Public Transportation

Development of Bus Rapid Transit Performance Assessment Guide Tool

Miller, Mark
Golub, Aaron
2010

This report describes the development process of the Bus Rapid Transit Performance AssessmentGuidebook (BRT PAG) Tool, which provides a decision support means for tool users to understand at a high level the benefits and costs associated with implementing bus rapid transit systems. The BRTPAG Tool is based on a conceptual framework consisting of BRT system strategies; stakeholder groupings; impacts of individual BRT system strategies; measurement methods used to analyze the impacts that BRT system strategies have on different stakeholders; and quantitative estimates of benefits and costs...

Improving Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District Connectivity and Access with the Segway Human Transporter and Other Low Speed Mobility Devices

Rodier, Caroline J.
Shaheen, Susan A.
Novick, Linda
2004

Access to transit stations is a significant barrier to transit use in many urban regions. Parking during peak hours is often limited, and many individuals are only willing to walk about a quarter mile to transit stations (Cervero, 2001). While there are some effective feeder services (e.g., shuttles) that help extend the range of transit access, these systems are limited because of fixed routes and schedules. A number of strategies have recently been implemented to improve transit access and transit use, including bicycles, electric bicycles, carsharing, and personal neighborhood electric...

Design of a Demand-Responsive Transit System

Li, Yuwei
Wang, Jessica
Chen, Justin
Cassidy, Michael
2007

This research investigates the feasibility of offering demand-responsive transit (DRT) service to the general public in situations of low demand density. The study region is AC Transit District 2 which consists of the cities of Fremont and Newark, California. We developed a methodology to evaluate operating efficiencies of existing bus lines and line segments, and identified areas suitable for DRT service based on year 2001 data. We proposed an alternating strategy of checkpoint DRT service and compared it to other strategies. The report also described the schema for an automated...

Deploying Underutilized Bus Lanes at Key Nodes in a Road Network

Guler, Ilgin
Cassidy, Michael
2010

The authors of this working paper explain that the operation of buses in mixed traffic flow can be impeded by congestion, leading to unreliable and slow service. Similarly, buses that stop frequently for passengers interfere with the flow of general traffic. Dedicated lanes provide a means for buses to bypass car queues, but in cases where bus flow is low, converting a general purpose lane to a bus-only lane will delay car traffic. The authors describe innovative schemes for deploying bus lanes to serve low bus demand intermittently. Strategies to deploy underutilized bus lanes will be...

Cost-Saving Properties of Schedule Coordination in a Simple Trunk-and-Feeder Transit System

Sivakumaran, Karthikgeyan
Li, Yuwei
Cassidy, Michael J.
Madanat, Samer
2010

The paper explores how the coordination of vehicle schedules in a public transit system affects generalized costs. We consider an idealized system that delivers its users to a common destination by requiring each to transfer from a feeder- to a trunk-line vehicle. Continuum models are used first to analyze cases in which the trunk-line vehicle schedule is given exogenously. We find that when feeder vehicles are dispatched in coordination with this exogenous trunk-line schedule, the reduction in user cost often outweighs the added cost to the feeder operation. In cases when the frequencies...

Synchronizing Transit Schedules to Reduce Transfer Times and Operating Costs

Li, Yuwei
Cassidy, Michael J.
Madanat, Samer
2010

Local bus operators can reduce costs and better serve their customers by matching service frequencies to those of the regional trunk lines that pass through their jurisdictions. For an entire region, trunk line and local bus operators should coordinate their schedules and the carrying capacities of their fleets. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are in a position to encourage this through their purse-string powers and ability to provide financial incentives. For future investments, facilities should be designed to allow quick and efficient transfers not just between the same types...

Strategies for Mitigating Impacts of Near-Side Bus Stops on Cars

Gu, Weihua
Cassidy, Michael J.
Gayah, Vikash V.
Ouyang, Yanfeng
2012

"Near-side stops" are bus stops located a short distance upstream of a signalized intersection. A bus dwelling at a near-side stop can impede queued cars upstream as they discharge during their green time at the intersection. Added car delays and residual queues can result. All else equal, the closer the stop’s location to the intersection, the greater the potential damage to car traffic. Models for locating these near-side stops to achieve target levels of residual queueing among cars are formulated using kinematic wave theory. This same approach was also used to develop a strategy for...

Cost-Saving Properties of Schedule Coordination in a Simple Trunk-and-Feeder Transit System

Sivakumaran, Karthikgeyan
Li, Yuwei
Cassidy, Michael J.
Madanat, Samer
2012

The paper explores how the coordination of vehicle schedules in a public transit system affects generalized costs. We consider an idealized system that delivers its users to a common destination by requiring each to transfer from a feeder- to a trunk-line vehicle. Continuum models are used first to analyze cases in which the trunk-line vehicle schedule is given exogenously. We find that when feeder vehicles are dispatched in coordination with this exogenous trunk-line schedule, the reduction in user cost often outweighs the added cost to the feeder operation. In cases when the frequencies...

Mitigating Negative Impacts of Near-Side Bus Stops on Cars

Gu, Weihua
Cassidy, Michael J.
Gayah, Vikash V.
Ouyang, Yanfeng
2013

Bus stops are often placed short distances upstream of signalized intersections. Buses that dwell at one of these so-called near-side stops can impede queued cars upstream from discharging through the intersection during green times. Residual car queues can form at the intersection as a result. The smaller the distance between a stop and its intersection, the greater the problem can be. Models are formulated to address this problem using kinematic wave theory. The models can be used to determine where to place a near-side stop to achieve a target level of residual car queueing. In addition...

Maximizing Bus Discharge Flows from Multi-Berth Stops by Regulating Exit Maneuvers

Gu, Weihua
Cassidy, Michael J.
2013

Upon having loaded and unloaded their passengers, buses are often free to exit a multi-berth bus stop without delay. A bus need not wait to perform this exit maneuver, even if it requires circumventing one or more other buses that are still dwelling in the stop’s downstream berths. Yet, many jurisdictions impose restrictions on bus entry maneuvers into a stop to limit disruptions to cars and other buses. Buses are typically prohibited from entering a stop whenever this would require maneuvering around other buses still dwelling in upstream berths. An entering bus is instead required to...