Examining Bus Lost Time Dynamics for a Bus Rapid Transit Station

Abstract

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are considered to be the most effective alternative for solving urban transportation problems for both developed and developing countries. The conventional approach to estimate dwell time (DT) is based on traditional DT models derived for normal bus stops, but not for modern BRT stations. BRT stations are different from bus stops in terms of length of platform, multiple loading areas, and number of passengers handled. Therefore, understanding dwell time dynamics, including the recently-introduced component of Bus Lost Time (BLT), is important to improve the operations of BRT systems. This research introduces various possible scenarios of alighting and boarding using video data collected at the Shivranjini BRT station in Ahmedabad, India. In total, 877 observations of BLT and DT were extracted from 17 hours of video data recorded for one full-service time of the day. The possibility of BLT occurrence was examined and explained with the help of conceptual line diagrams, and the probability distribution of BLT was fitted for two loading area platforms by considering 401 observations from the BRT platform video data of the entire service period. A comparative evaluation was made between observed and estimated BLT values. This study estimated station capacities before and after, including BLT as a DT component to observe the effect of BLT on BRT stop capacity. It was observed from the results that including BLT in dwell time reduced BRT capacity by 11%. This study provides ready-to-use BLT values for correct estimation of dwell time, thus improving accurate estimation of BRT station capacity.

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