SOLON: INTERACTIVE METHOD FOR EVALUATING AND IMPROVING TRANSIT ROUTE PERFORMANCE

SOLON is an interactive microcomputer graphic method that addresses the problems of transit scheduling and route efficiency and productivity improvement. It has three unique characteristics: First, it provides solutions at any specified time or continuously through the life of a transport service by tracing the interactions among scheduling changes, route ridership, and service cost effectiveness. Second, it explicitly treats time delays that hamper route performance. Third, its modules operate interactively or independently and can be modified by the user. Because it addresses transit problems at the route level, SOLON can facilitate management and funding decision making, by determining the viability of individual routes, and aid in selecting the best performance policies. Further, because it assumes no previous computer knowledge, it can substantially increase personnel training productivity. SOLON inputs include conventional socioeconomic and transportation data. Output performance indicators are provided by mode and for every time instant, subject to selected policies and exogenous fluctuations such as changes in energy cost, inflation, and unemployment.