Working Paper Study of Passenger-Bus-Traffic Interactions on Bus Stop Operations

Buses are the unsung heroes of public transport in modern cities around the world in high, medium and low income countries. However, the bus system is usually cobbled by poor design which has resulted from poor understanding of how a busThis paper examines the impacts of the interactions between buses, passengers and traffic on bus operations, especially in relation to delays and capacity at bus stops. First, the principles of bus stop operations are presented. Issues like the stages of bus stop operations, the classification of times spent at bus stops, causes of delays, and the interaction between bus flow and stop delays are analysed. This leads to the necessity of microscopic simulation to study stops operations. Then, an illustration of the sort of understanding that can be achieved with a simulation modem is shown. Simulation experiments regarding arrival patterns of buses and passengers, boarding times, difficulties for buses to leave the stop, and vehicle capacity are presented. 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.