using over four-million mobile phone users. An easy-to-implement method is also developed to extract the transit information and driving routes for millions of requests. Then the trip coverage of each OD pair is calculated. For demonstrative purposes, TCI is applied to the transit network of Hangzhou, China. The results show that TCI represents the better transit trip coverage and provides a more powerful assessment tool of transit quality of service. Since the calculation is based on trips of all modes, but not only the transit trips, TCI offers an overall accessibility for the transit system performance. It enables decision makers to assess transit accessibility in a finer-grained manner on the individual trip level and can be well transformed to measure transit services of other cities.

Benchmarking and improving mass transit systems in the United States based on best-in class practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-193
Author(s):  
Hokey Min ◽  
Young-Hyo Ahn ◽  
Thomas Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Municipal Government ◽  
Mass Transit ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
The Usa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find ways to develop more efficient mass transit systems across the USA and, thus, make the best use of state/federal/municipal government funds and taxpayers’ monies. This paper conducts benchmarking studies. In doing so, this paper identifies the best-in class mass transit practices that every regional mass transit system can emulate. Design/methodology/approach The continuous underutilization of a mass transit system can increase public scrutiny concerning the increased investment in mass transit services. To defuse such scrutiny, this paper analyzes the past (in year 2011) performances of 515 mass transit agencies in the USA using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Also, to identify which factors influences those performances, the authors paired DEA scores for transit efficiency at the state level against a set of independent variables using a special form of regression analysis called Tobit regression. Findings The authors found that the greater population density of the service area, the greater number of riders can be served in a short amount of distance and time. Also, the authors discovered that the transportation mode of mass transit services could affect mass transit efficiency. On the other hand, the authors found no evidence indicating that the public ownership or private operation of transit systems could make any differences in the transit efficiency. Originality/value This paper is one of the few that assessed the performance of mass transit systems in comparison to their peers using a large-scale data and identify the leading causes of mass transit inefficiency. Thus, this paper helps transit authorities in handling juggling acts of protecting the conflicting interests of government policy makers against the general public and, then, make sensible future investment decisions.

scholarly journals Transfer’s monitoring in bus transit services by Automatic Vehicle Location data

2022 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 402-409
Author(s):  
Sara Mozzoni ◽  
Massimo Di Francesco ◽  
Giulio Maternini ◽  
Benedetto Barabino
Keyword(s):  
Automatic Vehicle Location ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Bus Transit ◽  
Vehicle Location ◽  
Transit Services

Continuous Approximation Model for Hybrid Flexible Transit Systems with Low Demand Density

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812199713
Author(s):  
Charalampos Sipetas ◽  
Eric J. Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Agency Cost ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Optimization Process ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Continuous Approximation ◽  
Flexible Systems ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Approximation Techniques ◽  
Service Areas

Flexible transit systems are a way to address challenges associated with conventional fixed route and fully demand responsive systems. Existing studies indicate that such systems are often planned and designed without established guidelines, and optimization techniques are rarely implemented on actual flexible systems. This study presents a hybrid transit system where the degree of flexibility can vary from a fixed route service (with no flexibility) to a fully flexible transit system. Such a system is expected to be beneficial in areas where the best transit solution lies between the fixed route and fully flexible systems. Continuous approximation techniques are implemented to model and optimize the stop spacing on a fixed route corridor, as well as the boundaries of the flexible region in a corridor. Both user and agency costs are considered in the optimization process. A numerical analysis compares various service areas and demand densities using input variables with magnitudes similar to those of real-world case studies. Sensitivity analysis is performed for service headway, percent of demand served curb-to-curb, and user and agency cost weights in the optimization process. The analytical models are evaluated through simulations. The hybrid system proposed here achieves estimated user benefits of up to 35% when compared with fixed route systems, under different case scenarios. Flexible systems are particularly beneficial for serving corridors with low or uncertain demand. This provides value for corridors with low demand density as well as communities in which transit ridership has dropped significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accessibility Scenario Analysis of a Hypothetical Future Transit Network: Social Equity Implications of a General Transit Feed Specification–Based Sketch Planning Tool

2017 ◽  
Vol 2671 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Guthrie ◽  
Yingling Fan ◽  
Kirti Vardhan Das
Keyword(s):  
Planning Process ◽  
Social Equity ◽  
Social Benefit ◽  
Planning Tool ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Transit Network ◽  
Accessibility Analysis ◽  
Transit Accessibility

Accessibility analysis can have important implications for understanding social equity in transit planning. The emergence and the increasingly broad acceptance of the general transit feed specification (GTFS) format for transit route, stop, and schedule data have revolutionized transit accessibility research by providing researchers with a convenient, publicly available source of data interoperable with common geographic information system (GIS) software. Existing approaches to GTFS-based transit analysis, however, focus on currently operating transit systems. With major transit expansions across the nation and around the world increasing in number and ambition, understanding the accessibility impacts of proposed projects in their early planning stages is crucial to achieving the greatest possible social benefit from these massive public investments. This paper describes the development of a hypothetical transit network based on current GTFS data and proposed 2040 transit improvements for the Twin Cities region of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, as well as its use as a sketch planning tool in exploring the proposed system’s impacts on access to job vacancies from historically disadvantaged areas. This research demonstrates the importance of accessibility analysis in planning a transit system that increases opportunity for marginalized workers and concludes by calling for broader, easier access to accessibility analysis for practitioners and community groups to refine the early stages of the transit planning process and democratize an increasingly crucial transit planning tool.

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