The economics and engineering of bus stops: Spacing, design and congestion

This paper re-considers the problem of choosing the number of bus stops along urban routes, first by estimating the probability of stopping in low demand markets, and second by analysing the interplay between bus stop size, bus running speed, spacing and congestion in high demand markets. A comprehensive review of the theory and practice on the location and spacing of bus stops is presented. Using empirical data from Sydney we show that the widely used Poisson model overestimates the probability of stopping in an on-call bus stopping regime, and consequently underestimates the optimal number of bus stops that should be designed. For fixed-stop services, we show that bus running speed, frequency and dwell time are crucial to determining the relationship between bus stop spacing and demand, with bus stop congestion in the form of queuing delays playing a key role. In particular, we find that bus stop spacing should be decreased if demand increases at a constant bus running speed; however, if both bus running speed and the speed of the passenger boarding process increase, then the distance between bus stops should be kept long even at high demand levels, a result that is consistent with the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit systems that feature high bus running speeds and long distances between stops relative to conventional bus services

Multimodal pricing and the optimal design of bus services: new elements and extensions

This thesis analyses the pricing and design of urban transport systems; in particular the optimal design and efficient operation of bus services and the pricing of urban transport. Five main topics are addressed: (i) the influence of considering non-motorised travel alternatives (walking and cycling) in the estimation of optimal bus fares, (ii) the choice of a fare collection system and bus boarding policy, (iii) the influence of passengers’ crowding on bus operations and optimal supply levels, (iv) the optimal investment in road infrastructure for buses, which is attached to a target bus running speed and (v) the characterisation of bus congestion and its impact on bus operation and service design. Total cost minimisation and social welfare maximisation models are developed, which are complemented by the empirical estimation of bus travel times. As bus patronage increases, it is efficient to invest money in speeding up boarding and alighting times. Once on-board cash payment has been ruled out, allowing boarding at all doors is more important as a tool to reduce both users and operator costs than technological improvements on fare collection. The consideration of crowding externalities (in respect of both seating and standing) imposes a higher optimal bus fare, and consequently, a reduction of the optimal bus subsidy. Optimal bus frequency is quite sensitive to the assumptions regarding crowding costs, impact of buses on traffic congestion and congestion level in mixed-traffic roads. The existence of a crowding externality implies that buses should have as many seats as possible, up to a minimum area that must be left free of seats. Bus congestion in the form of queuing delays behind bus stops is estimated using simulation. The delay function depends on the bus frequency, bus size, number of berths and dwell time. Therefore, models that use flow measures (including frequency only or frequency plus traffic flow) as the only explanatory variables for bus congestion are incomplete. Disregarding bus congestion in the design of the service would yield greater frequencies than optimal when congestion is noticeable, i.e. for high demand. Finally, the optimal investment in road infrastructure for buses grows with the logarithm of demand; this result depends on the existence of a positive and linear relationship between investment in infrastructure and desired running speed

Editorial: A better tomorrow: towards human-oriented, sustainable transportation systems

In a rapidly changing world, transportation is a big determinant of quality of life, financial growth and progress. New challenges (such as the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic) and opportunities (such as the three revolutions of shared, electric and automated mobility) are expected to drastically change the future mobility landscape. Researchers, policy makers and practitioners are working hard to prepare for and shape the future of mobility that will maximize benefits. Adopting a human perspective as a guiding principle in this endeavor is expected to help prioritize the “right” needs as requirements. In this special issue, eight research papers outline ways in which transportation research can contribute to a better tomorrow. In this editorial, we position the research within the state-of-the-art, identify the needs for future research, and then outline how the included contributions fit in this puzzle. Naturally, the problem of sustainable future transportation systems is way too complicated to be covered with a single special issue. We thus conclude this editorial with a discussion about open questions and future research topics

Modelling Public Transport Corridors With Aggregate And Disaggregate Demand

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Embedding risk attitudes in a scheduling model: Application to the study of commuting departure time

Traditionally, the value of travel time savings (VTTS) and the value of reliability (or reduced variability) are estimated within a linear utility functional form, which assumes risk-neutral attitudes for decision makers. In this paper, we develop non-linear scheduling models to address both risk attitude and preference in the context of a stated choice experiment of car commuters facing risky choices where the risk is associated with the trip time. We also investigate unobserved between-individual heterogeneity in time-related parameters and risk attitudes using a mixed multinomial logit (MMNL) model. More importantly, we calculate the willingness to pay values for reducing the mean travel time and variability (earlier/later than the preferred arrival time) within the non-linear scheduling framework. This model is then used to estimate preferred departure times for commuters, assuming that random link capacities are the source of travel time variability. Results show that the more variable travel times are, the earlier commuters depart, and that the non-linear scheduling model predicts earlier optimal departure times than the traditional linear scheduling model. Some important issues related to modelling non-linearity are also discussed

Modelling Public Transport Corridors With Aggregate And Disaggregate Demand

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

The sustainability of shared mobility: Can a platform for shared rides reduce motorized traffic in cities?

Studies in several cities indicate that ridesourcing (ride-hailing) may increase traffic and congestion, given the substitution of more sustainable modes and the addition of empty kilometers. On the other hand, there is little evidence if smartphone apps that target shared rides have any influence on reducing traffic levels. We study the effects of a shared-mobility service offered by a start-up in Mexico City, Jetty, which is used by travelers to book a shared ride in a car, van or bus. A large-scale user survey was conducted to study trip characteristics, reasons for using the platform and the general travel choices of Jetty users. We calculate travel distance per trip leg, for the current choices and for the modes that riders would have chosen if the platform was not available. We find that the effect of the platform on vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) depends on the rate of empty kilometers introduced by the fleet of vehicles, the substitution of public versus private transport modes, the occupancy rate of Jetty vehicles and assumptions on the occupancy rate of substituted modes. Following a sensitivity analysis approach for variables with unavailable data, we estimate that shared rides in cars increase VKT (in the range of 7 to 10 km/passenger), shared vans are able to decrease VKT (around −0.2 to −1.1 km/passenger), whereas buses are estimated to increase VKT (0.4 to 1.1 km/passenger), in our preferred scenarios. These results stem from the tradeoff between the effects of the occupancy rates per vehicle (larger vehicles are shared by more people) and the attractiveness of the service for car users (shared vans attract more car drivers than buses booked through Jetty). Our findings point to the relevance of shared rides in bigger vehicles such as vans as competitors to low occupancy car services for the future of mobility in cities, and to the improvement of public transportation services through the inclusion of quality attributes as provided by new shared-mobility services

Santiago de Chile

This section describes the creation process of the freely available MATSim scenario of Santiago de Chile. The first version of a calibrated scenario is available online and is documented in Kickhöfer et al. (2016)

Extensión universitaria y territorio: reflexiones y desafíos en torno al armado y puesta en escena de talleres sobre Economía Popular

Esta ponencia se enmarca en el trabajo colectivo realizado desde el equipo de extensión universitaria “Economía Popular, Trabajo y Territorio” que funciona en el Centro de Innovación para la Acción Comunitaria (CIDAC), en la sede de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (FFyL) de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) ubicada en el barrio porteño de Barracas. Desde el año de su creación en 2008, el CIDAC es una institución que busca generar instancias de co-construcción de conocimiento entre la universidad y el territorio, mediante el armado de equipos interdisciplinarios conformados por estudiantes y docentes. Desde nuestro equipo hemos ido realizando distintos proyectos tales como voluntariado, ubanex, etc, lo que nos permitió ir forjando vínculos con distintas organizaciones sociales. Esta experiencia nos permitió detectar que una de las principales demandas de estos grupos giraba en torno a formación. A raíz de esto, asumimos el desafío de llevar a cabo distintos talleres de formación, los cuales se nuclean en torno a la Economía Popular y atraviesan diversos ejes tales como género y trabajo, armado de proyectos comunitarios, comunicación comunitaria, etc. El trabajo con diferentes organizaciones sociales implicó adaptar los talleres a las necesidades y dinámicas de cada grupo, lo que generó diferentes conclusiones y apropiaciones de los mismos. En este sentido, en el presente trabajo haremos énfasis en la importancia de la extensión universitaria como un espacio de fortalecimiento para las organizaciones sociales, así como también un ámbito de formación para estudiantes y profesionales donde se puede conjugar: extensión, docencia e investigación. A partir de este proceso, y en consonancia con el trabajo que venimos desarrollando como equipo, nos proponemos reflexionar acerca del vínculo entre la universidad, las organizaciones y el territorio.GT50: Antropologxs y arqueologxs en proyectos de extensión universitaria y de comunicación científica. Redes, apropiaciones y tensiones.Universidad Nacional de La Plat