Design and Simulation of Urban Variable-route Bus

Abstract

As a new mode of public transport service, variable-route bus service can further improve the service quality of urban public transit system, and will become an important part of integrated urban comprehensive public transit system. Therefore, this paper studies the operation scheduling model of variable-route bus, aiming at improving the service level of public transport and reducing the operating cost. Based on the theoretical research, the service area maximum width of variable-route bus is obtained according to the relationship between the system slack time and the travel time. Then a two-stage vehicle scheduling model which comprehensively considers the reservation demand and the dynamic real-time demand is proposed. The operation mode conversion model of variable-route bus and the conventional bus are further established, which provides powerful guarantee for the application of variable-route bus service. Finally, by designing simulation experiment, the comparison of relevant operation service parameters between variable-route bus and conventional bus is conducted. This paper aims to study the influence of variable-route bus to operation and scheduling, and provides a theoretical basis for the promotion and application of variable-route bus in China.