AN EVALUATION OF BUS CONTROL SYSTEMS BY SIMULATION

An interactive computer model of a bus route, developed by Gec-Marconi Electronics Ltd, has been used by TRRL to investigate the effectiveness of three types of operational control when applied to the London transport service 11. The three control systems considered were a roadside inspector system, a radio telephone system and an automatic bus location (abl) system. Experienced route controllers from London transport and Selnec PTE participated in the work. The results show that the average passenger waiting time on the simulated route was reduced by an average of about 11 per cent with roadside control, 14 per cent with radio telephone control and 16 per cent with abl control. The use of all these methods also resulted in a reduction of crew overtime payments, due to more journeys being completed on time, but the value of benefits due to this cause was small compared to that derived from reduced waiting times. A simple cost-benefit analysis suggests that the radio telephone control system is likely to give the best return on investment. /TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)

  Wokingham, Berkshire  United Kingdom 
• Authors:
  • Jackson, R L
• Publication Date: 1976

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 27 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Bus drivers; Buses; Control; Control devices; Digital computers; Evaluation and assessment; Itinerary; Radio; Routes; Simulation; Telephone; Waiting time
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• ITRD Terms: 1272: Bus; 3874: Control; 226: Cost benefit analysis; 8673: Digital computer; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 699: Itinerary; 6947: Radio; 9103: Simulation; 390: Telephone; 8119: United Kingdom; 9100: Waiting time
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00142425
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: TRRL Report 712 Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 19 1977 12:00AM