Planning of Bus Stops for Safe and Effecient Passenger Boarding and Alighting

Abstract

The bus stop is the first point of contact between the passenger and the bus service. To improve the quality of bus services bus stop is recognized as a crucial element. Bus stop layout should enable safe and smooth flow of bus and passengers. Most bus stops in Chennai are along the public sidewalk, with signage marking, and in some cases, with a bench or small shelter. It is observed that congestion occurs at bus stops due to deceleration, stopping and acceleration of buses on the carriageway and accidents occur due to lack of facilities for safe passenger movements at bus stops. This study is planned to identify planning aspects for ideal location of bus stop to increase accessibility, to suggest optimal layout of bus stops, and to examine the impacts of the interactions between buses, passengers and traffic on delays and capacity at bus stops. The passenger service time, dwell time of buses, arrival pattern of buses and passengers at bus stops, stop delays are analyzed. This suggests the necessity of microscopic simulation to study the capacity of bus stops. Results indicate that it is important not to underestimate the real situation found at bus stops, as designing for ideal conditions will be insufficient if the reality is different. Application of these results will improve the performance of the bus system as a result of a better understanding of its operation leading to simple changes in the design of infrastructure.