Guided bus

Abstract: A method for trip management provided for an electronic guided bus that follows an electronic track. The method comprises receiving an assigned trip from a bus dispatch system, obtaining junction information based on the assigned trip, obtaining a current location of the electronic guided bus, identifying a junction the bus is at based on the current location of the bus and the junction information, and setting a main track for the bus to follow based on the desired track for the identified junction. The method provides an intelligent transit system in which dispatch processors estimate ridership demands based on the passengers' trip information, determine a plurality of trips based on estimated ridership demands, generate dispatch schedule for the trips, assign trips to the electronic guided buses, and communicate assigned trips to the electronic guided buses via communication devices.

Abstract: Bus dwell time is traditionally considered as a function of the number of alighting and boarding passengers plus an amount of time for door opening and closing. This approach describes the delays caused to a bus at any bus stop; however, these could be less accurate for busway stations where more than one loading area is available. This is because these traditional dwell time models do not account for the crowd phenomenon of the busway station platform. This paper discusses the differences in boarding process at a bus stop and at a busway station. And based of these differences, a new methodology for estimation of bus dwell time at busway stations is proposed. For this study, data collection was performed at a busway station on the South East Busway in Brisbane, Australia and at suburban bus stops. Firstly, the sequence of activities performed by a passenger from viewing the desired bus to boarding the bus was divided into two parts: passenger – bus interface and passenger bus interaction. Later the effect of platform crowding on passenger – bus interface and passenger bus interaction was studied. Finally a dwell time model for buses at busway stations was developed. Based on the analysis, this paper concluded that at a busway station where boarding is predominant, an increase in platform crowd increases the passenger – bus interface duration. This increase in passenger – bus interface duration then leads to lost time for buses and hence increases the bus dwell time. © Copyright 2009 Transportation Research Board / National Academy of Sciences

Abstract: Guided bus systems are increasingly appreciated as a cost effective method of luring travelers from private to public transport. This paper describes the developments made to enhance a traffic microsimulation model in order to help design and evaluate guided bus schemes and the complex traffic management issues which such systems present. The model framework is illustrated through numerical experiments on simple artificial networks where traditional bus priority measures are performed and compared with a base case without any form of bus priority. Future research is planned to include tests on real networks with guided bus schemes actually being considered for real-life implementation.