AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Bus operations helped by computer

20th April 1973, Page 22
20th April 1973
Page 22
Page 22, 20th April 1973 — Bus operations helped by computer
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• A report recently published describes a computer simulation model of the peak-hour operations of a group of urban bus routes. The publishers (UK Scientific Centre, IBM United Kingdom Ltd, Neville Road, Peterlee, County Durham) believe that this model could form the basis of a sophisticated computer aid for enlightened bus managers in assessing different strategies for current situations, for robustness of bus service plans, and, to a lesser extentat present, for traffic management approaches to the peak-hour dilemma.

The report reviews previous work in the field of computer simulation of bus operations, and the problems encountered in the development and working of the model are presented in terms of inputs, outputs and the main sections concerning bus movements, passenger arrivals and processes at bus stops for a group of routes on an urban corridor.

The inputs represent passenger demand, traffic congestion and the bus service strategy and plan; the key output is a measure of the level of service provided over the simulated period, based on passenger waiting times.

Statistical aspects Detailed statistical aspects are discussed such as bus journey times, passenger arrivals at stops, queue-processing and level of service measures. Parameter estimations are discussed with reference to a "pooled test-bed" of bus operations data used in the model development.

The • authors of the report, J. P. D. Gerrard and D. Brook, acknowledge the help received from Dr. Vic Barnett, Reader in Statistics at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and from several bus operators including, particularly, Mr Tony Percival, deputy general .manager of Coventry Corporation Transport.


comments powered by Disqus