A CONTROL ALGORITHM FOR DIAL-A-RIDE

THE ARTICLE DESCRIBES A PROPOSED DIAL-A-RIDE SERVICE FOR OLD HARLOW, ESSEX, AND AN ALGORITHM DESIGNED FOR ITS CONTROL WHICH USES A SMALL DIGITAL COMPUTER. THE SERVICE, USING 3 FORD DEANSGATE PSV'S, WILL FEED THE RAILWAY STATION (EXCEPT DURING PEAK PERIODS) AND SHOPPING CENTRE 16 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. PASSENGERS WISHING TO TRAVEL TO THE STATION OR SHOPPING AREA WOULD TELEPHONE THE CONTROL CENTRE STATING THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS AND THE ADDRESS AND TIME OF COLLECTION. PASSENGERS RETURNING HOME WOULD BOARD THE FIRST BUS TO ARRIVE. EACH BUS WOULD MAKE ALL ITS SET-DOWNS AND THEN ALL ITS PICK-UPS. THE CONTROL SYSTEM MUST BE ABLE TO HANDLE REQUESTS MADE SOME TIME IN ADVANCE. IT MUST BE POSSIBLE TO ESTIMATE THE TIME OF COLLECTION OF EACH PASSENGER AND OBSERVE THIS WITHIN PREDEFINED LIMITS, TO MAINTAIN CORRECT ARRIVAL TIMES AT THE STATION AND PROVIDE REASONABLE JOURNEY TIMES. THE 4 MAIN PROCEDURES OF THE CONTROL ALGORITHM ARE OUTLINED; PASSENGER-BUS ALLOCATION, ROUTE SELECTION, BUS SCHEDULING AND DISPATCH POLICY. THE COLLECTION SUB-TOUR WAS SELECTED AS BEING THE MOST LIKELY AREA OF INEFFICIENCY AND A COMPUTER SIMULATION CARRIED OUT TO MEASURE ITS PERFORMANCE. THE RESULTS OBTAINED SHOW THE ALGORITHM TO BE CAPABLE OF CONTROLLING THE SERVICE WITH THE REQUIRED ACCURACY.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00410683
• Corporate Authors:

  Printerhall Limited

  29 Newmart Street
  London W1P 3PE,   England 

  Printerhall Limited

  29 Newmart Street
  London W1P 3PE,   England 
• Authors:
  • MAnlow, M J
• Publication Date: 1973-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: p. 41-44
• Serial:
  • Traffic Engineering & Control
  • Volume: 15
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Hemming Group, Limited
  • ISSN: 0041-0683
  • Serial URL: http://www.tecmagazine.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Bus transportation; Buses; Digital computers; Dispatching; Feeder buses; Feeder services; Mathematical models; Paratransit services; Passengers; Public transit; Railroad stations; Route choice; Shopping centers; Simulation; Telephone; Travel time; Urban transportation
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• ITRD Terms: 1272: Bus; 285: Demand (econ); 8673: Digital computer; 699: Itinerary; 697: Journey time; 6473: Mathematical model; 744: Public transport; 320: Shopping centre; 390: Telephone; 8119: United Kingdom
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities; I71: Traffic Theory; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00080704
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 26 1982 12:00AM