Public Transportation Systems:Basic Principles of System Design,Operations Planning and Real-TimeControl

This document is based on a set of lecture notes prepared in 2007-2010 for a University of California, Berkeley graduate course, Public Transportation Systems, a course targeted to first year graduate students with diverse academic backgrounds. Systems are examined in order of increased complexity so that generic insights evident in simple systems can be put to use as knowledge building blocks for the study of more complex systems. The document is organized in eight modules: five on planning (general, shuttle systems, corridors, two dimensional systems, and unconventional transit); two on management (vehicles and employees); and one on operations (how to stay on schedule)

Automated mixed traffic vehicle control and scheduling study

The operation and the expected performance of a proposed automatic guideway transit system which uses low speed automated mixed traffic vehicles (AMTVs) were analyzed. Vehicle scheduling and headway control policies were evaluated with a transit system simulation model. The effect of mixed traffic interference on the average vehicle speed was examined with a vehicle pedestrian interface model. Control parameters regulating vehicle speed were evaluated for safe stopping and passenger comfort. Some preliminary data on the cost and operation of an experimental AMTV system are included. These data were the result of a separate task conducted at JPL, and were included as background information

Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Santa Fe Bus System

This Interactive Qualifying Project dealt with improving the effectiveness of the Santa Fe Trails public bus system in Santa Fe, NM. Using on-board cameras, bus ridership data, traffic data, and survey response of bus system riders, our team was able to develop recommendations for bus system improvements such as rerouting several bus lines, and changing the bus schedules to create better connection times. To further effectiveness of the system we designed a mobile application, incorporating a Google Transit feed, to help passengers find buses and pay for their trips. It is our hope that these recommendations help the bus system become more convenient for riders of the bus system and encourage more people to ride the bus

Improving the economic and environmental sustainability of the University of the Witwatersrand's public transport services through adopting shared transport models

The research explores alternative sustainable shared transport modes that can be integrated successfully to the University of Witwatersrand’s (Wits) public transport solutions for commuting students and staff. This study aimed to explore, through successful adoption of the shared transport solution WITSIT at Wits, whether single occupant car use could be reduced and significantly improve the Wits transport solutions both economically and environmentally, while providing all student access to alternative commuting options. A survey was distributed to the survey participants via an interactive website to expose the survey respondents to the concept of WITSIT share transport solution, where they could access an online questionnaire. Although the questionnaire introduced the concept of a truly integrated solution, the study focused on the carpooling aspect of the shared transport solution, due to the level of maturity due to little or no exposure to share transport models. Using the data collected from the responses, coupled with specific parameters collected in the literature survey, the average land required per vehicle and the cost of that land the economic and environmental indices could be calculated for the worst case and five scenarios. The worst case scenario represents single occupant vehicle journeys. Four of the scenarios represent carpooling with one, two, three and four passengers respectively. The fifth scenario represented the most likely outcome based on the current carpooling trends. The scenarios also compared carbon emissions reduction target for South Africa’s Transport sector, established at COP15, interpolated for Wits Commuters. The reduction target for Wits commuters for 2011 would come to 1 704 T CO2 eqt, which equates to 1 539 journeys and parking bays. This equates to a land reduction of 53 859m2 through saved parking bays, with a value of R 151.29 million. The analysis revealed that if Wits commuters carpooled with just one passenger, the current 4500 vehicles on campus could reduce by 2 250 vehicles (1.5 times more than the target), resulting in a reduction of 2 702 T CO2 eqt. (1.6 times more than the target) equating to a land requirement savings of 78 750m2 (24 891m2 more than the target) to the value of R 221.21 million (R69.92 million more than the target). By implementing the proposed WITSIT carpooling solution significant environmental and economic benefits could be achieved with possible social spin-offs leading to more advanced shared transport solutions

Examination of Regional Transit Service Under Contracting: A Case Study in the Greater New Orleans Region, Research Report 10-09

Many local governments and transit agencies in the United States face financial difficulties in providing adequate public transit service in individual systems, and in providing sufficient regional coordination to accommodate transit trips involving at least one transfer between systems. These difficulties can be attributed to the recent economic downturn, continuing withdrawal of the state and federal funds that help support local transit service, a decline in local funding for transit service in inner cities due to ongoing suburbanization, and a distribution of resources that responds to geographic equity without addressing service needs. This study examines two main research questions: (1) the effect of a “delegated management” contract on efficiency and effectiveness within a single transit system, and (2) the effects of a single private firm—contracted separately by more than one agency in the same region—on regional coordination, exploring the case in Greater New Orleans. The current situation in New Orleans exhibits two unique transit service conditions. First, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) executed a “delegated management” contract with a multinational private firm, outsourcing more functions (e.g., management, planning, funding) to the contractor than has been typical in the U.S. Second, as the same contractor has also been contracted by another transit agency in an adjacent jurisdiction—Jefferson Transit (JeT), this firm may potentially have economic incentives to improve regional coordination, in order to increase the productivity and effectiveness of its own transit service provision. Although the limited amount of available operation and financial data has prevented us from drawing more definitive conclusions, the findings of this multifaceted study should provide valuable information on a transit service contracting approach new to the U.S.: delegated management. This study also identified a coherent set of indices with which to evaluate the regional coordination of transit service, the present status of coordination among U.S. transit agencies, and barriers that need to be resolved for regional transit coordination to be successful

Issues Related to the Emergence of the Information Superhighway and California Societal Changes, IISTPS Report 96-4

The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies (IISTPS) at San José State University (SJSU) conducted this project to review the continuing development of the Internet and the Information Superhighway. Emphasis was placed on an examination of the impact on commuting and working patterns in California, and an analysis of how public transportation agencies, including Caltrans, might take advantage of the new communications technologies. The document reviews the technology underlying the current Internet “structure” and examines anticipated developments. It is important to note that much of the research for this limited-scope project was conducted during 1995, and the topic is so rapidly evolving that some information is almost automatically “dated.” The report also examines how transportation agencies are basically similar in structure and function to other business entities, and how they can continue to utilize the emerging technologies to improve internal and external communications. As part of a detailed discussion of specific transportation agency functions, it is noted that the concept of a “Roundtable Forum,” growing out of developments in Concurrent Engineering, can provide an opportunity for representatives from multiple jurisdictions to utilize the Internet for more coordinated decision-making. The report also included an extensive analysis of demographic trends in California in recent years, such as commute and recreational activities, and identifies how the emerging technologies may impact future changes