Transit Vehicles Research Articles

Optimization of Travel in Bus Rapid Transit-Based Multimodal Corridors

Frequently, urban transportation infrastructure and services are operated in a suboptimal manner with respect to key policy objectives such as enhancing mobility, avoiding severe congestion, improving public transit ridership, reducing fuel consumption, and emissions. To overcome this problem, a hybrid simulation-optimization methodology was developed for identification of values of demand management variables that result in the most favorable travel condition in a multimodal corridor regarding a policy objective. This methodology was applied to a bus rapid transit-based major travel corridor in Ottawa (Canada). The travel simulation part of the model is implemented within the EMME/2 modeling framework, supported by a transitway simulation technique. The optimization part of the methodology is based on direct search method that identifies the optimal values of key demand management variables for policy responsiveness. Optimization results are presented for bus modal split, in-vehicle travel time, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emission.

Factor Analysis for the Study of Determinants of Public Transit Ridership

Behavioral studies based on attitude survey questionnaires with numerous variables may be tainted with repetitions and correlations. To overcome these deficiencies, a factor analysis approach is demonstrated that produces clusters of uncorrelated factors. From 47 observable variables contained in the Ottawa-Carleton Transportation Commission (OC Transpo) attitude survey, only 8 underlying factors have emerged. Bus information service is the most important factor. In addition to factor analysis, this article reports on a logistic regression model, based on key factors, for estimating the odds of ridership.

Door-to-Door Mobility: Evaluating a Bus Rapid Transit Community Transport Concept

Portland, Oregon’s regional government, Metro, has designated specific communities in outer Southeast Portland as areas that should be planned to accommodate future population growth. Both Metro and the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (Tri-Met) have expressed a desire for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service to this area from downtown Portland, within a corridor approximately following Southeast Powell Boulevard and Foster Road.A preliminary analysis of BRT alignment alternatives was completed for this study. After six possible alignment options linking downtown Portland with Pleasant Valley and Damascus Town Centers were identified, a multivariate corridor analysis was applied to each option. Criteria used to select the best alignment alternative included regional connectivity, local ridership, operational costs, trip duration, distance, right-of-way and political feasibility, environmental costs, and capital costs. In addition, recommendations have been made for possible station locations along the preferred alternative corridor.This analysis is intended to assist Tri-Met in its efforts to begin planning, designing, and implementing a BRT system in this area. The results of the analysis suggest that a BRT system is feasible for the Powell/Interstate 205/Foster alignment. The outcome also suggests that BRT has the capacity to influence land use and could generate high transit ridership. Overall, it is recommended that Tri-Met and Metro continue to evaluate opportunities for BRT in this alignment.

Niche Marketing Strategies: The Role of Special-Purpose Transportation Efforts in Attracting and Retaining Transit Users

This study evaluates the use of public transit niche strategies as an alternative marketing strategy designed to attract and retain new public transit riders. Four niche efforts, a university football shuttle, professional football shuttle, summer metropolitan park shuttle, and suburban subscription vanpool are the focus of the investigation. A total of 738 intercepts provide the data for the research. The researchers conclude that niche marketing efforts are an effective strategy, and therefore should be an important tool in the public transit industry’s efforts to attract and retain new riders in order to offset the prolonged decline in public transit market share.

Influence of the Rail Program on Bus Transit in Los Angeles

In November 1980, voters in Los Angeles County, California, approved Proposition A, which stipulated a one-time, three-year rollback of bus fares to 50¢. Afterwards, at least 35 percent of the revenues had to be used for rail construction and operation (with a stated emphasis on construction). The program moved forward as called for, and by the early 1990s the Blue Line to Long Beach was in operation. The subway and an additional light rail line would both open by 1995.In the early 1990s, however, opponents of rail began a campaign to discredit the program using premature, distorted, and sometimes simply false information about rail s effectiveness. Embarrassed by construction problems and confused by internal issues, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) found it difficult to defend the new rail system. In 1994, a suit was filed by the Bus Riders Union, a small group of bus riders. In 1996, even though most of the basic assertions of the suit were proven to have been either premature or false, the MTA agreed to a settlement it is now trying to live up to.In truth, the MTA fully supported the bus system well after falling ridership would have called for service cutbacks. The number of buses in service stayed high, the bus-miles of service dropped far less than ridership, and the number of empty bus seats actually rose. The bus system lacked for neither operating funds nor subsidies. Even the average fare paid by the transit user (in constant 1999 dollars) changed very little since the early 1980s. Whatever the reasons for the slide in bus ridership, the rail system cannot be blamed.The new rail system continues to grow in importance. Less than 10 years after the Blue Line was inaugurated, the two light rail lines, the still incomplete subway, and the Los Angeles portion of the regional Metrolink commuter rail system together carry 11 percent of all MTA transit riders and 22 percent of its passenger-miles. Rail is also proving to be faster than the bus option even including a bus-to-rail transfer. And rail‘s operating cost effectiveness, already better than that of the bus, keeps improving.

Automatic Vehicle Location and Computer-Aided Dispatch Systems: Design and Application Considerations

Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems can track transit vehicles in real time. Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) software is used to monitor transit operations and assist management of transit operations. Together with AVL systems, CAD software can be used to replace a disabled vehicle by dispatching another vehicle, or meet fluctuating travel demand by adjusting transit headways, schedules, and routes. AVL and CAD technologies can vitalize transit by directly improving on-time performance, increasing transit efficiency through providing dispatchers with location, direction and status information, and reducing operating costs through reducing dependence on transit field supervisory personnel. Direct benefits to travelers can include higher reliability of travel times and reduced stress in dealing with transit unreliability. This study explores the development, availability, and impacts of AVL/CAD technologies as reported by AVL vendors and transit implementers. The study defines the key features, functions, and performance characteristics of AVL/CAD technologies that can influence the level of benefits realized. The AVL/CAD implementation context is explored by examining where, when, and for what users these systems are being implemented. The results of two surveys are reported. To explore the availability of AVU CAD systems, technology suppliers were surveyed. Suppliers identified the features, functions, and performance of available AVUCAD technologies. To determine the extent of AVL/CAD deployment, transit operators were surveyed regarding their experiences with AVL/CAD technologies and the subsequent impacts on travelers and transit agency performance. This research provides a systematic method for evaluation of AVL/CAD systems and reports the perceptions of AVL/CAD vendors and transit implementers regarding available products and their impacts. The results suggest a need for better tools to characterize and quantify the impacts and benefits of AVU CAD systems.

A SMART DATA APPROACH TO ANALYZE VEHICLE FLOWS

Abstract. In the logic of Smart Cities it is of fundamental importance to analyze the traffic situation through dedicated sensors and networks. According to this approach and through the potential of smart data is based this study. Improve prediction of traffic patterns by analyzing and counting vehicles in a virtualized scene in real time. In the past, the technique of hardware inductive coils was used that were dropped in the asphalt to exploit the principle of magnetic induction in order to verify the transit of vehicles. This technique is not able to classify vehicles or estimate their speed, unless using multiple inductive coils. The proposed system provides for the virtualization of an area of interest which requires a selection and mapping of the areas where the control areas are to be included. The “image detection” techniques allow us to classify the vehicles in transit. With the techniques of “machine learning” can to able to verify the flow, count the vehicles present in the scene and classify them by vehicle type in real time. The vehicle counting and classification data available in the cloud platform allow to model and update the main nodes of the network in order to improve the prediction and estimates of the best routes of the road network according to the degree of saturation of the flows and the length of the line of the graph. The model can also indicate additional information of an environmental nature in an ITS system present in the cloud.

Contested mobility interactions: Characterizing the influence of ride-sharing services on the adoption and use of public transit system

The rapidly evolving and growing adoption of app-based shared-mobility platforms and TNCs, popularly called ride-hailing services, have expounded the discourse on mode-choice dissonance while provoking numerous public interest questions on how they fit or disrupt more conventional transport options. The contested dialogue on how these uniquely adopted mobility landscapes interact and impact transportation demand management decisions have produced notable yet unclear outcomes. Whereas critics of ride-hailing services challenge TNCs to compete with transit ridership demand and revenue, delaying bus services and adding to congestion – others contrastingly downplay these empirical claims to the effect that they complement transit adoption by providing multi-modal travel alternatives. Using data from the NHTS with an aggregated 399, 1017 and 4,044 household, individual and trip-level observations, this study empirically examines the intricate relationships between ride-hailing and transit service adoption in one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. Findings showed that temporal user adoption surge periods for these two transport modes were not simultaneous – partly undermining user demand competition amongst them. While spatial patterns of adoption locations for Transit-TNC users did not demonstrate significant mode-substitution effects, the distribution of TNC adoption locations and trip purposes within the region suggested a somewhat weak multi-modal integration. Results from two regression models further demonstrated that although ride-hailing service usage has a statistically significant positive association with the count of transit user adoption, a unit increase in ride-hailing service usage may not significantly influence the odds likelihood of public transit ridership. The implications of planning for their successful inter-modal complementarities and a sustainable future for urban travel are discussed.

Revealing transport inequality from an activity space perspective: A study based on human mobility data

Closing mobility and accessibility gaps between public transit riders and private car users is key to tackling social exclusion and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, place-based potential accessibility methods do not accurately measure real gaps in the uptake of activity opportunities because people usually have limited activity spaces. This study introduces people-based activity space approaches to measure activity disparities between the two modal groups. To overcome difficulties in obtaining large-scale individual activity data, this study used vehicle plate recognition data and public transit smart card data to anonymously identify activities. Individual activity spaces were characterised by six primary activity features from different dimensions. The analysis confirmed that, relative to transit riders, people who use cars on average accessed more activities within a larger activity space and enjoyed overall higher travel efficiency. A comprehensive indicator was further derived from the primary activity features to quantify activity disparities at the zone level. Zones with the highest risk of social exclusion were observed in the outskirts. In contrast, the city centre and inner suburbs exhibited significant equality of the two transport modes in fulfilling mobility needs for engagement in activities. Activity disparities between the two modalities were determined per area in specific activity dimensions, namely activity extensity, activity diversity, and travel efficiency. Finally, statistical models provided evidence that public transport facilities (especially rail transit) and location factors (distance to the city centre) are essential in determining modality-associated gaps in access to urban activity opportunities. Socioeconomic status and land use diversity also partially contributed to the inequality in specific dimensions of the activity space. This people-centred approach is critical for tackling transport inequality and achieving SDGs while “leaving no one behind”.

Central Business Districts and Transit Ridership: A Reexamination of the Relationship in the United States

Many scholars claim that public transit’s long-term ridership decline can be attributed to the decentralization of U.S. metropolitan areas and the decline of the central business district (CBD) as their primary economic engine. However, recent research has begun to challenge this view and has prompted this reexamination. Using multivariate analysis, we examine the relationship between the strength of the CBD and transit ridership in all U.S. metropolitan areas with more than 500,000 persons in 2000, while controlling for other factors thought to influence bus and rail transit ridership. We find no relationship between the strength of the CBD and transit ridership, which suggests that other factors are much more important contributors to transit ridership.

Pedestrian Environments and Transit Ridership

This paper explores how the quality of the pedestrian environment around transit stops relates with transit ridership. The primary hypothesis tested is that transit trip-making is higher in urban environments that are more conducive to non-motorized travel, given that bus transit systems are most frequently accessed via walking or biking. A secondary goal is to contribute to an improved understanding of the measurement of the built environment in geographic information systems (GIS). A composite measure of walkability—incorporating land use mix, density and street patterns—was developed for all transit stops in San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit Systems service area and used as a measure of the built environment. Findings indicate a small but significant, positive relationship between the walkability of the built environment and transit ridership.

Engaging Transit Riders in Public Awareness Programs

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the transit industry emerged as a leader in leveraging the value and power of the public’s “eyes and ears” to promote system security. Although a public awareness program is widely viewed as a core component of a transit agency’s system security plan, efforts to assess whether the messages are reaching transit riders and to identify obstacles to participation have been limited. This paper highlights strategies and tactics to engage transit riders in public security awareness programs based on interviews with transit agency representatives, the analysis of transit rider survey data, and transit rider focus groups.

The Causal Effect of Bus Rapid Transit on Changes in Transit Ridership

Numerous studies have reported ridership increases along routes when Bus rapid transit (BRT) replaces conventional bus service, but these increases could be due simply to broader temporal trends in transit ridership. To address this limitation, we compared changes in ridership among routes where BRT was implemented to routes where BRT was planned or already existed in King County, Washington. Ridership was measured at 2010, 2013, and 2014. Ridership increased by 35% along routes where BRT was implemented from 2010 to 2013 compared to routes that maintained conventional bus service. Ridership increased by 29% along routes where BRT was implemented from 2013 to 2014 compared to consistent existing BRT service. These results provide stronger evidence for a causal relationship between BRT and increased transit ridership and a more accurate estimate of the independent effect of BRT on ridership.

Transit “Pass-Through” Lanes at Freeway Interchanges: A Life-Cycle Evaluation Methodology

Transit “pass-through” lanes provide transit vehicle priority at freeway interchanges. “Pass-through” lanes allow a transit vehicle to exit the freeway at an interchange, cross straight through the intersecting arterial road, and re-enter the freeway. This treatment allows transit vehicles to bypass congestion on the mainline between the beginning of the off-ramp and the end of the on-ramp.This paper outlines a methodology to evaluate if transit “pass-through” lanes are economically justified at a given interchange and provides a method for prioritizing candidate locations. The methodology provides an objective and consistent decision making method, reduces the effort required for practitioners to assess the need for “pass-through” treatment at a given interchange, and helps ensure that limited resources are directed towards interchanges that are expected to experience the greatest benefit per dollar spent.The proposed methodology is based on an analytical approach that compares the value of travel time savings (for passengers and transit vehicles) with the construction and maintenance costs of the transit “pass-through” lane treatment.

Transit Price Elasticities and Cross-Elasticities

This article summarizes price elasticities and cross-elasticities for use in public transit planning. It describes elasticities and how they are used, and examines previous research on transit elasticities. Commonly used transit elasticity values are largely based on studies of short- and medium-run impacts performed decades ago when real incomes where lower and a larger portion of the population was transit dependent. As a result, they tend to be lower than appropriate to model long-run impacts. Analysis based on these elasticity values tends to understate the potential of transit fare reductions and service improvements to reduce problems, such as traffic congestion and vehicle pollution, and understates the long-term negative impacts that fare increases and service cuts will have on transit ridership, transit revenue, traffic congestion, and pollution emissions.

Office Development, Rail Transit, and Commuting Choices

Decentralized employment growth has cut into transit ridership across the United States. In California, about 20 percent of those working in office buildings near rail stations regularly commute by transit, nearly three times transit’s modal share among those working away from rail stations. Mode choice models reveal that office workers are most likely to rail-commute if frequent feeder bus services are available, their employers help cover the cost of taking transit, and parking is in short supply. Factors like trip-chaining and the absence of restaurants and retail shops near suburban offices, however, deter transit-commuting. Policy-makers can promote transit-commuting to offices near rail stops by flexing parking standards, introducing high-quality feeder buses, and initiating workplace incentives such as deeply discounted transit passes. While housing has generally been the focus of transit-oriented development, unless the other end of the commute trip—the workplace—is also convenient to transit, transit will continue to struggle in winning over commuters in an environment of increasingly decentralized employment growth.

Geographical Applications of Performance Measures for Transit Network Directness

This research developed a geographical presentation method to show which areas of the city need to be improved in terms of the directness of transit service using two measures, Degree of Competitiveness and Degree of Circuity, which were developed in the first author’s previous research. In this research, the directness of transit networks in five cities in Korea was analyzed and compared as an example and demonstrated geographically. The results show that although more populated cities are likely to provide more direct transit service than less populated cities, population density affects the transit network directness more. Also, this research showed that there is a strong relationship between transit network directness and transit ridership. As a result of this research, transit agencies can have a better visual understanding of their transit network directness and can improve transit network configuration where transit network directness is poor.

Investigating the Effect of Gasoline Prices on Transit Ridership and Unobserved Heterogeneity

Based on a unique scanner panel data set on debit and credit card transactions, we examined the effect of gasoline prices on individual choices between private vehicle use and public transit ridership. The unique feature of our data allowed us to address possible heterogeneity in the effect of gasoline prices and to explicitly incorporate the link between private vehicle use and public transit ridership. A series of empirical analyses reveal that there is significant heterogeneity in the effect of gasoline prices on fuel consumption and that financial constraints and commitment to vehicle use determine individual sensitivities to the price of gasoline. The substantive empirical knowledge provided about individual decisions concerning transit modes contributes meaningful implications and effective guidance for practitioners and policymakers.

Bus Rapid Transit Plans in New York’s Capital District

The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is seeking to implement Bus Rapid Transit service in the NY 5 corridor, which runs for 16.5 miles between Albany and Schenectady. The benefits of BRT will be to improve service for current riders, draw new riders to the system, help spur economic revitalization in the corridor, provide key nodes for new development, and improve the image of transit in the Capital District as a whole. When fully in place, the key features of BRT on NY 5 will include limited-stop service, substantial passenger facilities and amenities at each station, real-time passenger information, improved pedestrian environment, park-and-ride opportunities, priority treatment at intersections, queue jumpers at key points, off-vehicle fare collection, and a specific brand image to distinguish BRT from other bus services. The cumulative impact of these types of improvements—in travel time, passenger comfort, passenger information, and image—will lead to an increase in transit ridership in the NY 5 corridor. Based on experience at other North American transit agencies that have implemented BRT, an increase of 22 percent to 29 percent is expected, depending on the ultimate travel time savings that is achieved.

Valuing Transit Service Quality Improvements

This article investigates the value transit travelers place on qualitative factors, such as comfort and convenience, and practical ways to incorporate these factors into transport planning and project evaluation. Conventional evaluation practices generally assign the same time value regardless of travel conditions, and so undervalue comfort and convenience impacts. More comprehensive analysis of transit service quality tends to expand the range of potential transit improvement options, and justify more investments in transit service quality improvements. This article examines the value passengers place on transit service quality, summarizes research on travel time valuation, explores how transit service quality factors affect travel time values and transit ridership, and discusses implications of this analysis.