Analyzing urban bus service reliability at the stop, route, and network levels

Improving the reliability of bus service has the potential to increase the attractiveness of public transit to current and prospective riders. An understanding of service reliability is necessary to develop strategies that help transit agencies provide better services. However, few studies have been conducted analyzing bus reliability in the metropolis of China. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of service reliability based on bus operational characteristics in Beijing. Three performance parameters, punctuality index based on routes (PIR), deviation index based on stops (DIS), and evenness index based on stops (EIS), are proposed for the evaluation of bus service reliability. Reliability involves routes, stops, punctuality, deviation, and evenness. The relationship among the three parameters is discussed using a numerical example. Subsequently, through a sampling survey of bus lines in Beijing, service reliability at the stop, route, and network levels are estimated. The effects of route length, headway, the distance from the stop to the origin terminal, and the use of exclusive bus lanes are also analyzed. The results indicate low service reliability for buses in Beijing and a high correlation between service reliability and route length, headway, distance from the stop to the origin terminal, and the provision of exclusive bus lanes.     

User perspectives in public transport timetable optimisation

The present paper deals with timetable optimisation from the perspective of minimising the waiting time experienced by passengers when transferring either to or from a bus. Due to its inherent complexity, this bi-level minimisation problem is extremely difficult to solve mathematically, since timetable optimisation is a non-linear non-convex mixed integer problem, with passenger flows defined by the route choice model, whereas the route choice model is a non-linear non-continuous mapping of the timetable. Therefore, a heuristic solution approach is developed in this paper, based on the idea of varying and optimising the offset of the bus lines. Varying the offset for a bus line impacts the waiting time passengers experience at any transfer stop on the bus line.In the bi-level timetable optimisation problem, the lower level is a transit assignment calculation yielding passengers’ route choice. This is used as weight when minimising waiting time by applying a Tabu Search algorithm to adapt the offset values for bus lines. The updated timetable then serves as input in the following transit assignment calculation. The process continues until convergence.The heuristic solution approach was applied on the large-scale public transport network in Denmark. The timetable optimisation approach yielded a yearly reduction in weighted waiting time equivalent to approximately 45 million Danish kroner (9 million USD).     

Evaluating the effects of bus design on passenger flow: Is agent-based simulation a feasible approach?

In this paper, we propose an agent-based simulation approach that is capable of simulating the flow of passengers on board buses and at bus stops. The intention is that it will be applied during vehicle development to analyze how vehicle design affects passenger flow, and thus also how it affects system performance such as dwell time. In turn, this could aid the developers in making design decisions early in the development process. Besides introducing the simulation tool itself, the paper explores the realism of the data generated by the tool. A number of passenger flow experiments featuring a full-scale bus mockup and 50 participants were carried out. The setup of these experiments mirrored a number of ‘bus journeys’ (regarding vehicle design, number of passengers boarding/alighting at each stop and so on) that had previously been simulated using the simulation tool. When the data from the simulations were compared with the data from the passenger flow experiments, it could be concluded that the tool is indeed able to generate realistic passenger flows, although with some errors when a large number of passengers board/alight. The simulated dwell times were rationally affected by the tested bus layout aspects. It was concluded that the tool makes it possible to evaluate how variations in bus layouts affect passenger flow, providing data of sufficiently high quality to be useful in early phases of vehicle design.     

客车车身试验模态分析及其在车身定型中的应用

试验模态分析了解结构动特性的重要工具，介绍了客车车身的试验模态分析结果，并与国外同类型车身模态试验结果进行了对比分析，通过对比分析，对某客车车身提出了相应的改进措施，并评价了改进后车身的动态性能，使该型客车车身在短时间内定型。     

大客车车内噪声控制的试验研究

通过对６１００型大客车的大量试验研究，认为在噪声控制标准中除对Ａ声级测定结果应规定限值外，还应对整个噪声频带规定限值，以便较全面地改善车内噪声环境。根据该车的结构特点，提出了一系列改善噪声及振动性的措施，经部分改进试验，取得良好的效果。     

乡镇汽车客运站场规模确定方法研究

通过对传统乡镇汽车客运站场规模确定方法不足的分析,针对农村旅客运输特点,对乡镇汽车客运站的功能进行了定位,从农村客运站场网络体系优化出发,提出了协调法确定乡镇汽车客运站场规模,建立了相应的站场规模调整模型,并给出了计算步骤和相关参数的标定方法及部分推荐值。最后通过成都市青白江区的实例验证了方法的可行性。     

公路客运班车报停制度研究

公路客运峰谷现象明显,在运能、运力有限的情况下,如何才能更好地满足客运高峰期(如春运)的交通需求是政府和企业的一项重要课题。现有的政策并没有使有限的客运资源得到最合理的利用,给能源和环境都带来了一定的影响。文章较系统地从企业和政府两个角度论述了建立班车报停制度的必要性和可行性,通过对客运线路的调查,对公路客运班车报停制度的社会经济效益作了定性和定量分析。     

CAN总线在雪铁龙C5轿车中的应用及检修

雪铁龙C5轿车是法国雪铁龙公司的新一代主流产品。介绍了应用在雪铁龙C5轿车上的CAN数据总线的特点、组成与结构，CAN数据总线的传输原理与过程，以及BSI智能服务器(网关)的组成与功能。另外，介绍了CAN网络的检修。     

The perception of Bus Rapid Transit: a passenger survey from Beijing Southern Axis BRT Line 1

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged as a cost-effective transport system for urban mobility. As a relatively new form of Mass Transit, its ability to provide a high-quality transport service and potential to stimulate land development remain largely unexplored. This study intends to investigate the public attitude towards BRT services, as well as respondents’ perception of living near BRT stations, using the Beijing Southern Axis BRT system as a case study. A data-set of responses to 525 questionnaires were assembled and analysed using a combination of statistical techniques. The results show that BRT has gained great popularity among passengers, and brought about a positive impact on the attractiveness of residential property. The data identify that the majority of passengers are work-related commuters and use BRT more than once a day. The captive users have a higher satisfaction than choice users with respect to reliability, comfort & cleanliness and overall satisfaction with the BRT service. It is argued that the BRT has significantly improved the attractiveness of residential property along the BRT corridor.     

长丰县城乡公交需求和现状一体化分析

为了进一步加强城乡经济社会的协调发展,同时缩短城乡差距,加强综合交通网络,并提高城市和农村地区的综合交通运输网络,城乡公交一体化便是公共交通的主流发展。文章在深入安徽省合肥市长丰县实地调研的基础上,探究了长丰县公交一体化的发展状况,为长丰经济发展助力。