Public Transportation

A methodological framework is formulated so that continuum approximation techniques can be used to design bus networks for cities where travel demand varies gradually over space. The bus-route configurations that result consist of (i) a main, possibly city-wide grid with relatively large physical spacings between its parallel routes and the stops along those routes; together with (ii) one or more local grids with more closely-spaced routes and stops that serve neighborhoods of higher demand densities. The so-called power-of-two concept is borrowed from the field of inventory control, and...

Much of the literature on exclusive bus lanes pertains to how these lanes might induce shifts in mode choice by prioritizing bus travel, sometimes at the expense of degrading travel by car; for example, see Basso et al. (1). A separate line of research theorized that the conversion of regular-use lanes to bus-only lanes can, in certain circumstances, improve travel for cars as well as buses, even in the absence of modal shifts (2). By removing buses from queues and putting them in their own, faster-moving lanes, target service frequencies can be maintained with fewer buses; thus, fewer bus...

Transit systems are designed in which access and egress can occur via a shared-bike service. Patrons may walk to shared-bike docking stations nearest their origins, and then cycle to their nearest transit stations where they deposit the bikes. The travel pattern is reversed when patrons cycle from their final transit stations on to their destinations. Patrons choose between this option and that of solely walking to or from transit stations. Shared bikes are priced to achieve the system-optimal assignment of the two feeder options. Transit trunk-line networks are laid-out in hybrid fashion...

Commuter rail is known to have a “first- and last-mile” problem (i.e., a lack of options for getting commuters to and from a rail station). The first- and last-mile dilemma creates inequalities in access. For example, high-income commuters drive to work (forgoing transit altogether), middle-income commuters drive to a rail station and pay to park, and low-income commuters rely on feeder buses or walking to reach a rail station. Transportation network companies (TNCs), like Uber and Lyft, are a viable option for connecting travelers to rail stations, especially for those who don’t own a car...