Evaluation of the Impacts of On-Demand Bus Services Using Traffic Simulation

Sohani Liyanage (), Hussein Dia, Gordon Duncan and Rusul Abduljabbar
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Sohani Liyanage: Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia
Hussein Dia: Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia
Gordon Duncan: Azalient, Edinburgh EH2 4AN, UK
Rusul Abduljabbar: Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3122, Australia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-37

Abstract: This paper uses smart card data from Melbourne’s public transport network to model and evaluate the impacts of a flexible on-demand transport system. On-demand transport is an emerging mode of urban passenger transport that relies on meeting passenger demand for travel using dynamic and flexible scheduling using shared vehicles. Initially, a simulation model was developed to replicate existing fixed-schedule bus performance and was then extended to incorporate on-demand transport services within the same network. The simulation results were used to undertake a comparative analysis which included reliability, service quality, operational efficiency, network-wide effectiveness, and environmental impacts. The results showed that on-demand buses reduced average passenger trip time by 30%, increased vehicle occupancy rates from 8% to over 50%, and reduced emissions per passenger by over 70% on an average weekday compared to fixed-schedule buses. This study also offers insights for successful on-demand transport implementation, promoting urban sustainability. It also outlines future research directions, particularly the need for accurate short-term passenger demand prediction to improve service provision and passenger experience.

Keywords: on-demand public transport; shared mobility; smart urban transportation; agent-based modeling; low carbon mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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