TRIP TIME ANALYZERS: KEY TO TRANSIT SERVICE QUALITY

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2001

Subject Area

operations - traffic, infrastructure - vehicle, planning - service quality, mode - mass transit

Keywords

Trip time analyzers, Transit vehicle operations, Transit, Traffic delay, Service quality, Running time, Quality of service, Public transit, Passenger service quality, Mass transit, Local transit, Headways, Eindhoven (Netherlands)

Abstract

A trip time analyzer is a system for the offline gathering and analysis of transit operations data. The analyzer consists of a location system; an onboard computer that logs events such as doors opening and closing, stamping each event with time and location data; software that interprets the event logs to reconstruct vehicle trajectories; and a database for storing and analyzing historical data. For virtually all trips, a trip time analyzer provides data on running time by segment, schedule and headway deviation by time point, and delay by segment. Providing a high-quality operation requires these types of data. The benefits and capabilities of trip time analyzers are described, using examples from the Trip Time Analysis in Public Transport system in use in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Those benefits include monitoring operational quality; improving the schedule; diagnosing operational problems and evaluating countermeasures; and supporting operators, the implementation of priority at traffic signals, and research and innovation in operations management. Trip time analyzers are distinct from, but can share many components with, automatic vehicle location systems and automatic passenger counters.

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