Effects of Bus Stop Consolidation on Passenger Activity and Transit Operations

Abstract

This research addressed changes in passenger activity and operating performance after implementation of a bus stop consolidation project at TriMet, the regional transit provider for the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. Extensive use was made of archived bus operations and passenger activity data from TriMet's automated Bus Dispatch System. Changes in passenger activity and operating performance in route segments where stop consolidation occurred were related to changes in adjacent route segments where stops were not consolidated. The findings indicated that bus stop consolidation had no significant effects on passenger activity, whereas bus running times improved by nearly 6%. Running time improvements may have been limited by insufficient schedule adjustments.