Real-Time Bus-Holding Control Strategy to Reduce Passenger Waiting Time. Issue 1 (2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Asgharzadeh, Mohamadamin; Shafahi, Yousef
• Is Part Of: Transportation research record. Volume 2647:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 9
• Page End: 16
• Publication Date: 2017
• Subjects: Transportation -- Periodicals; Roads; Transport -- Périodiques; Routes -- Périodiques; Routes -- Conception et construction -- Périodiques; Roads; Transportation; 388.05
• DOI: 10.3141/2647-02
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0361-1981

Abstract

This paper presents research on a real-time bus-holding control strategy that minimizes passenger waiting time. This bus-holding strategy forces buses to hold at stations for a while after a passenger exchange is finished. A mathematical model is proposed to determine the optimal holding time. Both onboard and on-station passenger waiting times have been taken into account. Given the real-time nature of the problem, a heuristic method based on gradient descent algorithms was developed. The proposed control strategy was evaluated by using data derived from a shuttle bus rapid transit (BRT) line in the city of Mashhad, Iran. The BRT line was simulated and calibrated by available empirical and real-time data from the automatic vehicle location and automatic passenger counting systems. The results indicate that the proposed bus-holding strategy reduces total passenger waiting time by 8.65%.