Bus Terminals Research Articles

The Electric Vehicle Scheduling Problem for Buses in Networks with Multi-Port Charging Stations

As more and more cities try to reduce their CO2 emissions, public transport fleets are undergoing a transition from conventional to electric vehicles. To complete this shift, there is a need to build the required charging infrastructure. When the first electric buses were adopted, the charging stations were mostly built in the locations of large bus depots. However, in recent years, there has been a crowding problem in the charging stations resulting in queuing and unnecessary delays. In this study, we explore the potential of replacing single-port charging stations with multi-port charging stations that can serve multiple vehicles at once with a reduced charging rate. Because the charging rate reduces with the number of ports, we develop a mixed-integer linear program to determine the charging schedules of bus fleets in order to reduce the overall delays in the bus network. The novel formulation is tested in benchmark instances of various sizes demonstrating the improvement potential.

Environmental Benefits of Transition to Electric School Buses

The research paper titled Environmental Benefits of Transition to Electric School Buses examines the substantial environmental and public health advantages of replacing diesel-powered school buses with electric school buses (ESBs) in the United States. With over 500,000 school buses transporting around 27 million students daily, more than 90% of them rely on diesel engines, which emit harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and carbon dioxide (CO2). These pollutants contribute to air pollution, climate change, and serious health issues, particularly for children who are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of diesel exhaust. This paper explores the environmental impacts of diesel school buses, including their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and highlights the disproportionate effects on disadvantaged communities, which are often located near highways or bus depots where pollution is concentrated. Diesel emissions contribute to climate change through the release of CO2 and black carbon, a potent climate-forcing agent. The paper also emphasizes the health risks associated with diesel exhaust, such as respiratory diseases and increased asthma rates, particularly among children. The transition to ESBs offers a promising solution to these issues. ESBs produce zero tailpipe emissions, reducing NOx, PM, and CO2, which directly improves air quality and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the use of ESBs can significantly reduce the incidence of respiratory problems, improve overall student health, and lead to better academic performance due to fewer absences caused by illness. Beyond environmental and health benefits, ESBs can play a crucial role in advancing climate action by cutting emissions, especially when powered by renewable energy sources. As school districts across the U.S. explore the adoption of electric school buses, the research highlights the transformative potential of ESBs in creating a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable future for children and communities alike.

Cães comunitários – tempo de permanência e população em terminais urbanos de ônibus e parques do município de Curitiba, Paraná

Dog overpopulation is a reality considered a public health issue. The Curitiba Animal Protection Network provides assistance in health management of dogs that live in bus terminals and parks. The objective was to monitorize the length of stay and the number of community dogs presented in Curitiba bus terminals. The study was based on the retrospective analysis of data on community dogs monitored by the City Hall through descriptive statistics. The collected data was distributed in a spreadsheet, and the total number of animals for each variable and the average length of stay were calculated. The average length of stay was 2 years. All were non-defined breed, 67.7% males, 73.8% large, 85.4% adults, 70% sterilized and 87.7% microchipped. Furthermore, 23% were adopted, 27% died and 47.3% disappeared. Permanent monitoring is a fundamental part of the Community Dog Program, offering essential information for effective public policies.

Dataset of U.S. School Bus Depots

This technical note describes the methods used to create a dataset of school bus depot locations in the United States. There are nearly half a million school buses in the country but almost no public information about where they are kept. Environmental justice literature describes how school bus depots may create air pollution hotspots for underserved communities that lead to health harms and may require grid infrastructure upgrades for future bus electrification.

An analysis of physical planning perspective of the implications of traffic congestion in the central area of Osogbo

This study analyzes the physical planning perspective of the implication of traffic congestion in the central area of Osogbo to investigate the socio-economic lifestyle of commuters and Identify the implication of traffic congestion within the study area. The study annexed both primary and secondary sources for data collection. The study adopts a 3% sampling study out of the total traffic count of 19745 respondents that ply the road; this therefore amounted to 364 respondents from the 7 selected junctions in the area. The results of the finding show that the population growth, lack of road infrastructure and parking facilities are physical planning perspectives on the implication of traffic congestion in the study area. The result also shows that the socio-economic status of respondents influences the condition of traffic congestion. The study concludes and makes recommendations such as the need for public enlightenment / regular education of road users in the study area on the need to use traffic control devices, the need to decongest activities in the central area of Osogbo to reduce the number of travel to the area, construction of proper and consistent bus terminals which are not too far apart within the city, enforcing the use of alternate routes to minimize the number of traffic within the city centre during the peak hour of the day. The study recommends the provision of a parking plaza strategically within the area to curb the problem of on-street parking. Keywords: Central area, congestion, implication, physical planning and perceptive.

Travel Demand Estimation for a Special Event using Pervasive Data: A Case Study of G20 Summit

Due to globalization and rapid development, the demand for travel and congestion are increasing, stressing the road networks. Furthermore, road networks are subjected to planned and unplanned disruptions, and these disruptions affect the road network performance by either damaging its components, fluctuating the travel demand, or doing both at the same time. Thus, assessing the change in travel demand and travel patterns during such disruptions is essential. Conventionally, travel demand has been estimated using a household travel survey (HTS). However, the HTS is not feasible for disrupted conditions because of its large sample size requirement and time-consuming methodology. However, with the advent of crowdsourced data, new methodologies have been proposed for estimating the travel demand, but most of these studies have focused on estimating demand for a typical day and not disrupted scenarios. Moreover, data sources utilized till now have low sample sizes or are unavailable for developing countries. To bridge this gap, the current study utilizes an automated planning tool called Rapidex to estimate the travel demand and pattern change for a planned disruption, i.e., the 18th G20 Summit, Delhi, using crowdsourced travel time data from TomTom API. Upon comparing the results of travel demand and travel patterns of typical days with G20 days, it was observed that travel demand was lower during G20. Moreover, it was observed that the zones where railway stations, interstate bus terminals, and G20 activities were focused had higher generation and attraction share than typical days. Other zones within the regulated area had lower generation and attraction rates, which can be because of travel restrictions imposed in these zones.

A sustainable battery scheduling and echelon utilization framework for electric bus network with photovoltaic charging infrastructure

Battery capacity degradation in battery electric buses (BEBs) poses a significant operational challenge for transit agencies. This study presents a sustainable battery scheduling and echelon utilization framework considering battery capacity fading and charging infrastructure integrated with solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems. The framework aims to minimize the sum of bus charging, battery replacement, and carbon emission costs during the BEB lifespan. We first present a power battery replacement problem for a single bus fleet, then extend it to a joint power battery replacement and fleet-depot matching problem. Finally, we propose a power battery replacement and fleet-depot problem by introducing solar PV and energy storage systems. Dynamic programming, Lagrange relaxation, and a two-step approach are adopted to solve the three problems. A case study involving six bus depots in Beijing demonstrates that optimal battery replacement schedules can significantly lower charging costs. Moreover, integrating solar PV and energy storage is shown to considerably reduce both charging costs and carbon emissions.

Level of Service Assessment for People with Disability in Kawo Bus Terminal Park Kaduna State, Nigeria

This study presents measurements of the overall level of service (LOS) for people with disabilities (PWDs) at public bus terminals. According to user perceptions, these metrics are helpful for evaluating the total LOS on a single scale. The process entails watching passengers and gathering a number of socioeconomic and physical factors that could affect how users rate the bus terminal. With the ability to assess and determine the LOS of transit terminals for physically challenged people, solutions to develop more empathetic transit terminals can be identified, and efforts to confirm the deficiencies can be put into place. It is possible to derive quantitative LOS ratings from survey data using a psychometric scaling technique. Following that, the relationship maps between these two categories of items were examined. The quantitative LOS ratings indices were rated using survey analysis. The findings revealed that the grand mean for expected service was 3.67 (SD = 0.77) while the mean for recorded LOS was 2.01 (SD = 0.58), indicating a significant gap between the two, thus needed attention to address LOS given to PWDs. A planning guideline for IPA is offered to design and optimise bus terminal access facilities for new or existing terminal stations, underscoring the practical usefulness of the approach. The outcome from this study evidently if incorporated in designing Bus Park will help in modelling bus terminal that will accommodate PWDs.

OPTIMIZATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NOSES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE-BASED GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TO REALIZE A GREEN CITY IN THE NUSANTARA CAPITAL REGION THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Law Number 3 of 2022 is the legal basis for moving the National Capital from DKI Jakarta to Sepaku, East Kalimantan, which is called the Capital City of the Archipelago (IKN). To prevent serious emissions cases from recurring in the capital city of Jakarta, the low emission zone concept needs to be implemented to achieve a smart and green city area in IKN. Community mobility in IKN is directed at 80% to use public transportation with an access time of 10 minutes to public transportation nodes, so that with the large area of ​​IKN it is very necessary to optimize the development of public transportation nodes. This research aims to determine the use of the type of electric vehicle with the lowest emissions and determine the optimal number of bus terminal mapping, so that it can reduce emissions due to transportation activities and create financial savings in the process of installing solar panels as a means of converting renewable energy sources at each bus terminal in the IKN area. . This research method was carried out by studying a literature review regarding electric vehicles and using the set covering problem method in determining the optimal number of bus terminals, as well as using the interview method to obtain primary data. BEV type electric vehicles are most suitable for use in IKN, because they emit fewer emissions than other types. In creating optimization, there are six bus terminal construction locations that can serve other areas in IKN.

Exploring the operations of itinerant medicine sellers within urban bus terminals in Kumasi, Ghana

This paper explores Itinerant Medicine Sellers’ (IMSs) operations at loading bays within bus terminals in the Kumasi metropolis. The paper examines how the sellers negotiated access into the loading bays, how they marketed their medicines, where they sourced their medicines from, and the challenges they faced. An exploratory qualitative survey design was adopted for the study. Through convenience sampling, 18 IMSs operating within the bus terminals in the Kumasi metropolis participated in this study. In-depth interviews were conducted, audio-recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were thematically analysed. The study found that these hawkers negotiated access to the loading bays through multiple informal gatekeepers and employed direct customer engagement in marketing their medicines. It was further revealed that the IMSs sourced their medicines from both formal and informal sources for different reasons, such as affordability and informality of medicines acquisition. The participants operated outside government-prescribed regulations and faced challenges of low capital and sales revenue, poor reception by prospective clients, and government clampdown. The study concludes that medicine hawking is an illegal livelihood strategy and a public health concern. As a phenomenon outside government’s policy guidelines, it is recommended that government intensifies its clampdown activities on these hawkers and engage in public health education on the negative implications of accessing medicines from these IMSs.

Microbial Quality of Some Fresh-Cut Ready-to-Eat Fruits Sold in Some Markets and Bus Terminals in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana

The consumption of fruits is an important source of vitamins and micronutrients. Despite their health benefits, fruits have been linked to food-borne infections, particularly when untreated animal excreta are used in their cultivation and not properly washed before consumption. This study aimed to evaluate the parasitological, fungal, and bacteriological quality of some fresh-cut ready-to-eat fruits sold in markets and bus terminals in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. A total of 270 fresh-cut ready-to-eat fruits, including pineapples, watermelon, pawpaw, sugarcane, and tiger nuts, were sampled from both stationary vendors and hawkers from six different locations in the Kumasi Metropolis. Samples were analysed for the presence of bacteria, fungi, and intestinal parasites using the Microbial Methods in the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) of the United States Food and Drugs Administration (2001). The pour plate technique was used to culture and grow bacteria and fungi, while the most probable number (MPN) table was employed for bacteria and fungi count. The total coliform counts ranged from 2.32 to 3.15 log cfu/g; faecal coliform counts ranged from 1.58 to 2.58 log cfu/g; enterococci count ranged from 1.06 to 1.90 log cfu/g; and fungal count ranged from 2.57 to 3.73 log cfu/g. There was a significant difference in the mean faecal coliform and enterococci counts for all fruit samples. Tiger nut had the most bacteria, while watermelon was the most fungi contaminated fruit. Shigella spp. was the commonest bacteria contaminates of fresh-cut ready-to-eat fruits sold in Kumasi. Giardia lamblia was the most abundant parasite detected. Fresh-cut ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables sold in markets and bus terminals in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana, are contaminated with bacteria, parasites, and fungi. These findings emphasize the need for public awareness and proper hygiene practices to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses associated with the consumption of fresh-cut fruits.

Epidemiological and Genomic Analysis of Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections during the Delta and Omicron Epidemic Waves in São Paulo City, Brazil.

We examined the asymptomatic rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection during the Delta and Omicron waves in the city of São Paulo. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at strategic points of the city (open-air markets, bus terminals, airports) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing. Applying the questionnaire, the symptomatic individuals were excluded, and only asymptomatic cases were analyzed. During the Delta wave, a total of 4315 samples were collected, whereas 2372 samples were collected during the first Omicron wave. The incidence of the asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection was 0.6% during the Delta wave and 0.8% during the Omicron wave. No statistical differences were found in the threshold amplification cycle. However, there was a statistical difference observed in the sublineage distribution between asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Our study determined the incidence of asymptomatic infection by monitoring individuals who remained symptom-free, thereby providing a reliable evaluation of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriage. Our findings reveal a relatively low proportion of asymptomatic cases, which could be attributed to our rigorous monitoring protocol for the presence of clinical symptoms. Investigating asymptomatic infection rates is crucial to develop and implement effective disease control strategies.

A novel method for co-optimizing battery sizing and charging strategy of battery electric bus fleets: An application to the city of Paris

Battery-electric buses (BEBs) are a promising technology for replacing diesel buses and reducing their environmental burden. However, their charging process can take several hours, depending on the charging technique and strategy, making them susceptible to schedule disruptions. Furthermore, the selection of the charging strategy and battery size can increase the total capital investment and operational expenses of a BEB fleet, which is a major obstacle to its adoption. Therefore, to minimize the total cost of ownership (TCO) and prevent schedule disruptions, it is essential to establish a well-defined approach to determine an appropriate battery size and charging strategy for BEB fleets.This paper presents a method for reducing the TCO of BEB by determining the optimal battery size and charging strategy for each bus while satisfying operating constraints. The method involves a two-step optimization algorithm that uses Dynamic Programming and Genetic Algorithm. The study applies this approach to the bus fleet serving line 21 in Paris and generates the optimal battery sizing, charging strategy, and required charging infrastructure. The results indicate that 100 kWh batteries offer the best trade-off between capital and operational expenditure for the fleet deployment if used with 65–85 kW chargers at bus terminals.

Willingness of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Among Long Distance Truck Drivers: A Window of Opportunity in Control of Retroviral Disease

Objective: To evaluate the factors influencing the practice of voluntary counselling and testing among long-distance truck drivers as it affects the spread of retroviral disease.
 Design: This was a quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in the major bus terminals in Enugu State, Nigeria. A questionnaire-based tool was used to collect data from a population of adult bus drivers.
 Setting: It was conducted at the 3 main motor parks in Enugu metropolis from January 2019 – March 2020. 
 Participants: 500 long-distance truck drivers aged 19-65 years.
 Intervention: The knowledge and practices of the participants were assessed using a semi-structured interview guide. They were interviewed on various aspects of HIV/AIDS.
 Main Outcome Measures: Knowledge and practices. On Knowledge and practice performance scale rating; < 50% is poor, 50 -75% is fair, and > 75% is good.
 Results: Among the five hundred (500) long-distance truck drivers (LDTD) studied 68.0% showed a fair knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The prevalent high-risk behaviour was multiple sexual partners (73.2%). The practice of voluntary counselling and testing was poor, as (17.0%) had practised it; however, their risk perception was high at (76.0%). Fortunately, there was also a high willingness to screen 302 (60.4%) which was significantly higher in those with a tertiary level of education (100%) and the married participants (75.8 %) (χ2=174.4, p < 0.01).
 Conclusion: There was a high-risk perception in this study population with a high willingness to be tested. We hereby recommend regular screening service at the motor packs of truck drivers in Enugu State.

Site suitability for intercity bus terminal at Hyderabad, Pakistan: a citizen’s perception

The city of Hyderabad, Pakistan has been facing a shortage of bus terminals over the years. The native transportation arrangement already increased traffic jams in the city. Besides, passenger buses that arrived in Hyderabad from other suburban cities had caused chaos and increased traffic management issues. Constructing a new bus terminal for the city in an accessible location is determined in this study. To examine the demand for a bus terminal and to determine a proper location, the data were collected from the 480 sampled respondents with the help of a questionnaire survey. Experts from the Hyderabad Development Authorities were consulted on the availability of land for the proposed development of the terminal. To generate suitable information, descriptive statistics and the correlation approach were employed. GIS-based maps were also produced to define the land uses and routes of the city. This research recommends four standard sites for the terminal, i.e., the Mayani Main Forest (Ayub Hotel), Toll Plaza, Kohsar (Gulshan-e-Sarmast), and Zeal Park. Based on expert opinion, the Ayoub Hotel site was found more suitable for constructing a new bus terminal. In this way, this study contributed to the development of a new bus terminal for the city, which has been the demand of the citizens for quite some time.

Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among public service vehicle operators in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Background: Public service vehicle operators and owners are a susceptible demographic in need of specialized treatments due to their high vulnerability to these problems. The primary purpose of this research was to learn on the utilization of sexual reproductive health services (SRH) among public service vehicle (PSV) operators in Nairobi County use sexual and reproductive health care services. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for the study. The research approach used both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Operators at bus terminals made up the bulk of the research population. The Cochran's formula was used to precisely estimate a sample's contribution to a population, and the sampling estimate had a variance (margin of error) of 0.5. Results: The logistic regression model results showed that, after controlling for demographics, female PSV operators were 97% more likely to use SRH services on at least four separate occasions than their male counterparts (95% CI (0.21 to 0.96), p=0.015). When controlling for age, marital status, and education, PSV operators from universities are 75% more likely to use SRH services than those from primary schools (95% CI (1.12 to 0.75), p=0.001), and those from secondary schools are 68% more likely to use SRH services than those from primary schools (95% CI (0.241 to 0.679), p=0.004). Conclusions: This study concluded that, the utilization of SRH services among PSV is at 36.6%, married PSV operators utilize sexual reproductive health services was more than unmarried PSV operators. Age, level of education and employment status are determinants to utilization of the selected sexual reproductive health services.

An Adaptive Battery Charging Method for the Electrification of Diesel or CNG Buses as In-Motion-Charging Trolleybuses

The decarbonization of urban bus fleets can be made by their electrification as In-Motion-Charging (IMC) buses which can run both as trolleybuses or in battery-mode. The benefit is that IMC buses can use the existing trolleygrid infrastructure where their route overlaps with it to charge the battery, and operate in battery-mode outside of it. Presently, the IMC battery charging power is set conservatively to the minimum of all the spare capacities of the traction substations found along the bus route. This can render most electrification projects techno/economically infeasible as not enough energy is picked up for the battery-mode operation and long charging times at bus terminals are required. This paper proposes then an Adaptive Charging approach that uses the locally available spare capacity under any traction substation, taking into account the limitations of the maximum substation power and the minimum line voltage. The method is proven here both theoretically and in a case study over one full year of operation of four electrified diesel/CNG bus lines in Arnhem, the Netherlands, using comprehensive and verified trolleybus and trolleygrid models. The proposed Adaptive Charging method, as opposed to the present conservative method (here, Regular Charging), is shown to make one bus electrification project completely feasible, and reduce the extra terminal charging time for the other lines by up to 64%.

Linear programming model for scheduling bus rapid transit in Lagos State, Nigeria

The amount of time users have to wait influences their mode of transportation choice. Commuters don’t like to wait in the bus station, especially when the weather is terrible and for the purpose of keeping appointments. Scheduling buses to the various bus terminals will meet the commuter’s needs. The aim of the study is to reduce the waiting time of commuters at bus station and to assign buses to each route. A mathematical model called linear programming (LP) was developed to schedule buses to improve the smooth process of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The linear programming model was applied to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) data in Lagos State. The proposed method generated three (3) shifts from 6 – 11am in the morning, 11 – 4pm in the midday and 4 – 9pm in the evening subject to two (2) shifts of fifteen (15) hours to reduce the number of hours buses operate per day and also allocated buses for each route for weekdays with five (5) hours per each shift instead of seven (7) hours buses operated per shift. A properly implemented strategy would significantly decrease passengers' long waits at bus stops, reduce the breakdown of buses, man-hours lost, and allows commuters to meet their various schedule for works, meetings, and other assignments.

Sistem Informasi Permintaan Barang dan Jasa Fasilitas Umum

Abstract
 The Banten Province Land Transportation Management Office (BPTD) Region VIII oversees many Service Units (SATPEL) such as type A bus terminals, crossing ports, and weigh stations in Banten Province. The General Bureau is a Work Unit (Satker) tasked with handling requests for goods/services. Some problems occur in the process of requesting goods/services in the Office of the Land Transportation Management Center (BPTD) Region VIII of Banten Province, namely the submission process is still manual, so it takes a long time and the status of approval from each party who has a decision-making policy cannot be known directly. So to overcome the problems faced, it is necessary to design an information system for requests for goods and services that use the Waterfall method and the PHP and MySQL programming languages ​​to create an expected information system, so that data processing can be processed more quickly and in control. Thus each Service Unit (Satpel) can submit a letter of submission of goods by accessing the goods/services procurement web online.
 
 Keywords: Service Goods, Demand, Information Systems, Transportation, Waterfall.

Mask use in public places in Maputo City, Mozambique: Cross-sectional survey.

The use of face masks is one of the preventive measures that Mozambique adopted in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. A study carried out from May 25 to June 6, 2020 found that although many wore masks, incorrect use was observed in 27.5% of the population observed. This data collection aimed to measure the degree of mask use compliance during a more protracted, higher second wave of transmission. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the City of Maputo from 19 to 28 October 2020 through direct observation of mask use of all individuals present in markets, supermarkets and bus terminals. The data were collected using mobile phones with the Open Data Kit Collect (ODK) data collection program. Sociodemographic characteristics, mask use, and type of mask used were documented. Factors associated with incorrect mask use were evaluated considering sex, age, observation period and location. A total of 49,404 individuals were observed, of whom 24,977(50.6%) were male, 46,484 (94.1%) were adults and 17,549 (35.5%) were observed in the markets. An observed 41,786 (84.6%) wore a mask, of whom 33,851 (81.0%) used it correctly. Not covering the mouth and nose was common; observed in 4,649 (58.5%) of those using incorrectly. Of different types of masks, fabric masks were most often used incorrectly 7,225 (21.4%). The factors associated with incorrect mask use were female gender (OR = 1.2 [1.1-1.3], p <0.001), observation in peri-urban versus urban areas (OR = 1.9 [1.8-2.1], p <0.001) and observation during the afternoon (OR = 1.5 [1.5-1.6], p <0. 001). A high proportion of observed individuals wore a mask in the context of prevention of COVID-19, however some non-use and incorrect use persists. Intensified public awareness of the correct use of the mask is recommended, especially in peri-urban areas and at the end of the day.