Passenger Transmission and Productiveness of Transit Lines with High Loads

Abstract

Deterministic transit capacity analysis applies to the planning, design, and operational management of urban transit systems. Transit performance can be quantified and assessed with the use of transit capacity and productive capacity. This paper further defines important productive performance measures of an individual transit service and transit line. Transit work (measured in passengers per kilometer) captures the transit task performed over distance. Passenger transmission (in passenger kilometers per hour) captures the passenger task delivered by service at speed. Transit productiveness (in passenger kilometers per hour) captures transit work performed over time. These measures are useful to operators in understanding their services' or systems' capabilities and passenger quality of service. This paper accounts for variability in utilized demand by passengers along a line and high passenger load conditions in which passenger pass-up delay occurs. A hypothetical case study of an individual bus service's operation demonstrates the usefulness of passenger transmission in comparing existing and growth scenarios. A hypothetical case study of a bus line's operation during a peak-hour window demonstrates the theory's usefulness in examining the contribution of individual services to line productive performance. Scenarios may be assessed with the use of this theory to benchmark or compare lines, segments, and conditions or to consider improvements.