Real-time evaluation of the on-board comfort of standing passenger in bus transit services

Bus on-board comfort may be intended as a multidimensional concept declined according to several attributes (e.g., vibrations, the load factor, the driving style, etc.) and represents a key factor of service quality. Thus, its measurement is crucial for public transport companies as it can support for the monitoring, evaluation and implementation of specific actions to improve their services. The objective of this paper is to build a numerical scale for real-time measurement of bus on-board comfort. This is pursued integrating subjective measurements of the driving style provided by the passengers with objective ones of longitudinal and transversal accelerations data collected by Intelligent Transportation System tools. The results are very useful because they represent a contribution to establish a comfort scale in a real operational environment, as a tool to regulate the driver's behavior: each driver is in the position of real-time monitoring the quality of a bus ride regarding on-board comfort level

How to evaluate and plan the freight-passengers first-last mile

“First-last mile” (FLM) is an informal composed-word, widely used to indicate the first and the last leg of each transport movement. In this paper, it is defined as a complex system characterized by three interconnected macro factors that determine the success of a transport planning system. This is a very challenging part of the transport system from a planning perspective because of the critical issues that make it not much reliable and cost-effective. This paper capitalizes on the experiences gained in different implementations/studies and provides a theoretical framework for a good assessment and planning of the first-last mile. It stems from the recognition that the literature proposes different solutions and methods, ranging from the promotion of green transport to the use of ITS technologies. For this reason, this paper aims at elaborating some guidelines on how to tackle the problem in different territorial contexts, trying to be a help to the planners to reduce the negative consequences of mobility. Five main phases are identified here: 1) First-last mile identification; 2) Schematization of the problem and cost analysis; 3) Definition of the stakeholder involvement in the process; 4) Identification of the critical aspects of the process; 5) Identification of the best strategies to reduce costs. For each phase, the indicators to be taken into account for a correct transport planning are discussed, as a first step for stakeholders and policy-makers for making themselves aware of the significant potential of this issue

Real-time evaluation of the on-board comfort of standing passenger in bus transit services

Bus on-board comfort may be intended as a multidimensional concept declined according to several attributes (e.g., vibrations, the load factor, the driving style, etc.) and represents a key factor of service quality. Thus, its measurement is crucial for public transport companies as it can support for the monitoring, evaluation and implementation of specific actions to improve their services. The objective of this paper is to build a numerical scale for real-time measurement of bus on-board comfort. This is pursued integrating subjective measurements of the driving style provided by the passengers with objective ones of longitudinal and transversal accelerations data collected by Intelligent Transportation System tools. The results are very useful because they represent a contribution to establish a comfort scale in a real operational environment, as a tool to regulate the driver's behavior: each driver is in the position of real-time monitoring the quality of a bus ride regarding on-board comfort level