Eric Bruun

Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail: Comparing Operating Costs with a Parametric Cost Model

A parametric cost model was developed to provide both average and marginal cost estimates and to compare annual operating costs for light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) under an assumption of additional peak service on weekdays. The model uses readily available data from the U.S. National Transit Database. For illustrative purposes, it is applied to a hypothetical service network simulating universal coverage of a medium-sized metropolitan area with either LRT or BRT operating on trunk lines. The Dallas [Texas] Area Rapid Transit agency is selected for a computational example because it has representative, contemporary performance statistics for both LRT and bus. High and low operating cost estimates based on articulated buses were used for BRT because of a lack of an operational history. For an agency with a similar cost structure to the Dallas agency, both BRT and LRT have lower operating costs on a per space kilometer basis during base periods than do regular buses. Both LRT and the lower BRT cost estimates are comparable for adding service during peak periods. With the higher cost estimate, peak BRT costs 24% more than LRT. For trunk line capacities below about 1,600 spaces per hour, the headway-versus-cost trade-off favors BRT. Above 2,000 spaces per hour, BRT headways become so short that traffic signal priority may not be effective and revenue speed may decrease. The marginal cost of adding off-peak BRT service is substantially less than the average cost of regular buses, and the cost of LRT is even less. Peak fleet size seems to be an important driver of costs. Research methods to verify this are suggested.

OmniLink: Case Study of Successful Flex Route–Capable Intelligent Transportation System Implementation

Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commissions OmniLink is an intelligent transportation system (ITS) assisted, hybrid public transportation service that permits flexible routing combined with the time points of conventional fixed-route services. OmniLink promotes main-streaming of a significant portion of the disabled population eligible for paratransit under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) while reducing the cost of accommodating these passengers. State-of-the-art ITS technology is used to accommodate passenger requests for off-route trips (route deviations). It gives an accept or reject decision to call-takers while the caller is on the phone; schedules all pickups and drop-offs; provides dispatcher oversight; conveys on-time performance and communicates all other relevant information between drivers and the control center; and incorporates passenger counting, navigation assistance to the operator, vehicle inspection documentation, and other utilities. The ITS package includes full post...

Maturity of key technologies provides more options for transit and paratransit planners

Travel needs and patterns within metropolitan regions are becoming increasingly more complex. Community pressure to use limited operations budgets in the most effective and efficient manner is also increasing, even though these requirements often conflict. Ideally, in response, service planners should be able to explore a wide range of service design options, unencumbered by technological constraints. A service planning concept based on a spectrum of possible service designs ranging from pure fixed route to pure demand responsive, with many intermediate options, is described. Intelligent transportation system technologies and scheduling software have matured to the point that this concept is now realistic. How these technologies enable a highly integrated system in which numerous service designs can be operated simultaneously is explained. Likely benefits are presented from several perspectives: planning latitude given by time of day, by change of season, and for efficient vehicle use and adaptation to changes in service area character over the years. Some requirements for reorganization by typical transit agencies are discussed. Potential benefits from better coordination or the merger with outside agencies are outlined. Vendors have been cautious to date and are unlikely to complete the technological integration needed without firm commitments. Thus, a funded research project at an appropriate volunteer site would be required.

Time-Distance Diagrams: A Powerful Tool for Service Planning and Control

Graphical scheduling is an old technique that has been neglected, or never acquired, in many North American transit agencies. It retains its advantages in basic schedule design and analysis as it eases the solution to problems that are difficult to solve analytically. Even information about simple routes is enhanced by the detailed operating characteristics inherent in detailed vehicle trajectories and by the relative ease with which accelerated service and service recovery strategies can be investigated. It also can be used to cofirm and refine solutions that are generated by analytical methods. The methodology is reviewed in the context of such planning applications. Graphical scheduling has additional advantaged in operational control with the advent of modern ITS technologies. By movement of the cursor on a terminal screen, detailed information about all activity along a route becomes available. It is possible to link the altering of trajectories through clicking and dragging to the automatic issuance of control commands and updates of passenger information. These and other possible uses of the technique in an operational context are presented.

Urban Transportation Policies and Practices in the United States and Its Peer Countries

All developed countries experience similar trends and problems in urban transportation: growth of cities and affluence result in an increase in car dependency. Increased volumes of car travel lead to congestion and many negative effects, often termed as the “collision of cities and cars.” A review of urban transportation policies and their implementation in the United States and its peer countries—Australia, Canada, and countries in Western Europe and East Asia—indicates that all peer countries except Great Britain place major emphasis on maintaining the human orientation of cities. They pursue policies aimed at achieving multimodal transportation systems and preventing automobile dominance. The United States, after significant strides in that direction up to 1980, has returned to policies favoring car travel and reducing support for alternative modes—transit, bicycles, and walking. This trend largely ignores the spirit and mandates of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. The gap between the United States and its peer countries is increasing. Present U.S. policies are likely to aggravate this situation. An example is presented: New York is compared with its peer cities in accessibility for long-distance travel. Its competitiveness in this respect is lagging. This trend cannot be ignored. As its peers learned from the U.S. experiences in highway and traffic engineering in the past, the U.S. should now learn from its peers how to avoid total car dependence and implement multimodal transportation systems to improve the livability of its metropolitan areas.

Assessment Methods from Around the World Potentially Useful for Public Transport Projects

The financial crisis in 2008/2009 has made many countries aware that public funds need to be managed better. A logical step is to identify methods that thoroughly assess the impacts of infrastructure and service investment. The authors argue that assessments should both identify and use performance indicators related to the ‘triple bottom line’, i.e. economic, social and environmental impacts. This paper provides an overview of assessment methods used to evaluate public transport investments. Positive and negative aspects of various assessment tools are identified and discussed. Some developing world examples appear to be more elaborate and appropriate, than developed world examples, including examples from the United States (U.S.). Although the authors conclude that all methods/tools have challenges, they are of the opinion that a broad and inclusive assessment of public transport investment projects is a must and that the narrowly analyzed and ad-hoc investments witnessed around the world should be avoided.