Using Transit AVL/APC System Data to Monitor and Imporve Schedule Adherence
Using Transit AVL/APC System Data to Monitor and Imporve Schedule Adherence

Author: Michael Mandelzys

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13:

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The implementation of automatic transit data collection via Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) systems provides an opportunity to create large, detailed datasets of transit operations. These datasets are valuable because they provide an opportunity to evaluate and optimize transit operations using methods that were previously infeasible and without the need for expensive manual data collection. This thesis develops a methodology to utilize data collected by typical AVL/APC system installations in order to (a) develop advanced performance measures to quantify schedule adherence and (b) automatically determine the causes of poor schedule adherence. The methodology addresses the difficulty that many small to medium sized transit agencies have in utilizing the data being collected by proposing a methodology that can be automated, thereby reducing resource and expertise requirements and allowing the data to be more effectively utilized. The ultimate output of the proposed methodology includes the following: 1. A ranked list of routes by direction (for a given time period) that identifies routes with the poorest schedule adherence performance. 2. Performance measures within any given route, direction, and time period that identify which timepoints are contributing most to poor schedule adherence. 3. Statistics indicating identified causes of poor schedule adherence at individual timepoints. 4. A visualization aid to be used in conjunction with the cause statistics generated in Step 3 in order to develop an effective strategy for improving schedule adherence issues. With this information, transit agencies will be able to act proactively to improve their transit system, rather than wait until they discover problems on their own or hear complaints from passengers and drivers. The methodology is tested and demonstrated through application to AVL/APC system data from Grand River Transit, a public transit agency serving Waterloo Region in Ontario, Canada.

Automatic Transit Schedule Updating Using AVL/APC System
Automatic Transit Schedule Updating Using AVL/APC System

Author: Shengfeng Deng

Publisher:

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13:

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Observing and fixing transit vehicle's schedule adherence problems have always been one of the main priorities of a transit agency, and different approaches have been developed over time to help reflect transit vehicle's performance and where the improvements should be focuses. Unlike traditional performance analysis that generates reports of the bus's performance based on some performance measures such as 'on-time percentage' at each timepoint, in this study, a methodology is developed that uses the on-time performance of individual transit vehicles on each segment of the route to identify systemic problems with the transit schedule and then make recommended adjustments to the schedule for the next schedule period. The output of the proposed methodology in this research study consists of: 1. On-time performance measures for each segment of the route of interest; 2. Recommended changes to the transit schedule. These recommendations can be made under two different assumptions related to transit agency resources. The “Resource unconstrained” approach assumes that there is no constrain on the amount of time that can be added to the schedule. The “Resource constrained” approach assumes that time can be reallocated within the schedule, but the route traversal time must not be extended. The proposed method provides transit agencies with a mechanism to effectively adjust bus schedules to improve on-time performance. An application of the proposed methodology is conducted and tested on Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) system records from Grand River Transit which is located in Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada.

AVL Systems for Bus Transit
AVL Systems for Bus Transit

Author: Doug J. Parker

Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 0309097967

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"TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 73: AVL Systems for Bus Transit: Update explores the uses of computer-aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) systems in fixed-route and demand-responsive services (bus AVL), as well as changes in agency practices related to the use of AVL systems."--Publisher's website.

Data Analysis for Bus Planning and Monitoring
Data Analysis for Bus Planning and Monitoring

Author: Peter Gregory Furth

Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 9780309068611

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This synthesis reviews the state of the practice in how data are analyzed. It addresses methods used to analyze data and what computer systems are used to store and process data. It also covers accuracy issues, including measurement error, and other problems including error in estimates. This document from the Transportation Research Board addresses agency experience with different data collection systems, giving attention to management error, the need for sampling, and methods for screening, editing, and compensating for data imperfection. Sample reports from selected U.S. and Canadian transit agencies are reproduced in this synthesis.

The Use of Automatic Vehicle Location for Planning and Management Information
The Use of Automatic Vehicle Location for Planning and Management Information

Author: Dan Levy

Publisher: Canadian Urban Transit Association = Association canadienne du transport urbain

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

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This study explores the means through which automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems can be used to provide off-line data and reports for planning and management purposes. A review of the literature and discussions with transit system representatives determined that there are three distinct types of off- line activities that can benefit from the use of AVL data: planning and scheduling; line management information; and executive information. These three activities are found to generally use the same information, but require it to be presented in different formats and levels of aggregation. The system design guidelines are presented in the form of a checklist offering recommendations and suggestions to facilitate the use of AVL for planning and management information in transit properties designing or tendering new AVL systems. The guidelines cover organisational, systems, and reporting issues. The appendices contain a large selection of examples of reports generated using AVL, organised under the three types of information.

Application of Transit AVL/APC Data for Network Wide Monitoring of the Performance of Signalized Intersections
Application of Transit AVL/APC Data for Network Wide Monitoring of the Performance of Signalized Intersections

Author: Ibrahim Almohanna

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13:

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The quality of service in urban transportation networks is determined mainly by the performance of the intersections. In particular, signalized intersections play a significant role in regulating the traffic in urban transportation networks. As a result, it is essential for transportation authorities to have a system, which can locate poorly operating intersections in the network and rank them for potential improvements. In practice, intersection performance is typically evaluated through the use of models such as HCS (Highway Capacity Software) or Synchro. These models estimate measures of performance (e.g. average vehicle delay, queue length, or level of service) on the basis of determinist and/or stochastic queueing theory. Another approach is to directly estimate intersection performance on the basis of delays experienced by vehicles. One source for such data is public transit bus fleets which are equipped with automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems and automatic passenger counting (APC) systems. These systems use GPS to record where and when a bus stops and the duration of the stop. The purpose of this research was to compare the intersection performance measures produced by Synchro and those estimated from archived AVL and APC data. An empirical evaluation was conducted using 28 intersections in the Region of Waterloo. Average delay and queue length were estimated using Synchro and estimated from archived AVL/APC data. The results show that the estimation of mean delay from the two methods are highly correlated. The estimation of queue length show larger differences, and in general, Synchro underestimated the queue length when compared to the AVL/APC data.