This unique book explains how to think systematically about public transportation through the lens of physics models. The book includes aspects of system design, resource management, operations and control. It presents both, basic theories that reveal fundamental issues, and practical recipes that can be readily used for real-world applications. The principles conveyed in this book cover not only traditional transit modes such as subways, buses and taxis but also the newer mobility services that are being enabled by advances in telematics and robotics.Although the book is rigorous, it includes numerous exercises and a presentation style suitable for senior undergraduate or entry-level graduate students in engineering. The book can also serve as a reference for transportation professionals and researchers keen in this field.
Peter White reviews current practices in urban, rural and long-distance travel by road, rail and air. The review covers the legal and organisational structure in Britain but is also applicable to many other countries.
Better Public Transit Systems is a complete primer for performance and investment analysis of public transportation. Whether you’re planning a major new public transit project, an extension or expansion of an existing system, or evaluating the needs of your current system, this book provides the tools you need to define your goals and objectives and conceive and analyse design alternatives. This completely revised Second Edition includes new material for students and online discussion questions, whilst remaining an essential reference book.
Developing Countries Have Different Transportation Issues and Requirements Than Developed CountriesAn efficient transportation system is critical for a country's development. Yet cities in developing countries are typically characterized by high-density urban areas and poor public transport, as well as lack of proper roads, parking facilities, road
At first glance, public transport in the majority of cities and regions around the world would not be considered high-tech by most passengers. However, when taking a closer look at the systems that are necessary to attract/retain passengers and ensure efficient operations, the importance of IT and the high-tech nature of the public transport sector becomes clear. Transport operators use advanced information technology products in order to plan, optimise and manage their fleets and staff. Sophisticated software systems support and drive these tasks. Furthermore, these systems are used to manage daily operations, which includes monitoring and dispatching of rolling stock and crew, providing passengers with realtime information, electronic ticketing and much more. As in many industries, public transport and associated IT standards vary around the world. Several operators have invested significantly in public transport, while others have a great deal of catching up to do. Strategic investments in public transport can significantly improve the quality of life in cities and regions. IT systems play a vital role in supporting this aim. Why write this book? For what purpose and for which audience? Above all, this book is intended for those who develop, implement and operate public transport IT systems. These readers need to be familiar with the software and understand public transport IT systems both at a high level and in detail. This is achieved through descriptions of public transport business processes and a detailed illustration of a comprehensive systems data model. Furthermore, the book was written for professors and students of transport and IT, at universities and other institutes of higher education. Finally, the book is intended for those in the public transport industry who use these systems and want, or need, to understand the systems in further detail.
Collecting fares through "smart cards" is becoming standard in most advanced public transport networks of major cities around the world. Travellers value their convenience and operators the reduced money handling fees. Electronic tickets also make it easier to integrate fare systems, to create complex time and space differentiated fare systems, and to provide incentives to specific target groups. A less-utilised benefit is the data collected through smart cards. Records, even if anonymous, provide for a much better understanding of passengers’ travel behaviour as current literature shows. This information can also be used for better service planning. Public Transport Planning with Smart Card Data handles three major topics: how passenger behaviour can be estimated using smart card data, how smart card data can be combined with other trip databases, and how the public transport service level can be better evaluated if smart card data is available. The book discusses theory as well as applications from cities around the world and will be of interest to researchers and practitioners alike who are interested in the state-of-the-art as well as future perspectives that smart card data will bring.
This book shows how transit assignment models can be used to describe and predict the patterns of network patronage in public transport systems. It provides a fundamental technical tool that can be employed in the process of designing, implementing and evaluating measures and/or policies to improve the current state of transport systems within given financial, technical and social constraints. The book offers a unique methodological contribution to the field of transit assignment because, moving beyond “traditional” models, it describes more evolved variants that can reproduce:• intermodal networks with high- and low-frequency services;• realistic behavioural hypotheses underpinning route choice;• time dependency in frequency-based models; and• assumptions about the knowledge that users have of network conditionsthat are consistent with the present and future level of information that intelligent transport systems (ITS) can provide. The book also considers the practical perspective of practitioners and public transport operators who need to model and manage transit systems; for example, the role of ITS is explained with regard to their potential in data collection for modelling purposes and validation techniques, as well as with regard to the additional data on network patronage and passengers’ preferences that influences the network-management and control strategies implemented. In addition, it explains how the different aspects of network operations can be incorporated in traditional models and identifies the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. Lastly, the book provides practical information on state-of-the-art implementations of the different models and the commercial packages that are currently available for transit modelling. Showcasing original work done under the aegis of the COST Action TU1004 (TransITS), the book provides a broad readership, ranging from Master and PhD students to researchers and from policy makers to practitioners, with a comprehensive tool for understanding transit assignment models.
"Paul Comfort is our industry's leader on what's coming next for mobility. After a thirty year career in public transportation operations and executive leadership, he now travels the globe hearing directly from our top CEOs on what's working, what's not and what's next. If anyone can pull together a compendium on the Future of Public Transportation, it's Paul and he's done so in this book. Congrats!" - Erinn Pinkerton, President and CEO of BC Transit. "With Paul's long and distinguished career in transportation as well as his current involvement in mobility through his podcast Transit Unplugged and other thought leadership, Paul is uniquely positioned to provide a clear eyed and expert view on the future of public transportation and what we as concerned stakeholders should be thinking about."-Blair Schlecter, VP of Economic Development and Govt. Affairs, Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce "As a 38 year public transportation industry veteran, and former CEO and Chair of APTA, I can say that technology and mobility is adapting faster than ever to societal demands and technological abilities. Paul Comfort has his finger on the pulse of these fast changing developments and has pulled together for this book a top notch roster of executives from the public and private sector to provide their input."-Peter Varga, Former Chair American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This new book "The Future of Public Transportation" is written by transit industry leader Paul Comfort and over forty top public transport leaders, CEOs, futurists and associations. The book examines the transformations coming this decade for cities and the public transportation systems that serve them allowing readers to become more informed and ready for these changes. In the next few years technology enhancements will produce and expand game changing new mobility options such as autonomous vehicles on regular bus routes and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) smart phone apps allowing passengers to plan, pay for and subscribe to a full menu of traditional public transit and private microtransit options for their travel. Cities will further regulate and optimize the rampant expansion of e-bikes and e-scooters. Mobile public transit fare paying options will expand including allowing the use of not only cell phone and tap and go credit cards but even wearable fare payment jewelry and watches. Traditional transit systems are rebooting their bus networks, adding in high frequency routes & reducing the friction that slows their buses by adding bus only lanes, transit signal priority (TSP) and electronic fare payment systems. TNCs have now entered the public mobility marketplace and are supplementing or replacing public transit services for many. Transit fleets are becoming greener shifting to zero emission fuels like electric or hydrogen, large multi-national firms are transforming how we build and operate new rail and other capital projects through Public Private Partnerships (P3). Hyperloop and air taxis are looking more like science than fiction. Cities are becoming "smart" and eliminating traffic in the public square or charging for its usage in peak times. Most transit software is moving to the cloud and privately-owned electric automobiles could be the autonomous taxicabs of tomorrow.All these trends & innovations in technology and business models are explored in depth in this book with the collaboration of thought leaders, industry associations, CEOs and the major companies that are creating and utilizing them. In the end, bold leaders will take us to new horizons as they always have, but they will do so using modern technology to move us in ways we never thought possible, and in the process, eliminate barriers that have too long stood in the way of true mobility for all. And THAT is the Future of Public Transportation.
This collection contains 46 papers presented at the Second International Conference on Urban Public Transportation Systems, held in Alexandria, Virginia, April 14-18, 2002.
"Better Buses, Better Cities is likely the best book ever written on improving bus service in the United States." — Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron "The ultimate roadmap for how to make the bus great again in your city." — Spacing "The definitive volume on how to make bus frequent, fast, reliable, welcoming, and respected..." — Streetsblog Imagine a bus system that is fast, frequent, and reliable—what would that change about your city? Buses can and should be the cornerstone of urban transportation. They offer affordable mobility and can connect citizens with every aspect of their lives. But in the US, they have long been an afterthought in budgeting and planning. With a compelling narrative and actionable steps, Better Buses, Better Cities inspires us to fix the bus. Transit expert Steven Higashide shows us what a successful bus system looks like with real-world stories of reform—such as Houston redrawing its bus network overnight, Boston making room on its streets to put buses first, and Indianapolis winning better bus service on Election Day. Higashide shows how to marshal the public in support of better buses and how new technologies can keep buses on time and make complex transit systems understandable. Higashide argues that better bus systems will create better cities for all citizens. The consequences of subpar transit service fall most heavily on vulnerable members of society. Transit systems should be planned to be inclusive and provide better service for all. These are difficult tasks that require institutional culture shifts; doing all of them requires resilient organizations and transformational leadership. Better bus service is key to making our cities better for all citizens. Better Buses, Better Cities describes how decision-makers, philanthropists, activists, and public agency leaders can work together to make the bus a win in any city.
