Effectiveness of urban passenger transportation depending on the bus capacity

Abstract

Problem.In the recent years, there has been a sharp decline in the key indicators of automobile transport infrastructure of Ukraine, with respect to the transport infrastructure of the developed countries. The level of quality and safety of civil passenger traffic have declined substantially. The capacity of a passenger compartment reaches the number of 6 persons per square metre which is practically twice the worldwide average; the transport runs with the intervals of 20 minutes; the average speed of public transport in cities is 18-21 km/h. Goal. The aim of this paper is justification of the technical and economic expediency of the use of buses with the corresponding capacity depending on the passenger volume. Methodology. Experimental studies of the fuel consumption by buses with different (seating and standing) capacity. Theoretical processing of statistical data on the fuel consumption and labour intensity of maintenance of buses. Results. The analysis has been carried out on the influence of bus capacity on the efficiency of urban transportation. It has been proven that with the heavy ridership when high and extra high capacity buses are used, the cost of transportation is declining substantially in comparison to the buses of lower capacity. The mathematical models have been developed which help estimate the efficiency of the use of buses with different capacity on the same route. In the cities with heavy passenger traffic when the same number of passengers are on board the cost of maintenance, operating repair and fuel of buses are lower when the bus capacity is higher. It is proven, for instance, that when transporting the same number of passengers on the same route, with the use of buses of extra high passenger capacity the comparative fuel consumption can potentially be twice less, and with the high passenger capacity 1.6 times less than when using lower capacity passenger buses. To provide the high efficacy of urban bus transportation the transport infrastructure needs radical organizational modernization and should be supervised by the single urban transport logistic centre. Practical value. One of the effective ways of reducing the cost of urban passenger transportation has been determined.