City Bus Research Articles

SOLFI: An Integrated Platform for Sustainable Urban Last-Mile Logistics’ Operations—Study, Design and Development

Sustainable urban logistics has an important impact on the cities, which emphasizes the need for better management of logistics activities, including the usage of environmentally friendly transportation. The sustainability of cities, a concern that is on the agenda, is a very important topic pertaining to current political and societal issues. In this sense, although collaboration among urban logistics stakeholders on projects can be challenging, this effort pays off when there is a significant result for the sustainability of cities. This paper aims to present an Information System, named SOLFI (Sistema de Otimização para a Logística urbana com Fluxos Integrados), for planning management and control of urban logistics based on sustainability that integrates the transport of passengers and freight, using the city bus network and bicycles to perform last-mile deliveries. To develop the SOLFI solution and to ensure co-creation through a participative design approach, an agile methodology was used. In terms of results, the SOLFI integrates different agents in the movement of goods in urban centers with less polluting and small vehicles, in particular buses and bicycles. It represents a decision support system that is intended to operate in real-time, managing the entire process from the request until the load delivery to the final destination, to simplify, automate, and improve the urban logistics process. Thus, the main characteristics of SOLFI are to manage all the information required for this process in order to: (i) request quotation and acceptance management; (ii) deliver plan development to all the agents involved; (iii) manage the loads along the network; (iv) allow the tracking and control of requests along the network; and (v) enable replanning due to various possible disruptions that may occur during the process. SOLFI’s distinctive characteristic and main contribution result from the integration of all the transportation network and all agents in the same platform while considering synchronization among involved agents. The SOLFI solution allows for the reduction of traditional flows of goods, taking advantage of the availability of public passenger transport (buses) to perform the main travel distance within the city and the use of bicycles as a last-mile step. In this way, there is a reduction in the number of polluting vehicles in the city, meeting sustainability practices.

Half-Power Prediction and Its Application on the Energy Management Strategy for Fuel Cell City Bus

The fuel cell hybrid powertrain is a potential power supply system for fuel cell vehicles. The underlying problem is that the fuel cell vehicles encounter exhaustive hydrogen consumption. To effectively manage hydrogen consumption, the aim is to propose fuel cell city bus power and control system. The underlying idea is to determine the target power of fuel cell through simulation study on fuel cell and battery energy management strategy and road test verifications. A half-power prediction energy management strategy is implemented to predict the target power of the fuel cell in the current time step based on the demand power of the vehicle and the state of charge (SOC) of the battery in the previous time steps. This offers better understanding of the correlation between fuel cell power and vehicle drive cycle for enabling effective power supply management. The research results show that the half-power prediction energy management strategy effectively reduces the hydrogen consumption of the vehicle by 7.1% and the number of battery cycle by 6.0%, compared to the stepped management strategy of battery SOC. When applied to a 12-m fuel cell city bus—F12, specially designed and manufactured for the Winter Olympic Games in 2022—the fuel economy of 3.7 kg/100 km is achieved in urban road conditions. This study lays a foundation for providing the powertrain configuration and energy management strategy of fuel cell city bus.

Operational risk assessment model for city buses

The development of public transport systems presently focuses on sustainability. In this situation, the issue of user (passenger) migration has become important to the transport company as a service provider. This paper presents an integrated model of the operational risk of vehicle incapacity, including the following: costs of incidental repairs, costs of unplanned downtime and costs resulting from potential user migration. The paper presents the results of operational research on buses of two makes over a period of 6 years, in the mileage range of 0–420 000 km. The authors have determined the risk as a regression function of operational mileage to estimate the optimum life cycle. The quality of the vehicle was assessed using the criterion of the maximum cost of the operational incapacity risk being equal to the current residual value of the vehicle. The research results confirmed the suitability of the integrated risk model for a comparison of vehicle makes and assessment of their reasonably foreseeable life cycle in a balanced carrier-vehicleuser system.

Analysis of the operational and financial performance of the Addis Ababa municipality-owned public bus transport services

ABSTRACT Improving operational performance is the key concern for the transportation sector in emerging countries. In Addis Ababa, the majority of the transit service was provided by municipally owned public bus transportation companies such as Anbessa and Sheger Transport Service Enterprises. This study examined the operators’ operational and financial performance in comparison to industry standards. The ratio analysis approach was utilized to examine secondary data from 2016/17 to 2021/2022, which was employed in the study. The overall findings indicate that, despite differences in operational safety and employee productivity, the Anbessa city bus outperforms the Sheger city bus in some parameters, such as fleet utilization, vehicle usage, and service utilization. However, Sheger city bus outperforms its competitor in terms of operational safety and bus staffing levels. Finally, a majority of the data indicates that the operators’ performance fell short of industry standards. To improve their financial and operational performance and continue offering services that fall short of those provided by other companies in the city, bus transit companies, which receive government subsidies to operate their services, must significantly improve how they use their resource. Furthermore, the municipality should offer subsidies and other incentives based on the genuine company’s performance.

Chemical Reaction Optimization for Electric Bus Scheduling

In recent years the usage of electric buses in cities for the purpose of public transportation is increasing. Therefore, the solutions for the problems of the application of electric buses should be proposed. In this paper, we deal with one of the problems which rises during the establishment of the public transport system based on electric buses, specifically the electric bus scheduling problem. In this problem, we assign available buses to the service trips and charging in order to minimize the needed electric buses. We propose the solution to this problem by a metaheuristic algorithm Chemical Reaction Optimization (CRO) with the suggestion of the specific methods that can be used in the implementation of the algorithm for this specific problem. A number of tests were performed with the proposed algorithm on datasets from the public transport system in the city of Žilina. We list the obtained results and compare them to the solutions of the previously presented mathematical model.

Localization Using Global Magnetic Positioning System for Automated Driving Bus and Intervals for Magnetic Markers

This paper describes a localization method based on the global magnetic positioning system (GMPS) using a magneto-impedance sensor, which was developed for automated driving systems to obtain precise vehicle positions under all conditions, including snow or rain. The aim of this study is to verify the stability, robustness, and high accuracy of the proposed method, and propose appropriate intervals for magnetic markers. This localization method accurately calculates the sideslip angle because a noisy acceleration sensor is not required except for the identification process. The estimated positions and orientation are filtered through an extended Kalman filter as the vehicle passes the magnetic markers. The robust stability of the proposed method is verified using the small-gain theorem, which shows that the intervals for magnetic markers should be less than 38.6 m for a city bus. Experimental results using a city bus and GMPS show that there is a possibility that the intervals of magnetic markers are extended to 30 m at small curvature, and 10 m at large curvature from the current 2 m intervals. These results indicate that the maximum intervals to avoid lane deviation of vehicles depend on the reference path curvature.

Financial sustainability versus social equity: Design and performance of a hybrid city bus system

Many city bus systems have gone through crises--dropping ridership and unsustained finance--across countries over the past decades. Previous studies revealed that despite the soaring public subsidies on traditional bus services, the quality of bus services was unimproved and the responses to demand changes remained sluggish. A large number of bus users were, consequently, shifted to other transport modes, leading to a steady ridership decline which further worsens transit agencies’ financial condition. To deal with the dilemma, we integrate market-based customized bus services (MCBSs) into the traditional bus systems and propose a hybrid city bus model. Using data from Shanghai, China, we found that the MCBS had effectively responded to changing demand and achieved substantial ridership growth, maintained a healthy financial status, and provided social benefits to the transportation system. The success of MCBSs in Shanghai proves that the public transit system still has great potential and could be demand-responsive and financially sustainable at the same time. In the meantime, MCBSs have significantly helped improve transport equity in suburban areas. The hybrid city bus model can serve as a reference for different cities to reorganize their bus systems and regain the popularity, vitality, and social equity of bus services.

Investigation of basic operating characteristics of conventional, diesel-electric and hybrid-electric city buses under urban driving conditions

Basic operating characteristics of Conventional, Diesel-Electric (DE) and Hybrid-Electric (HE) city buses were investigated under real-world driving conditions. To perform the investigation, real-time operating data of the buses were collected on Campus-Return route of Sakarya, Turkiye. It was observed that although traction power versus bus speed characteristics indicated similarities for the buses, the engine power versus bus speed characteristics did not indicate the same similarities. The main difference was that while the engine powers of the Conventional and DE buses increased steeply to their maximum during sudden accelerations, that of the HE bus increased gradually to its maximum. While the traction and braking energy traces of the buses were quite similar, the engine energy traces of the HE bus was significantly different although the buses were driven on the same route.

Ергономічне забезпечення вимог до комфортності поїздки в міському автобусі великої місткості

The purpose of the paper is to is to analyze the main factors that determine the parameters of bus comfort when transporting passengers by large-capacity buses. Ensuring the comfort of passenger transportation in a city bus is determined by compliance with ergonomic requirements, which, in turn, depends on the design features of the space intended for passengers. The paper examines these questions in relation to single-deck single and articulated public buses with a capacity of more than twenty-two passengers, standing or sitting, except for the driver. From the point of view of the Ukrainian legislation and regulatory framework, the concepts of the capacity of a passenger bus, its comfort, the main factors that determine the comfort of large-capacity buses are analyzed. The scope of use of buses of different classes and categories according to the types of connections and the length of the routes is determined taking into account the features of the design of the buses regarding the comfort and safety of the transportation of passengers and luggage and ensuring proper travel conditions. The ergonomic requirements for the comfort parameters of buses, the procedure for determining their comfort class and the scope of their use by types of connections and traffic modes are also considered. It was found that the factors that determine the comfort of large-capacity buses include the design and location of the seats, climate control (operating while the engine is running), heating (operating while the engine is running), windows (glass tinting, sun protection equipment (curtains or curtains), individual lighting, a microphone and loudspeaker, the presence of a luggage compartment, the presence of sanitary equipment (toilets with water or chemical cleaning, wash basins), the presence of such amenities as a refrigerator, cafe bar, TV in the cabin, as well as the type of suspension (classic (mechanical) or pneumatic/ pneumomechanical).

Electric vehicle type selection for single-line transit fleet replacement

Fleet replacement is an important decision-making activity in public transit planning and operations. Recently, with the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, diesel buses are being replaced with new electric buses (EBs) in many cities around the world. The study proposes a methodology to analyze and compare the life-cycle cost and passenger waiting time of multi-type EBs, so as to assist transit agencies in determining the optimum EB type to replace existing diesel buses. The proposed methodology is applied to a real-life case study of a bus line in Dandong, China. The case study includes six types of EBs categorized by their charging technologies and passenger capacities, including three slow-charging EBs with capacities of 40, 60, and 76 passengers, as well as three fast-charging EBs with capacities of 50, 65, and 75 passengers. The results show that no matter which charging technology is considered, the life-cycle cost of large-size EBs is the lowest. From the perspective of passengers, small-size EBs resulting in shorter waiting time are more favorable. When passenger demands on all route segments change with the same rate, the total passenger waiting time for each vehicle type will not change. But, with the increase of passenger demand, the average passenger waiting time decreases for all vehicle types. The results also indicate that the bus line length does not have a significant impact on EB vehicle selection. In addition, the phase-out of the vehicle purchase subsidy policy will have no impact on EB type selection due to the current low-level purchase subsides.

A STUDY ON ARRIVALS AND PRICES OF MAJOR AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES AT LARGEST APMC IN VIDARBHA REGION

The present Research Article, "A Study on Arrivals and Prices of Major Agricultural Commodities at Largest APMC in Vidarbha Region" therefore, is a small attempt in reviewing the performance of the Regulated market by Analysing the trends in Arrivals and Prices and Marketing Channel of Major Commodities at the micro-level. This study, thus by way of evaluates the performance of market regulation through various dimensions. Chhatrapati Shivaji Market Yard, Hinganghat is on the forefront in business activities and on developmental aspects. The Hinganghat APMC has been ideally outlined on an area of 10.03 ha. The market provides all essential amenities to farmers and trader’s viz., auction platform, shopcum-godown, weighbridge, city bus service terminus. The market has spacious auction platforms, sale halls, parking space. It has built commercial shops. The Hinganghat APMC has 2 sub-markets with all amenities. The APMC is famous for Cotton and Soybean marketing. The main sources of income were market and license fees and the expenditure items were salary and miscellaneous. Market committee follows sale of produce by open auction method only which is prescribed in the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1963. The declining trend was observed in number of market functionaries over the study period. It is noticed that although trend of arrivals of some commodities viz., Cotton, Soybean and Gram was increasing but the prices of all the selected commodities showed the significant increasing trend during the period of 10 years i.e., 2012-13 to 2021-22. Further, it is observed that prices were more dependable upon lagged year prices in case of all commodities.

Highly Efficient Year-Round Energy and Comfort Optimization of HVAC Systems in Electric City Buses

In this paper, we present a novel approach to perform highly efficient numerical simulations of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system of an electric city bus. The models for this simulation are based on the assumption of a steady-state operation. We show two approaches to obtain the minimum energy requirement for a certain thermal comfort criterion under specific ambient conditions. Due to the computationally efficient approach developed, we can evaluate the model on a large dataset of 7500 scenarios in various ambient conditions to estimate the year-round performance of the system subject to different comfort requirements. Compared to a heating strategy based on positive temperature coefficient (PTC) elements, we can thus show that a heat pump (HP) can reduce the annual mean power consumption by up to 60%. Ceiling-mounted radiant heating elements complementing a PTC heating system can reduce the annual mean power consumption by up to 10%, while they cannot improve the energy efficiency when used in conjunction with a HP. Finally, a broad sensitivity study reveals the fact that improving the HP's heating-mode coefficient of performance (COP) manifests the largest leverage in terms of mean annual power consumption. Moreover, the annual energy expenditure for cooling are around eight times smaller than those for heating. The case study considered thus reveals that the advantages of improving the COP of the cooling mode are significantly lower.

Analysis of the time and number of stops during the operation of selected public bus line in Rzeszow

Public transport fulfils many functions in the city. Its efficient functioning improves the comfort of residents’ life and eliminates communication exclusions. One of the basic criteria to evaluate different means of transport is the travel time on a given route. This time is largely dependent on stops. In the case of city buses, some of these stops result from the need to stop at bus stops. The second major part of these stops is forced by external traffic conditions. The article is devoted to examination of the number of stops and stopping times of a city bus on a selected route. The results obtained from the research indicate the possibility of reducing travel time and thus fuel consumption. These activities are part of the development of sustainable transport and contribute to the increase in the competitiveness of public transport in the city.

Facilitators and barriers to achieving dietary and physical activity goals: focus group interviews with city bus drivers and counseling dietitians

Facilitators and barriers to achieving dietary and physical activity goals: focus group interviews with city bus drivers and counseling dietitians

Improving vehicle energy efficiency with braking energy recovery

In these days, improving energy efficiency of transport vehicles become one of the priorities. A vehicle must have enough traction power to overcome rolling, aerodynamic, acceleration and road grade resistances. Fortunately, acceleration and road grade resistances consume energy that is possible to recover at significant levels. At the present work, the operating characteristics affecting the braking energy of a 12 m long and 15 tons loaded weight city bus were analysed. The results indicated that Campus route has a cumulative braking energy of 26 kW-h. It is about 80% of the traction energy for the route, However, Karaman route has a cumulative braking energy of 38 kW-h. It is about 65% of the traction energy for the route. If 50% of the braking energies are recovered, percentages of the energy savings for the Campus and Karaman routes will be approximately 40% and 30%, respectively.

Optimization design of real-time scheduling scheme for city bus vehicles based on BP neural network

Urban public transportation is inseparably related to people’s travel and life. Prioritizing the development of public transportation is a major national policy proposed by the Chinese government, especially to actively promote the development of intelligent public transportation systems. Developing and building advanced intelligent public transport operation and scheduling management system, designing efficient, flexible and low-cost operation and scheduling mode, improving the management level and service quality of public transport enterprises, and thus improving the road traffic condition of the whole city, is undoubtedly the future development direction of public transport enterprises. This paper combines the problems of bus operation and scheduling in China at the present stage, and proposes the operation and scheduling model and method of the intelligent urban public transportation planning system, with a view to realizing a flexible public transportation operation model suitable for different service situations and providing systematic theoretical support for solving the imbalance between supply and demand of public transportation.

Evaluation of complexity of urban bus routes

Bus transport is the main (often the only) passenger transport connecting all cities of Uzbekistan and their rural settlements and has an important social significance. In modern conditions, the main factor that motivates passengers to choose certain routes and modes of transport in public transport is safe and high speed. Operational conditions on city bus routes vary in complexity, requiring a special approach to planning traffic, measures to ensure fast and safe movement on the route, standardization of the quality of services, and the introduction of fair systems of state financial support. The current methods and technologies for determining the level of complexity of the direction recommended by researchers require specialists to conduct complex tests or special knowledge. There is a need for simple and universal methods of assessing the complexity of the route so that the competent authorities regulating the activities of urban public transport and transport operators can quickly make decisions. This article systematizes the factors influencing the complexity of regular routes served by bus companies operating in the structure of urban public transport and proposes a method of assessing the index of route complexity.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Public Transport Differs According to Social Class: A Case Study of Donostia-San Sebastian City Bus System

Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Public Transport Differs According to Social Class: A Case Study of Donostia-San Sebastian City Bus System

Исследование надёжности гидромеханических коробок передач городских автобусов в условиях эксплуатации

The article considers the problem of reliability of hydromechanical gearboxes of city buses with the terms of replacement of transmission oils regulated by the manufacturer, which negatively affect operational efficiency and efficiency in real conditions. The motor transport company has collected and processed information statistics on failures, malfunctions and repair activities in the part of hydromechanical gearboxes of city buses, which has been accumulated during operation. Reliability studies of hydromechanical gearboxes of city buses have been carried out. The list of considered hydromechanical gearboxes of city buses for research is summarized. Mathematical expressions are presented for calculating the values of reliability and durability indicators, namely, the main parameters are calculated - the number of failures or malfunctions, the average time to failure, the average resource, the standard deviation, the coefficient of variation, and the failure flow parameter. The key graphs of reliability and durability indicators of the analyzed hydromechanical transmissions of city buses are shown. Schedules for the distribution of nonfailure operating time, the allocation of resources before repair, as well as changes in the probability of repair of hydromechanical gearboxes of city buses are compiled. The scientific and technical groundwork for further promising research in this area is outlined.

Stability Control Method for the Electric City Bus Considering Riding Comfort

Stability Control Method for the Electric City Bus Considering Riding Comfort