Express guideway transit: A case for further development in transit automation

Safe and reliable coupling and decoupling of cars from a moving train is feasible with further developments in linear motor propulsion and control of transit vehicles. This allows the last car of a train to decouple and stop at a station for a relative long dwell time, before it accelerates and is coupled to a following train. Controlled doors in front and rear of the transit vehicle permit passengers to walk through the train to the car which stops at their destination. A proposed transit system using these features is described and compared to Bombardier's Advanced Rapid Transit. Potential advantages are high schedule speed, uncrowded trains, smaller and more stations, low energy requirements and a smaller vehicle fleet.     

Estimating the activity types of transit travelers using smart card transaction data: a case study of Singapore

Transportation - Understanding individual daily activity patterns is essential for travel demand management and urban planning. This research introduces a new method to infer transit riders’...     

Large-scale application of MILATRAS: case study of the Toronto transit network

This paper documents the efforts to operationalize the conceptual framework of MIcrosimulation Learning-based Approach to TRansit Assignment (MILATRAS) and its component models of departure time and path choices. It presents a large-scale real-world application, namely the multi-modal transit network of Toronto which is operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). This large-scale network is represented by over 500 branches with more than 10,000 stops. About 332,000 passenger-agents are modelled to represent the demand for the TTC in the AM peak period. A learning-based departure time and path choice model was adopted using the concept of mental models for the modelling of the transit assignment problem. The choice model parameters were calibrated such that the entropy of the simulated route loads was optimized with reference to the observed route loads, and validated with individual choices. A Parallel Genetic Algorithm engine was used for the parameter calibration process. The modelled route loads, based on the calibrated parameters, greatly approximate the distribution underlying the observed loads. 75% of the exact sequence of transfer point choices were correctly predicted by the off-stop/on-stop choice mechanism. The model predictability of the exact sequence of route transfers was about 60%. In this application, transit passengers were assumed to plan their transit trip based on their experience with the transportation network; with no prior (or perfect) knowledge of service performance.     

The net incidence of transit subsidies: a case study

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the net incidence of government subsidies to a transit system (i.e., the net impact of who pays and who benefits from transit subsidies). Rather than considering the U.S. transit subsidy program in the aggregate, the net incidence of subsidies to a particular transit system — Tidewater Regional Transit (TRT) — is analyzed. The paper concludes that the net incidence of the TRT subsidy program is progressive. Furthermore, the paper provides a methodology that can be used for investigating the net incidence of government subsidies to other transit systems.     

On the financial viability of mass transit development: the case of Hong Kong

Mass transit projects are often a top contender of many cities to meet their increasing demand for travel. Despite the global trend of privatization, mass transit services, as public goods, remain largely being provided and operated by the public sector. Hong Kong is one of the few exceptions that all mass transit services are commercially operated. Both rail and bus services in Hong Kong are reputable for their quality and profitability, often serving as benchmarks for new projects. In this study, we investigate the factors contributing to this success. In particular, we ascertain the quality of transit service provision by the private sector over the past two decades. Then, we conduct an in-depth analysis of the account books of leading railway and bus operators in Hong Kong so as to shed light on their financial viability. Through this study, we hope to present crucial factors for providing financially viable private transit services.     

Design and implementation of efficient transit networks: Procedure, case study and validity test

This paper presents and tests a method to design high-performance transit networks. The method produces conceptual plans for geometric idealizations of a particular city that are later adapted to the real conditions. These conceptual plans are generalizations of the hybrid network concept proposed in Daganzo (2010). The best plan for a specific application is chosen via optimization. The objective function is composed of analytic formulae for a concept’s agency cost and user level of service. These formulae include as parameters key demand-side attributes of the city, assumed to be rectangular, and supply-side attributes of the transit technology. They also include as decision variables the system’s line and stop spacings, the degree to which it focuses passenger trips on the city center, and the service headway. These decision variables are sufficient to define an idealized geometric layout of the system and an operating plan. This layout-operating plan is then used as a design target when developing the real, detailed master plan. Ultimately, the latter is simulated to obtain more accurate cost and level of service estimates.This process has been applied to design a high performance bus (HPB) network for Barcelona (Spain). The idealized solution for Barcelona includes 182 km of one-way infrastructure, uses 250 vehicles and costs 42,489 €/h to build and run. These figures only amount to about one third of the agency resources and cost currently used to provide bus service. A detailed design that resembles this target and conforms to the peculiarities of the city is also presented and simulated. The agency cost and user level of service metrics of the simulated system differ from those of the idealized model by less than 10%. Although the designed and simulated HPB systems provide sub-optimal spatial coverage because Barcelona lacks suitable streets, the level of service is good. Simulations suggest that if the proposed system was implemented side-by-side with the current one, it would capture most of the demand.     

Gender differences in activity participation,time-of-day and duration choices: new evidence from Calgary

To date only limited research has quantified differences between female and male activity patterns, and analyses at an individual activity level are scarce. Past research has focused on investigating gender differences in mobility levels based on observed travel patterns, especially those related to commuting. This article reports new evidence based on analyses of a household activity survey data-set collected from a Canadian city – Calgary – in 2001. Results show that contemporary females and males have a very similar activity participation pattern. On the other hand, analyses applied to activity starting times support the view that there are minor gender differences in time-of-day choices. In addition, duration and survival analyses through log-rank and Wilcoxon tests show that women and men tend to spend more or less time on some of the 10 weekend/weekday activities, and thus indicate that they share different domestic and societal responsibilities: males tend to spend longer time for out-of-home activities, such as work, school, social, and out-of-town; whereas females contribute more to domestic work, including shopping, eating, and religious activity. In general, this article contributes new evidence to gender differences in activity participation, time-of-day, and duration choices at the individual activity level. Such differences may influence travelers’ time, mode, and location choices and thus have important implications for the complexity of an activity-based modeling framework. These implications are discussed along with recommendations for incorporating gender differences in an activity-based modeling framework.     

Impacts of commuting efficiency on congestion and emissions: case of the Hamilton CMA, Canada

This study uses IMULATE (Integrated Model of Urban LAnd use, Transportation, energy and Emissions) to examine the impacts of commuting efficiency on congestion and automobile emissions—specifically, non-methane hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides—in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Estimates of these externalities are compared for two commuting scenarios: a base scenario of estimated commuting flows for 1991 and an optimal scenario in which the mean commuting time for all workers is minimized. The findings indicate that significant reductions in congestion and automobile emissions are possible by advocating policies that encourage greater commuting efficiency in the locational choices of workers. The analysis of jobs–housing balance as one such means suggests that a considerable proportion of commuting cannot be explained by geographical imbalances in the distributions of jobs and housing, and that workers consider many factors besides commuting costs in their locational choices. It is concluded that policies promoting jobs–housing balance as the principal strategy for facilitating more efficient commuting may not meet the expectations of policy-makers.     

Why do paratransit operators resist participation in bus rapid transit? Case evidence from Bogota,Mexico City,Johannesburg and Lagos

ABSTRACT

Public transport in cities of the Global South is mainly provided by paratransit operators who self-regulate their services in the absence of adequate formal transport supply and due to weak or no formal regulatory framework and enforcement. Paratransit operators compete with each other for passengers as every passenger translates into profit. Governments in the Global South have sought to reform public transport services through Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to regulate and ensure efficiency, address the problems of drivers competition and negative externalities associated with paratransit operations. Paratransit operators have been considered as one of the barriers to public transport reforms such as BRT without much consideration for their style of operations. This neglect has contributed to their resistance and low interest in participating in BRT and has even led to opposition. Consequently, non-consideration of incumbent operators in the implementation of transit reforms has been one important reason for delay or failure in their introduction. In this study, we identify reasons why paratransit operators resist and show low interest in BRT even in situations where public institutions have opted not to replace them but rather invite them to participate in the reforms. The basis is a case study analysis of four cities with different characteristics and different BRT implementation strategies where paratransit operators showed resistance and low interest to participate. We identify (1) loss of autonomy, flexibility and established practices/routines, (2) financial and economic risk avoidance and (3) lack of trust in governments who initiate reforms as a basis for their resistance and low interest. These findings are theoretically substantiated by organisational management and social psychology concepts that explain resistance to change. Understanding and recognising these reasons may help planners in designing more appropriate strategies for paratransit reforms.     

Bus routing strategies in a transit market: A case study of Hong Kong

Conventionally, the objective of transit routing is often set either to minimize the total operational cost, subject to a given level of service quality, or to maximize the service quality at a given acceptable cost. In a deregulated, commercial‐based environment however, such as bus and railway operations in cities of the UK and Hong Kong where several private firms compete in route‐based or area‐based market, routing becomes one of the means for higher returns rather than just for cost saving. In such a case, how do the transit providers set up their routes for profit‐maximization? Will the routing based on the provider's objective meet the user's objective? How do government regulations and policies affect the choice of transit provider's routing strategy? To answer these questions, we first examine the relationship between the objectives of users and transit providers, set up criteria for transit routing quality, and then investigate the possible routing configurations/patterns for a hypothetical case. These criteria include (1) the load factor of transit, (2) the level of route directness, (3) the level of route overlapping, and (4) the total number of routes and (5) the average of route length. These measures are finally applied to a real case in Hong Kong to examine the route changes of Kowloon Motor Bus from 1975 to 1995. The result of the empirical case reveais how key measures such as load factor are controlled by the bus operator and affected by government policies and how the bus routing pattern was adjusted to meet users' need. Facing the dilemma as evident in Hong Kong between the route directness and the efficiency of road use, we suggest that a rational multi‐modal routing structure be put in place if an institutional solution is introduced so that bus and other transit modes can form a sharing program or an alliance.     

Use characteristics and demographics of rural transit riders: a case study in Tennessee

Intercity bus (ICB), deviated fixed route transit (DFRT) and demand responsive transit (DRT) are three major modes of rural public transportation. This paper focuses on the characteristics and motivations of DFRT and DRT riders, compared to non-riders, in Tennessee. A rural DFRT rider survey, a rural DRT rider survey and a rural (non-rider) resident survey were performed. It is found that DFRT and DRT riders have similar demographics to ICB riders. The most common trip purpose for DFRT and DRT passengers is medical care, which is different from ICB trips. Ninety percent of the riders have difficulty finding alternative transportation modes, suggesting they are captive riders, not choice riders. Regression results indicate that people choosing transit modes tend to have lower personal and household income, own fewer cars, to not be homeowners, and be of non-white race. Rural residents who receive more education are more likely to be open-minded to use rural transit.     

Incorporating Knightian uncertainty into real options analysis: Using multiple-priors in the case of rail transit investment

This paper revisits the real option investment problem from a ‘Knightian’ perspective of uncertainty. We examine the decision to invest in rail transit infrastructure (i.e., transport improvement) by treating population scale and the attitudes of decision-makers or social planners as sources of risk and ambiguity. An α-maxmin multiple-priors expected utility framework is developed to solve for the option value of rail transit investment under Knightian uncertainty. We find that the threshold for investment varies with the ambiguity attitudes (i.e., pessimism or optimism) of decision-makers regarding future population dynamics, and show that option value can in fact either increase or decrease with uncertainty subject to κ-ignorance and ambiguity. We also underline the effect of transport improvement on traffic congestion under various states of nature, and determine the specific population scale ranges for which investment is warranted under (1) risk and (2) Knightian uncertainty. These dynamics are illustrated in a numerical application adapted from a Chinese rail transit initiative specific to the Xiamen region.     

Using the built environment to oversample walk,transit, and bicycle travel

Characteristics of the built environment (BE) have been associated with walk, transit, and bicycle travel. These BE characteristics can be used by transportation researchers to oversample households from areas where walk, transit, or bicycle travel is more likely, resulting in more observations of these uncommon travel behaviors. Little guidance, however, is available on the effectiveness of such built environment oversampling strategies. This article presents measures that can be used to assess the effectiveness of BE oversampling strategies and inform future efforts to oversample households with uncommon travel behaviors. The measures are sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), and positive predictive value (PPV). To illustrate these measures, they were calculated for 10 BE-defined oversampling strata applied post-hoc to a Seattle area household travel survey. Strata with an average block size of <10 acres within a ¼ mile of household residences held the single greatest potential for oversampling households that walk, use transit, and/or bicycle.     

Temporal trends and the effect of weather on pedestrian volumes: A case study of Montreal,Canada

This study examines the impact of weather on pedestrian activity, as well as the temporal trends of pedestrian flows in the city of Montreal, Canada. The direct and lagged effects of weather variables on hourly volumes are determined for the temperate and cold months, as well as for weekdays and weekends. Pedestrian hourly volumes are found to decrease in the winter. In downtown locations, there are three weekday pedestrian hourly peaks; a pattern distinctive from those observed in other surveys. Also, temperature, humidity, wind speed as well as direct and lagged effects of precipitation are the main factors affecting pedestrian activity. In winter, pedestrian flows are more sensitive to wind speeds and precipitation, and also during weekends than weekdays. Built environment plays a role not only in the magnitude but also in the temporal profile of pedestrian sidewalk activity. In comparison to bicycle ridership, pedestrian flows seem to be much less sensitive to weather.     

Studying the relationship between activity participation,social networks,expenditures and travel behavior on leisure activities

Transportation - In the context of an increasing interest in understanding travel for non-mandatory activities, such as recreation and socializing, this work focuses on studying the relationships...     

The importance of time in transit and reliability of transit time for shippers,receivers, and carriers

Reliability of transit time is reputed to be the most important variable influencing freight transport today, according to shipper surveys. Average transit time also plays a major role. A model is developed that shows how a cost-minimizing shipper will adjust its economic order quantity as reliability and/or time in transit changes. Such changes impact on average inventory costs, ordering costs, expected shortage costs and expected excess costs. The model is developed for both discrete and continuous transit time distributions. Reliability is defined as the variance of transit time. A matrix is prepared for some sample data, which shows the minimum cost attainable with each mean/variance of transit time distribution. Comparing across rows and columns of the matrix enables one to show the value (reduction in total cost) obtainable by improving reliability and/or mean transit time. In addition, value can be obtained by improving reliability while increasing average transit time. It is suggested that the model can be used for shippers in negotiating service improvements with carriers and by carriers in negotiating service improvements with shippers. In the former case, the carrier can determine how much they are willing to pay for the improvement, whereas in the latter case, the carriers can determine how much they are able to charge for the improvement.     

Behavioral modeling of on-demand mobility services: general framework and application to sustainable travel incentives

Transportation - This paper presents a systematic way of understanding and modeling traveler behavior in response to on-demand mobility services. We explicitly consider the sequential and yet...     

Environmental equity in participation of the Clean Air School Bus Program: The case of New York State

The vast majority of American children rely on school buses for their daily trips to and from school, and almost all of these school buses operate on diesel fuel. Research has found that during their daily commute, children are exposed to unhealthy levels of diesel exhaust. We assess equity among school districts that chose to apply to the New York State Clean Air School Bus Program and those that did not. Binary logistic regression was employed to reveal the effects of demographics and other social economical factors on the choice of applying when controlling for other factors that are likely to affect a school district’s decision process. It was found that economic variables had a significant impact on the likelihood of a school district applying to the program.     

Home-based telework in France: Characteristics,barriers and perspectives

The aim of this article is to explain the gap between high social expectations, particularly in terms of reducing commuting frequency, increasing productivity and improving work-life balance, and the reality of home-based telework. We use three French databases which give information about employers but also employees. We highlight that telework is not only a fairly restricted phenomenon but also one that lacks impetus; it is mainly an informal working arrangement. The main reasons raised by both employees and employers are the uncertain advantages coupled with immediate disadvantages. The conclusion examines different contextual factors that could alter this cost-benefits dilemma and foster the development of home-based telework.