Efficiency Of Public Transport Research Articles

Generalized-Norm-Based Robustness Evaluation Model of Bus Network under Snowy Weather

Global climate change leads to frequent extreme snowfall weather, which has a significant impact on the safety and operating efficiency of urban public transportation. In order to cope with the adverse effects of extreme weather, governments should vigorously develop sustainable transportation. Since urban public transportation is a critical component of building a sustainable city, traffic management departments should quantitatively analyze the performance changes of the urban public transportation network under extreme weather conditions. Therefore, fully considering the comprehensive effects of network performance and topology to improve the robustness of urban public transportation systems requires more attention. The urban public transport network with high robustness can achieve fewer recovery costs, lower additional bus scheduling costs, and achieve the sustainable development of the public transport network. Considering the impact of travelers’ travel time tolerance and in-vehicle space congestion tolerance under snowy conditions, this paper proposes a generalized-norm-based robustness evaluation model of the bus network. Example analyses are conducted using checkerboard and ring-radial topological network structures to verify the applicability of the proposed model. The results show the following: (1) In an extreme snowfall scenario, the robustness of checkerboard and ring-radiating bus networks is reduced by 38% and 39%, respectively. (2) In the checkerboard network, the central area units are always more important to the system robustness than the peripheral units, while, in the ring-radial network, the units with higher importance are all in the ring line. (3) The failure of Ring Line 5 has a great impact on both the checkerboard and ring-radial networks, causing the system robustness to decrease by 43% and 50%, respectively.

Exploring Sustainable Planning Strategies for Carbon Emission Reduction in Beijing’s Transportation Sector: A Multi-Scenario Carbon Peak Analysis Using the Extended STIRPAT Model

The transportation sector plays a pivotal role in China’s efforts to achieve CO2 reduction targets. As the capital of China, Beijing has the responsibility to lead the era’s demand for low-carbon development and provide replicable and scalable low-carbon transportation development experience and knowledge for other cities in China. This study calculates the CO2 emissions of the transportation sector in Beijing from 1999 to 2019, constructs an extended STIRPAT model (population, affluence, technology, and efficiency), employs ridge regression to mitigate the effects of multicollinearity among the eight indicators, reveals the extent and direction of influence exerted by different indicators on CO2 emissions, and predicts the development trends, peak times, and quantities of transportation CO2 emissions in nine scenarios for Beijing from 2021 to 2035. Finally, adaptive low-carbon planning strategies are proposed for Beijing pertaining to population size and structure, industrial layout optimization, urban functional reorganization and adjustment, transportation infrastructure allocation, technological research and promotion, energy transition planning, and regional collaborative development. The results are as follows: (1) The total amount of CO2 emissions from Beijing’s transportation sector exhibits a trend of gradually stabilizing in terms of growth, with a corresponding gradual deceleration in the rate of increase. Kerosene, gasoline, and diesel are the main sources of transportation CO2 emissions in Beijing, with an annual average proportion of 95.78%. (2) The degree of influence of the indicators on transportation CO2 emissions, in descending order, is energy intensity, per capita GDP, population size, GDP by transportation sector, total transportation turnover, public transportation efficiency, possession of private vehicles, and clean energy structure. Among them, the proportion of clean energy structure and public transportation efficiency are negatively correlated with transportation CO2 emissions, while the remaining indicators are positively correlated. (3) In the nine predicted scenarios, all scenarios, except scenario 2 and scenario 4, can achieve CO2 emission peaks by 2030, while scenarios 7 and 9 can reach the peak as early as 2025. (4) The significant advancement and application of green carbon reduction technologies have profound implications, as they can effectively offset the impacts of population, economy, and efficiency indicators under extensive development. Effective population control, sustainable economic development, and transportation efficiency improvement are viable means to help achieve carbon peaking and peak value in the transportation sector.

Bus Lane Design Based on Actual Traffic Loads and Climate Conditions

Bus lanes play a crucial role in urban areas as their primary objective is to increase public transport efficiency and help traffic and public transit systems flow more smoothly. This study starts with traffic and climate monitoring to verify asphalt bus lanes in Rome, Italy, according to the Italian Pavement Design Catalogue published in 1995. KENLAYER software calculated the stress-strain conditions under real traffic loads (i.e., hourly passages of urban buses, considering their axle load and seat occupancy rate), typical subgrade bearing capacity (i.e., resilient modulus equal to 90 MPa), current climate conditions, and road material properties. Then, the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) was used to verify the response of the pavement structure. The fatigue verification of bound materials resulted in damage values much lower than 1 at the end of the 20-year service life (i.e., 0.12 with the Asphalt Institute and 0.31 with the Marchionna law, respectively) and highlights that the Italian catalogue’s sheets are overdesigned. On the other hand, the rutting verification according to MEPDG is not satisfied after an 11-year service life (i.e., the total rutting is equal to 1.50 cm), forcing frequent and expensive maintenance of wearing and binder courses. Therefore, the results confirm the validity of the Italian catalogue for fatigue service life and suggest the need for high-performance asphalt to prevent early rutting due to bus traffic increasing by load and frequency in previous decades.

Analysis of the Public Transport Efficiency, Productivity and Economies of Scale: The Case of Sfax – Tunisia

Abstract This study aimed to determine the efficiency and productivity of the production factors in the case of public transport in Sfax – the second most important agglomeration in Tunisia–. The analysis of factor productivity enabled identifying the shortcomings in the supply of this service and advocating certain strategies to boost supply. We use an estimation of the trans-logarithmic costs function with different restrictions while relying on the foundations of the microeconomic theory. We relied on annual statistical data from the Regional Transport Company in Sfax over the period preceding the COVID 19 crisis spanning from 1985 to 2018. The estimation results showed the presence of scale diseconomies, the gain in productivity over the years is too slow. The technical progress of public transport in Sfax is very low and the technical efficiency is also very limited. The results revealed that there is a decline in productivity growth due to a growing inefficiency throughout the study period. The underutilization of production capacities in the transport sector was judged as a consequence of excess of capacity and lack of efficiency attributed mainly to the lack of competition. The study identified some external factors that have an impact on the measured efficiency but are outside the company control. Public authorities should act on these factors to help companies improve their performance. A deregulation of the public transport sector by redefining the most important objectives has become urgent.

Functioning algorithm of the electronic on-board distributed system for automation control of a city electric bus

The issue of automation control for peripheral devices of a city electric bus is considered. A functioning algorithm for an electronic on-board distributed system for automation control, which allows constant monitoring of the vehicle operation, is made. A hardware implementation of this algorithm by using multifunctional controllers is proposed. The developed automation system makes it possible to increase the electrical equipment control efficiency of public electric transport. Keywords electric bus, automation, algorithm, block diagram, on-board system, dashboard, programmable controller

Artificial intelligence -driven adaptive infrastructure for urban mobility

This research paper investigates the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the development of adaptive infrastructure for urban mobility. With urbanization trends intensifying, cities are facing escalating challenges in traffic management, public transportation efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Leveraging case studies from cities globally, including Singapore, London, and Helsinki, the paper explores how AI technologies are revolutionizing urban transportation systems. The study delves into key components of AI integration such as adaptive traffic management, personalized mobility solutions, and the implementation of autonomous vehicles. It highlights how AI algorithms analyze real-time data from diverse sources to optimize traffic flow, enhance public transportation services, and predict future mobility patterns. The research underscores the significance of AI in creating responsive and intelligent urban environments, adapting dynamically to the evolving needs of urban dwellers. Furthermore, the paper addresses challenges associated with AI-driven urban mobility, including privacy concerns, ethical considerations, and the need for equitable access to technological benefits. The findings emphasize the importance of responsible governance and a balanced approach to technology deployment in urban planning. In conclusion, this research contributes essential insights for policymakers, urban planners, and researchers navigating the integration of AI into urban mobility. The envisioned outcome is a future where AI-driven adaptive infrastructure fosters sustainable, efficient, and user-centric urban mobility ecosystems.

Design of Public Transportation System Scheduling and Optimization in the Internet of Things (IoT) Environment

This study aims to explore the scheduling and optimization of public transportation systems in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment. By establishing mathematical models, this research analyzes the current state of public transportation systems, proposes scheduling and optimization strategies based on mathematical models, and validates the effectiveness of these strategies through case studies. The research findings indicate that mathematical models have significant potential in improving public transportation efficiency, reducing costs, promoting environmental sustainability, and enhancing passenger experiences. Future research directions include real-time data integration, the application of machine learning, multi-modal transportation integration, sustainable practices, and the development of user-centric solutions.

Enhancing Public Health Safety and Transportation Efficiency – A Comprehensive RFID-Based System for Vaccination and Testing Verification

The emergence of global health crises has emphasised the need for efficient and secure methods to verify the individuals’ vaccination and testing status. The research paper proposes an innovative application of the Radio Frequency Identification technology to develop a comprehensive system that ensures the controlled entry of vaccinated and tested individuals into buildings and extends its use to transportation networks. By combining tags, readers and a centralised database, with the extension of using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport, this solution aims to enhance public health safety, restore confidence in public spaces and optimise transportation operations.

URBAN MORPHOLOGY’S IMPACT ON PUBLIC REALM SOCIAL COHESIVENESS IN ALMATY

Since the notion of active public realm life was coined, more and more scholars and researchers have been researching public realm life, transportation efficiency and related terms about why they are essential and how spaces can incubate social cohesion. Yet, there is a limited investigation, particularly in Kazakhstan, of how urban morphology affects the core issues of the public realm’s role in creating more socially cohesive communities. Thus, this paper seeks to find out whether we can improve public realm life vitality in a case study of Republic Square, which is considered to be one of Almaty's central, cultural, and political stages, by evaluating the existing urban morphology and analysing the outcomes of the selected site using a triangulation of morphological mapping, observation and survey methods. A connection will be extracted between public realm life vitality and use efficiency by engaging with urban morphology, through which it is possible to examine the synergy and determine if it is feasible to achieve these two and how we can mediate them. However, the current urban planning of Republic Square hardly facilitates active social life due to a lack of accessibility, low density, poor functional mix, blank interfaces, and insufficiency of the nighttime economy. Still, further research is required to investigate the selected site's fast traffic concerning the city's transportation system to propose perspective design strategies.

Efficiency and equality of the multimodal travel between public transit and bike-sharing accounting for multiscale

As a supplement to the existing public transit system, bike-sharing is considered an effective solution to the “first mile” and “last mile” of travel. While many stakeholders believe that multimodal travel between public transit and bike-sharing can improve urban accessibility and sustainability, few studies have assessed the impact of bike-sharing on existing public transportation systems in terms of efficiency and equality. This research uses three months of mobile phone location data and about 140 million bike-sharing trips (origin–destination, OD) data from Shenzhen, China, to analyze first mile and last mile bike-sharing multimodal travel and measure the impact of bike-sharing on the existing public transportation system in terms of efficiency and equality at different scales. The research finds that bike-sharing is less effective in improving the operational efficiency of urban public transport and creates new inequalities at both global and local scales of the urban public transport system. Bike-sharing is only effective in tiny areas of the city and specific modes (subway-bike-sharing) and does not benefit groups with low socioeconomic levels and those living in edge areas of the city. Improving the equity and accessibility of public transportation is a key factor towards promoting sustainable urban development, and the analysis of this study on multimodal travel efficiency and inequality of bike-sharing can provide helpful insights for future sustainable urban planning.

Transport supply management on regular intercity bus lines

Introduction. Intercity public transport ensures the satisfaction of mobility not only for long-distance passengers, but also for residents of small settlements located on a regular line. There are often no other types of regular public transport between such settlements. The growing demand for intercity bus transportation increases the need for efficient transportation design in order to provide competitive public transport services and minimize the costs of carriers.Materials and methods. The article presents a mathematical model of transportation planning on an intercity regular bus line passing through settlements with different numbers of inhabitants. The objective function is aimed at forming a transport supply that satisfies potential demand, for which the gravitational method is used to determine. The analysis of the unevenness of passenger flows by months of the year, days of the week and flights shows that on most flights the capacity of the rolling stock is not used efficiently enough.Results. By comparing the potential number of passengers on flights with the actual one, it is shown that flexible regulation of transport supply taking into account demand will significantly improve the quality and efficiency of public transport services.Discussion and conclusion. Based on the data for 2022 of the booking system serving the regular bus line, it is shown that with the introduction of flexible regulation of the transport offer, the expected increase in passenger turnover will be about 25%.

Efficiency Analysis of Tramways in the Metropolitan Areas in South Korea: Focusing on the Daejeon Metropolitan Area

This study aims to present the meaningful implications of introducing a tramway as a new mode of transportation in the Daejeon Metropolitan Area, a major metropolitan area in South Korea. An efficiency comparison by data envelopment analysis (DEA) was carried out, using variables selected from the 2021 Public Transportation Investigation by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (KTSA) (2021), and the ‘Guidelines for selecting new transportation means’ announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in 2021. As a result, the efficiency of public transportation in major metropolitan areas outside of the capital region was higher than in the capital metropolitan area. In particular, the Daejeon Metropolitan Area ranked high in efficiency compared to other major metropolitan areas with similar conditions. In the V-super efficiency results of the efficiency model based on the input of operational costs for each new mode of transportation, considering variable returns to scale (VRS), the bus rapid transit (BRT) ranked first, the tramway second, and the bimodal tram third. Regarding construction cost input, the tramway ranked first, the bimodal tram second, and BRT third.

Multi-criteria analysis of cross-regional railways interconnection under the post COVID-19 pandemic crisis: A hybrid BWM-FAISM-DFS evaluation framework

The long COVID-19 has had devastating and continuous effects on cross-regional railways (CRRs), yet the relation between public health management and public transport efficiency is still not fully understood. To address this issue, this study incorporates the complex interconnected environment into demand–supply dynamics and develops a three-phase multi-criteria evaluation framework to establish the policy option library for promoting CRRs interconnection performance. This novel framework integrated the Best-Worst Method, Fuzzy Adversarial Interpretive Structure Modeling, and Depth First Search into a novel methodology under fuzzy linguistic terms. Besides, the framework was validated with the Dongguan-Yantian-Hong Kong sea-rail line case; structural hierarchy exploration was conducted as well. The findings show that it is the shocks from demand side (instead of shocks from supply side) that have the greatest impact on interconnection in the post-epidemic era. The optimal management path may lead to spillovers of production factors, requiring decision-makers to adjust input strategies with limited resources. This should be done according to the formation order of the demand–supply, demand-demand, and interconnected environment-interconnected environment components. This is the most significant insight of the proposed framework, which optimizes resource efficiency and provides extensive insights for decision-makers to further explore the reformation of public transportation development.

Sustainable Development and Public Transport in Haryana

This study examined the efficiency of public transport in Haryana from 2015-16 to 2020-21 in cognisance of the sustainable development aspect. The depots of the state roadways are considered as decision-making units. The study employed the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique for estimating the scores of the overall technical efficiency (OTE) and pure technical efficiency (PTE) of decision-making units (DMUs) by using three inputs— fleet size, total staff and bus utilisation. The study considered the total daily passengers transported and effective kilometres covered for the output. Further, along with the efficiency measurement, each depot’s total number of accidents has been collected to measure safety. The findings estimated the mean value of the PTE score for all depots, which turns out to be 0.91, indicating that to improve the managerial efficiency of the entire public transport of the state, the depots need to increase the output by 9 per cent. The average OTE score of all selected units is 0.89, reflecting that these DMUs have 89 per cent worked efficiently from 2015-16 to 2020-21. The efficiency score is based on output-oriented issues, meaning that inputs will be constant for total efficiency. The study recommends the promotion of public transport based on sustainability and efficiency in the State of Haryana.

Evaluation of urban public transport sustainability in China based on the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework——A case study of 36 major cities

With urbanization and motorization, the sustainable development of urban transport has drawn extensive attention worldwide. As one of the key components of the transport system, urban public transport is the breakthrough. This study focused on the characteristics of public transport, analyzed the causal and restrictive relationships between anthropogenic activities and urban public transport sustainability based on the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework, and decomposed the interaction to establish an evaluation index system. An improved set pair analysis-variable fuzzy set model (ISPA-VFSM) was constructed to evaluate urban public transport sustainability in China's 36 major cities in 2020 and analyze the critical influence factors and restriction modes according to the contribution degree and obstacle degree. The results show that: (1) The sustainable development of urban public transport is a systematic process, and public transport sustainability in 36 major cities shows the spatial distribution characteristics of “high in the southeast and low in the west;” Most megacities are at the forefront, benefiting from outstanding state and response levels, with Shenzhen ranking first; while the megapolises generally display moderate sustainability. Cities in Northeast and Northwest China present lower levels of sustainability. (2) Public transport sustainability in China is deficient, exhibiting a certain gap from the target. The levels of the driving force, pressure, state, impact, and response of public transport sustainability in 36 major cities are unbalanced; (3) The restriction mode of urban public transport sustainability in 36 major cities can be roughly divided into three categories: pressure-impact restriction mode, driving force-impact restriction mode, and state-response restriction mode; (4) State and response play a crucial role in achieving public transport sustainability. Public transport infrastructure, electrification substitution, and efficiency of public transport operations are the primary contributing factors to public transport sustainability. This study enriches the indicators and methods for sustainability evaluation and provides a reference for urban public transport sustainable development.

Estimating Public Transportation Accessibility in Metropolitan Areas: A Case Study and Comparative Analysis

Accessibility-oriented public transportation planning can improve the operational efficiency of public transportation, guide orderly urban development, and alleviate issues such as traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and resource consumption in large cities. To promote the practical application and widespread adoption of public transportation accessibility estimating systems, this study proposes an improved public transport accessibility levels (PTAL) method. It innovatively incorporates residents’ preference indices for different modes of transportation and addresses the challenge of missing timetable data in the calculation process. Using actual data from Shenzhen, a case study is conducted to analyze the public transportation accessibility index and compare the results obtained through k-means clustering, the equal spacing method, the quantile method, and the application of the London PTAL method. The research findings indicate that the optimal number of clusters for public transportation accessibility index analysis in large cities is six when using clustering algorithms. Among the statistical analysis methods, the quantile method shows favorable performance. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison of different classification methods confirms that the improved PTAL method offers better discrimination in estimating public transportation accessibility levels compared to the London PTAL method. The study concludes by providing guidance on how cities with different characteristics can reference the improved PTAL method.

Urban Mobility: A Review of Challenges and Innovations for Sustainable Transportation in Brazil

Objective: The aim of this work is to review the literature and analyze trends and innovations in public transportation, as well as discuss the importance and challenges of urban mobility in the Brazilian context. Theoretical framework: Urban mobility is relevant due to the growth of cities and the need for sustainable transportation. Quality of life and economic development depend on safe and efficient transportation. Mobility also reduces social inequality by allowing access to services and opportunities for different social classes. Inclusive public policies and accessible transportation are crucial to improve people's quality of life. Method: The methodology adopted in this study was based on a literature review conducted in three distinct phases, covering the planning of the review, the effective execution of it, and the communication and presentation of the results obtained from the research. Results and conclusion: The review identified that the current scenario of urban mobility in Brazil is marked by a lack of adequate infrastructure for public transportation, cycling, and pedestrian routes, with an increase in the number of private vehicles on the streets and inequality in access to public transportation. To overcome these limitations, integrated planning, investments in quality public transportation, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and a cultural change in relation to urban mobility are necessary. Technological innovations, such as vehicle electrification, digitalization of transportation services, and autonomous car systems, are essential to solve the challenges of urban mobility. Research implications: In the future, integration of transportation forms and intermodal networks is expected to facilitate mobility. Advanced technologies, such as autonomous vehicles, can reduce costs and increase efficiency. Investments in infrastructure, such as cycling routes, charging stations, and renewal of public transportation, are necessary. Public policies that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and shared mobility, such as tax and tariff reductions, can disseminate technologies. Originality/value: It is recommended to analyze the economic and social impacts of the popularization of electric vehicles in Brazil, including financial viability and charging infrastructure. It is important to research advanced technologies, such as autonomous vehicles, to improve the efficiency and safety of public transportation, as well as to examine regulatory and implementation challenges.

A Bus Signal Priority Control Method Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

To investigate the issue of multi-entry bus priority at intersections, an intelligent priority control method based on deep reinforcement learning was constructed in the bus network environment. Firstly, a dimension reduction method for the state vector based on the key lane was proposed, which contains characteristic parameters such as the bus states, the flow states, and the signal timing. Secondly, a control action method that can adjust phase sequence and phase green time at the same time was proposed under the constraints of maximum green and minimum green. Furthermore, a reward function, which can be uniformly converted into the number of standard cars, was established focusing on the indexes such as the busload and maximum waiting time. Finally, through building an experimental environment based on SUMO simulation, a real-time bus signal priority control method based on deep reinforcement learning was constructed. The results show that the algorithm can effectively reduce the waiting time of buses without affecting overall traffic efficiency. The findings can provide a theoretical basis for the signal control method considering bus priority and improve the operation efficiency of public transport.

ROAD ACCIDENTS AND THE NATIONAL ECONOMY: LEGAL ANALYSIS

The present publication aims to conduct a legal analysis of the mutual influence of road accidents and the national economy, which is manifested at different levels of relevant public relations. The research subject is road accidents and the national economy. The publication’s methodology relies on an organic combination of well-known laws and techniques of dialectics (the transition of quantitative changes into qualitative, unity and struggle of opposites, and the negation of negation), general scientific methods of research (techniques of the logical method, comparative method, techniques of the sociological method, systemic and structural-functional methods), and special legal methods (legal statistics, formal-legal method, methods of comparative jurisprudence and legal modeling). Results. Road safety is inextricably linked with economic processes taking place in a particular state. In addition, as economic indicators affect the number of road accidents so the dynamics and consequences of road accidents significantly affect the national economy. The most important economic factors affecting the number of road accidents are as follows: underdeveloped road infrastructure, outdated vehicle fleet, poor financial and logistic support of law enforcement agencies, insufficient number of traffic enforcement cameras, and other innovative means of preventing road accidents. The priority in traffic accident prevention is the maximum automation of means ensuring road safety: coverage of all key traffic intersections with traffic enforcement cameras, equipment of modern cars with automatic speed limit systems and alcohol intoxication testers, which automatically block the ignition system, the development of a fleet of AI-based self-driving cars and automated traffic control systems. Other economic and administrative means of road accident prevention are equally important, i.e., financial incentives for compliance with traffic rules, development and improvement of public transport efficiency, and investments in multi-level road infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion in available highways and transport interchange.

The Optimization of Bus Departure Time Based on Uncertainty Theory—Taking No. 207 Bus Line of Nanchang City, China, as an Example

In order to optimize the bus departure time considering uncertain factors, this paper constructed an uncertain bi-level programming model for departure frequency and scheduling of a bus line. The uncertainty of passenger arrival and bus operation time were taken into account, combined with actual operation conditions. Nanchang 207 bus line was taken as an example to optimize the departure frequency and scheduling in the morning peak hour. The optimal departure frequency in the morning peak hour is 12 times. The overall index value of the route’s non-uniform scheduling during peak hours increased by 0.06 and 9.23% compared with uniform scheduling. The analysis results show that the effect of the non-uniform scheduling is obvious. The issue of bus line departure frequency and scheduling has a positive effect on improving the efficiency of public transportation, reducing operating costs and promoting the sustainable development of the public transportation system. This paper provides a theoretical support for bus operators to optimize route operations.