Michael Schwertner

CALIBRATION OF A PUBLIC TRANSPORT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR SWITZERLAND

Performance evaluation is fundamental to transport analysis and operations. This paper describes a quality evaluation framework based on level of service (LOS) developed for urban public transport in Switzerland. The framework focuses on four key indicators: on-time performance, headway adherence, speed, and passenger loads. The framework allows users to assess service quality at different levels by measuring the indicators at the single element level and aggregating scores over larger sets of elements. Because the number of indicators is relatively small compared with other frameworks, application of the method is easier, but the method also provides less detailed results. An earlier paper presented a conceptual approach for the framework. This paper extends that work by describing the approach in more detail and focusing on calibration of the LOS framework and application of the framework to a real example in Zurich, Switzerland. The research is part of a larger effort designed to develop a consistent multimodal LOS evaluation system for Switzerland. This system would include nonmotorized traffic, public transport, and road-based transport.

Comparison of Well-to-Wheel Efficiencies for Different Drivetrain Configurations of Transit Buses

The transportation sector, especially road transport, must reduce its energy consumption and emissions significantly. This requirement also applies to road-bound public transport, which uses mainly diesel buses. A reasonable measure for reaching this goal is to electrify the vehicles drivetrain. During the past decade, several alternative technologies have evolved, namely, hybrid electric buses, fuel cell electric buses, and battery electric buses (BEBs). For a comparison of their energy efficiency, both the drivetrains efficiency and the efficiency of the energy supply must be examined to determine well-to-wheel efficiency. This paper attempted to compare seven drivetrains for urban transit buses: diesel, natural gas, diesel–electric, hybrid electric (series and parallel), fuel cell electric, battery electric, and trolley bus. This comparison will become the main part of a more extensive model that supports decision making in bus procurement processes. The model will be as simple as possible. This factor makes it suitable also for the practitioners use. Therefore, an analytic approach instead of a simulation tool was used. The models outcomes were both total and specific energy consumption of four generic bus types operating on a dedicated bus line. The result of the study found that the trolley bus, closely followed by the BEB, was the most efficient, even when the share of renewable energy in electricity generation was low. The possibility to reduce specific energy consumption by increasing the occupation rate is outlined as well.