TOP: A TRANSIT OPERATIONS PLANNING MODEL USER'S GUIDE

The TOP Model can be used to explore the effects of fare, headway, and schedule changes on existing routes or to analyze options such as turnbacks, route branches, and express service. This report documents the construction of the TOP Model system and describes each of the component models in detail. It is intended to provide explicit instructions on how to use the system. An important characteristic of the TOP Model is that it can adapt to different amounts of available data and varying levels of detail in analyses. This flexibility is achieved as a result of three elements of the model: An option on the demand model to be used; a set of default parameters for component models to allow use of TOP without extensive recalibration; an option regarding the form of cost model used for estimating capital and operation costs of a route or routes under study.