Design of Zonal Express Bus Services to Reduce User Travel Time and Transfers Considering Demand Diversion

Abstract

Zonal express is an operational strategy for express transit service that only stops in the initial and final zones of its route while skipping stops in-between. Zonal express provides a service with less travel and transfer time by aggregating trip demands with similar origins, destinations, and departure times. In this study, new zonal express routes are designed to reduce the travel and transfer times of transit users efficiently. This study develops a methodology that considers demand diversion. To meet the purpose, the following are conducted: (1) estimation of zonal express demand; (2) clustering of demand with similar origins, destinations, and departure times; (3) selection of candidate clusters; (4) optimization of stops and routes of zonal express; and (5) determining zonal express routes in which the benefit from reduced time and transfers outweighs the cost. The methodology is applied to an actual transportation network in Seoul, South Korea, using smartcard, car navigation, and spatial information data. The result shows that zonal express can reduce users’ travel time and the number of transfers effectively. This study proposes that it is desirable to introduce the zonal express sequentially from the route with the highest net benefit under a budget constraint. This study also presents the results when fares change to provide implications for pricing strategies of the zonal express. Future studies can consider incorporating various objective functions or utilizing vehicles in different time slots.

Data-Driven Approach for Measuring and Managing Physical Distancing in Subways during Pandemic Conditions

“…Increasing the dispatch of buses would be a viable option to conduct a modal shift of demand from the subway to buses. The temporary implementation of bus rapid transit or zonal express services to induce users to choose the bus as their travel mode could also be one of the strategies ( 32 ). As such, in epidemic conditions, data analytics can aid in devising adaptive strategies for adjusting transit schedules or rerouting to distribute passengers more effectively across various modes.…”

Optimal Route Assignment at the Bus Hub with Multiple Berths for Minimal Passenger Transfer Distance

“…Markevych et al [21] established the influence of bus dwell time on the inter-route transfer impedance with simulation. New zonal express routes can be added to reduce transit transfers, where similar travel demand is clustered to determine bus stop locations [22]. Motivated by the dynamics of traffic demands, Wu et al [23] employed autonomous buses to allow passengers to travel on the shortest path smoothly, which is validated to reduce 15% transfers on average.…”