Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual Applied to a Bus Corridor in Dublin, Ireland

Abstract

The introduction of 11 quality bus corridors (QBCs) has been a success story in the provision of public transport in Dublin, Ireland, over the past few years. In a city where the bus is the main mode of public transport, the QBC initiative has resulted in decreased commute times and increased ridership. QBCs operate on dedicated traffic lanes between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and in certain instances on a 24-h basis. The performance of the Malahide QBC, which extends 7.5 km (4.7 mi) from the city center to the northeast of the city, is measured by examining service coverage, headway, and transit/automobile travel time (the difference in travel time between transit and private vehicles). The Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) is used to provide quality of service measurements on the corridor to evaluate its performance. Data for the TCQSM analysis were taken from an automatic license plate recognition system that was installed on the Malahide QBC in 2003. Future plans for the QBC network are presented, along with a concluding examination of how QBCs play a role in providing a more efficient public transport system in Dublin.