Efficiency measurement of bus routes and exogenous operating environment effects on efficiency

This study develops an independent efficiency measurement model framework of bus routes, so as to treat preferably the heterogeneous outputs in a data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based efficiency measurement. It then introduces four new exogenous operating environment factors at the microscopic level of bus routes, and applies the three-stage DEA approach to incorporate operating environment effects and statistical noise into the efficiency measurement framework. The main purpose is to measure impartially the managerial efficiency of bus routes, purged of operating environment effects and statistical noise, and additionally to investigate the operating environment effects on efficiency. An empirical analysis, based on 39 routes operated in Jiangyin City, China, is presented. The principal finding is that the adoption of the independent efficiency measurement model framework is reasonable and has many virtues. Moreover, the proposed approach could substantially provide decision support both for regulators and for producers of bus services. In addition, the operating environment does indeed significantly affect operating efficiency and quality efficiency, especially the latter.     

DDA方法中节理参数定义方式的改进

为提高非连续变形分析（discontinuous deformation analysis,DDA）方法程序中节理参数赋值的精度,在DDA原程序节理参数定义的基础上,提出了一种节理参数定义方式的改进方法.首先,根据节理的物理力学性质,对原DDA中节理参数定义存在的非一致性问题进行了分析;其次,由节理参数是由构成节理的两个结构面共同决定的特性,对程序中的节理参数进行了重新定义;最后,对DDA原程序中节理参数赋值部分进行了修改和补充,给出了相应的程序计算流程,并通过块体1和块体2的相对滑动算例对改进后的DDA程序进行了验证.研究结果表明:当块体1和块体2交换力学参数时,其间节理仍为同一性质节理;两种工况下,块体1的速度和位移保持一致,说明改进后的DDA程序能够很好地实现同一节理参数赋值的统一.