Passenger Boarding Research Articles

Secrets of success: assessing the large increases in transit ridership achieved by Houston and San Diego transit providers

This paper summarizes and updates the findings from an earlier study by the same authors of transit systems in Houston (all bus) and San Diego (bus and light rail). Both systems achieved unusually large increases in transit ridership during a period in which most transit systems in other metropolitan areas were experiencing large losses. Based on ridership models estimated using cross section and time series data, the paper quantifies the relative contributions of policy variables and factors beyond the control of transit operators on ridership growth. It is found that large ridership increases in both areas are caused principally by large service increases and fare reductions, as well as metropolitan employment and population growth. In addition, the paper provides careful estimates of total and operating costs per passenger boarding and per passenger mile for Houston's bus operator and San Diego's bus and light rail operators. These estimates suggest that the bus systems are more cost-effective than the light rail system on the basis of total costs. Finally, the paper carries out a series of policy simulations to analyze the effects of transit funding levels and metropolitan development patterns on transit ridership and farebox recovery ratio.

Effects of Smart Cards on Transit Operators

The results of an evaluation of the first transit smart card field operational test in California are presented. The smart card technologies deployed were radio frequency and integrated circuit contact systems, and the evaluation included the cost and productivity implications of smart cards relative to those of fare boxes as well as the perceptions of transit personnel. Data input for the evaluation came from interviews with transit personnel and onboard observations. The results indicate that smart cards work well and reliably in real-world bus operations. Passengers and transit personnel liked smart cards because they were faster and more convenient than cash fares. Smart cards could reduce passenger boarding times, vehicle downtime due to malfunctions of the fare system, and driver workload and stress. Furthermore, smart cards enhance the collection and quality of transit data.

Effects of Smart Cards on Transit Operators

The results of an evaluation of the first transit smart card field operational test in California are presented. The smart card technologies deployed were radio frequency and integrated circuit contact systems, and the evaluation included the cost and productivity implications of smart cards relative to those of fare boxes as well as the perceptions of transit personnel. Data input for the evaluation came from interviews with transit personnel and onboard observations. The results indicate that smart cards work well and reliably in real-world bus operations. Passengers and transit personnel liked smart cards because they were faster and more convenient than cash fares. Smart cards could reduce passenger boarding times, vehicle downtime due to malfunctions of the fare system, and driver workload and stress. Furthermore, smart cards enhance the collection and quality of transit data.

Dwell‐Time Effects of Low‐Floor Bus Design

The low‐floor bus design is generally recognized as an effective tool for serving the population of transit passengers with disabilities. This design, in which the main platform is reached with a single step from curb level, is evaluated here for its potential to reduce dwell times of buses in regular service with regard to the nondisabled population as well. Three data sources were developed in cooperation with the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Transportation Authority; a regular service sample in which the full range of fare‐payment media was used, a special shuttle sample, in which all fares were prepaid, and a limited wheelchair trial. Descriptive analysis of the data as well as multiple regression modeling indicate dwell‐time savings accruing to the low‐floor bus design overall. Ranges of potential savings by passenger type and fare payment media are also estimated. The study concludes that exclusive of benefits in wheelchair passenger boarding times, the low‐floor design may shorten general passenger boarding and alighting time by 13–15%.

Measurements of Cosmic Radiation on Board Lufthansa Aircraft on the Major Intercontinental Flight Routes

Radiation measurements have been performed on board passenger aircraft of Lufthansa German Airlines to get relevant and consistent information about radiation exposure of aircrews. The flights originated from Frankfurt with the destinations Vancouver, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Mexico City. The measurements were carried out on altitudes up to 41,000 ft (12.5 km) as a function of latitude and longitude, using established dosemeters for environmental control as well as a new microdosimetric device. At the most frequently used flight levels between 33,000 and 39,000 ft (10-11.7 km), area dose equivalent rates were conservatively estimated to be as high as 5-8 µSv.h-1, at geomagnetic latitudes around N50 o. Corresponding area dose equivalents reach 3-5 mSv.y-1 with the assumption of 600 flight hours annually and the quality factor function according to ICRP 60.

Stair-chair passenger transfer from the ground to airplane: A case study

The task of passenger transfer from the ground to the airplane using a stair-chair is frequently performed at smaller airports and/or by smaller air carriers, resulting in back injuries to flight attendants. This task was simulated and analyzed as a case study, using Nordskog passenger boarding stairs (Model 3005) and the built-in passenger boarding stairs of Boeing 727. The passenger was transferred on an Everest and Jennings chair (Model 46-E). The entire task was divided into its task elements for both passenger boarding stairs. The individual task elements were subjected to biomechanical analysis. The lumbosacral compressive load was found to exceed the action limit for every task element. The percent strength capability ranged between 11% to 71%. A low cost option modification of hardware and task execution is suggested. A simulated task analysis of the modified task revealed significantly reduced compression (below the action limit over the entire task). The percent strength capability increased significantly (60%–100%).

Congress Moves On Plastic Gun Legislation

The whole issue of plastic guns may have arisen from a newspaper column written by Jack Anderson for the Washington Post . Or perhaps the impetus came from a survey of airport security efficiency done by the Federal Aviation Administration. Regardless, Congress has been worrying for more than two years about the possible use of handguns made of some nondetectable polymer to commit terrorist acts in the U.S. Last week, compromise legislation was passed by the House that would make importing or manufacturing nondetectable weapons illegal. The first line of defense against such terrorism as the hijacking of civilian airplanes is the detection of weapons at the airport before passengers board the plane. The two devices most frequently used are familiar and mostly reliable. They are the cabinet x-ray systems that see into carry-on luggage and the metal detectors each person must pass through. FAA acknowledges that it is seriously concerned about the possible existence of ...

Bus journey times in medium size urban areas

AbstractThe predictive accuracy of the models based on the fundamental relation between journey time and passenger demand can be improved through data disaggregation or route segmentation. Primary reason for this is the improvement in the estimates of stopping delays and delays due to passenger boarding and/or alighting (dwell time). Both Poisson and Negative Binomial model estimates of stoppings for passenger boarding and alighting are shown to improve with disaggregation. These improvements, however, contribute little to the overall predictability of the fundamental models which are useful for gaining insight into the significance and variability of the stopping delays and dwell time, or testing sensitivity to changes in the long term. Site or route specific models of journey times which have better predictive capability exist, and may be used for short‐run planning. However, the interchangeability and performance over time of the latter, have to be evaluated before making definitive conclusions.

An outbreak of gastroenteritis on a passenger cruise ship.

In an outbreak of gastroenteritis on board a cruise ship 251 passengers and 51 crew were affected and consulted the ship's surgeon during a 14-day period. There was a significant association between consumption of cabin tap water and reported illness in passengers. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli were isolated from passengers and crew and coliforms were found in the main water storage tank. Contamination of inadequately chlorinated water by sewage was the most likely source of infection. A low level of reported illness and late recognition of the outbreak delayed investigation of what was probably the latest in a series of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on board this ship. There is a need for a national surveillance programme which would monitor the extent of illness on board passenger cruise ships as well as a standard approach to the action taken when levels of reported illness rise above a defined level.

Optimal control of headway variation on transit routes

AbstractHeadway control strategies have been proposed as methods for correcting transit service irregularities and thereby reducing passenger wait times at stops. This paper addresses a particular strategy which can be implemented on high frequency routes (headways under 10–12 minutes), in which buses are held at a control stop to a threshold headway. An algorithm is developed which yields the optimal control stop location and optimal threshold headway with respect to a system wait function. The specification of the wait function is based on the development of several empirical models, including a headway variation model and an average delay time model at control stops.A conclusion is reached that the headway variation does not increase linearly along a route, a common assumption made in many previous studies. Furthermore, the location of the optimal control stop and threshold value are sensitive to the passenger boarding profile, as expected. The algorithm itself appears to have practical application to conventional transit operations.

Passenger Waiting Strategies for Overlapping Bus Routes

Transit passengers in many urban areas must deal with overlapping bus routes with some routes sharing common stops. Such a passenger can decide either to board an arriving bus or wait for a faster bus—one which will have a shorter in-vehicle travel time. The purpose of this paper is to clarify this route-choice problem using mathematical formulations of passenger waiting times. First an analysis of previous research is carried out based on a field-verified formulation between the variance and the mean of the bus headway and on two headway distribution families. Second, probabilistic mathematical formulations are developed, and an interpretation of the problem is presented. In this second part, overlapping routes are categorized as slow or fast routes, and the proportion of passengers selecting each type of route is derived. The results concerning the route-choice strategies show that an optimal strategy might be to disregard an arriving slow bus. In this case the passenger should wait for a fast bus while disregarding slow buses arriving in the meantime. The results concerning the two route categories show that the intuitive rule in which passengers board the routes in proportion to their frequencies is not a good approximation in all cases, and it can be revised in accordance with this analysis. In addition, this research constructs a framework to consider further aspects of passenger behavior at urban bus stops.

An investigation of passenger interchange and train standing time at LRT stations: (i) Alighting, boarding and platform distribution of passengers

AbstractThe train standing‐time at a station is a determinant of the line capacity and the necessary fleet‐size. Its determination is usually based on the assumption that boarding and alighting is uniform at all doors of a train. Uniform boarding and alighting is conceivable if passengers distribute themselves uniformly on station platforms while waiting for trains. The validity of the uniformity assumptions is tested using data from two stations (one CBD, one suburban) of the Calgary, Alberta LRT system. It is shown that passenger distribution on the platform, alighting and boarding is not uniform and is closely related to the location of platform access points. Some strategies that will encourage uniformity are discussed. However, procedures that can estimate the standing time for non‐uniform boarding and alighting need to be developed.

Towards an International Licence

At any point of time on any day of these 1970s, international air traffic is moving a vast population across frontiers. The passengers obediently fasten seat belts, the big jets capture the glideslope and then roll in towards the terminal. The disembarking passengers leave the aircraft thinking about immigration and customs, the transit passengers glean a quick impression of a possibly unknown land beyond the terminal, and the boarding passengers speculate on the relative advantages of aisle or window seats. Very few of these people will consider whether the vehicle which carries them so comfortably presents any problems to the technicians at the airports visited en route.

Computer Generated Time-Tables and Bus Schedules for a Large Bus Transport Network

This report describes a method developed for analyzing a large bus transport on a digital computer with a view to improving the utilization of buses and the duty allocation for the crew without making elaborate structural changes in the existing setup. With the a priori statistics concerning the alighting and boarding of passengers at each stage of a route for different times of the day and the a posteriori statistics concerning the waiting time of the passengers at various stages of the route as the information supplied by the transport organization, a computer program has been developed to realize time-tables and bus schedules that can optimize the fixed plus variable cost of operation subject to the requirements and constraints imposed on the optimization procedure by the passengers, the crew, and the management.