IMPACT OF CONGESTION ON NEW YORK BUS SERVICE

Congestion on New York City streets slows buses as well as other traffic. New York City Transit has to provide a greater number of buses and drivers to provide the same volume of service than if the streets were not congested or if they could isolate bus operations from the effect of the congestion. This project developed a method for estimating the increase in buses and driver hours and the resulting increase in costs. The first step was to estimate the amount of the round trip time on a route that is attributable to congestion as opposed to free-flow travel time or time needed to pick up and let off passengers. A regression model was developed to estimate bus travel time as a function of general traffic speeds (used as a proxy for congestion) and passenger boardings. This model was used to forecast the time the bus would require to make a round trip under free flow traffic conditions. The number of vehicles and vehicle hours needed given this round trip time was compared to the number of vehicles and vehicle hours needed to meet the current schedule (which incorporates the impacts of congestion). The cost of the difference in vehicles and vehicle hours was determined using a modification of the NYCT cost model. These two models were used to estimate the cost of congestion for 27 Manhattan bus routes during the 6 AM to 7 PM weekday periods. The total annual cost of congestion for these routes is $46 million.

• Corporate Authors:

  University Transportation Research Center

  City College of New York
  Marshak Hall, Suite 910, 160 Convent Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10031
• Authors:
  • McKnight, C E
  • Paaswell, R E
  • Ali, M Y
  • Kamga, C
  • Cruz, W
• Publication Date: 1997-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 26 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus transit; Bus transportation; Cost estimating; Costs; Economic impacts; Estimates; Impacts; Mathematical models; Speed; Traffic congestion; Travel time
• Uncontrolled Terms: Cost models
• Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services
• Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Highways; Motor Carriers; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Society; I10: Economics and Administration; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00744558
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 19 1998 12:00AM