Transit Performance Monitoring and Analysis with Massive GPS Bus Probes of Transantiago in Santiago, Chile: Emphasis on Development of Indices for Bunching and Schedule Adherence

Abstract

Emerging global positioning system (GPS) devices enable new opportunities for transportation engineers with new methods of traffic data collection. In addition to the fact that GPS devices can replace labor-intensive survey techniques, GPS devices also collect traffic information throughout the route which traditional fixed loop detectors cannot. With lowering cost and increasing sensitivity of the GPS devices, it has become economically feasible to deploy such devices on a massive number of vehicles. A public transit system in Santiago, Chile (Transantiago) installed GPS data loggers on over 6000 buses operating on over 700 different routes in Santiago. Each GPS unit collects its location and speed information every 30 seconds. Transit buses in general, experience a phenomenon known as referring to a situation where a few consecutive buses are grouped with short time intervals between them resulting in higher passenger waiting times. In addition, if buses arrive at bus stops with varying headways, even if there is no significant bunching of consecutive buses, passenger waiting times can increase due to the variance of headways. This paper with the aid of massive GPS transit probes, first, monitors the distribution of headways throughout a route. Then, the transit-monitoring bunching indices are developed with respect to the expected passenger waiting time and are represented in a form of a 2-dimensional temporal-spatial graph. Finally, adherences with scheduled or desired headways are monitored. It is found that GPS devices in transit buses can effectively provide performance measures throughout the route on a daily basis.

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