Doubling Personal Rapid Transit Capacity with Ridesharing

A new personal rapid transit (PRT) operating policy is specified; it can often double peak period capacity with moderate wait times. When a passenger selects a destination for a vehicle, the destination is displayed for all to see. Any waiting passenger going to the same destination can also board. However, vehicles are not delayed just to gather additional riders. Fares are charged per person, rather than per vehicle. If the passenger queue length happens to equal the number of destinations and all destinations are equally likely, it is shown that on average one extra passenger will board each vehicle and that vehicle occupancy and line capacity will approximately double. The average wait time in this case will be approximately N/(2R), where N is the number of destinations and R is the vehicle arrival rate at the origin station. A station layout that facilitates this ridesharing policy is presented, and security measures are described for strangers traveling together. Simulation results give occupancy values up to 18% higher than expected from a simple model. During peak periods with directional flows, passengers facing a long wait can choose to travel to a destination near their own with no passenger queue and from there immediately board a vehicle to continue to their original destination. This makes ridesharing feasible in relatively large PRT systems.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/1930-13
• 
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Doubling+Personal+Rapid+Transit+Capacity+with+Ridesharing&author=R.+Johnson&publication_year=2005
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Public/Blurbs/157349.aspx
• Authors:
  • Johnson, Robert E
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 107-112
• Monograph Title: Transit: Intermodal Transfer Facilities, Rail, Commuter Rail, Light Rail, and Major Activity Center Circulation Systems
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 1930
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Peak periods; Personal rapid transit; Policy; Ridesharing; Security; Simulation; Vehicle occupancy; Waiting time
• Uncontrolled Terms: Transit capacity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Public Transportation; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01020646
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309094046
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 23 2006 3:30PM