TECHNIQUE FOR SELECTING OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMAND-ACTUATED BUS SYSTEM

As the number of applications of demand-actuated public transit systems increases, careful consideration must be given to the selection of operating polices. It is not sufficient to merely determine that a demand-actuated system is better than a fixed-time operation. We should also attempt to select those operating characteristics that result in the optimal benefit to the user, operator, and community. In this paper, we explore the effect of several variables on the economic and service characteristics of demand-actuated systems. Comparative tables and charts describe a process for selecting the "best" system for prescribed service area and potential demand. The variables include scheduling dynamics and routing dynamics. The selection criteria include user statistics such as ride time and waiting time and operator statistics such as total capital cost, operating-hours, and vehicle productivity. The selection of a system will necessitate a trade-off between service and operating costs, and techniques for formalizing these decisions and results of applying these techniques are presented.