Using smart devices to plan public transport on demand can save you time and money

Residents of suburban areas often face challenges with reliable and accessible bus transportation, with travelers often complaining about irregular schedules and long wait times. Often, public transit agencies are unable to provide additional buses because population density in such areas is usually low.

On-demand transit (ODT) is an innovative approach to transportation that increases availability and quality of service while reducing operational costs.

Despite the rapid expansion of ODT services in various cities in Canada and the United States, the mechanism for placing ride requests with many ODT service providers still relies on mobile applications, phone calls or websites.

However, privacy concerns may make passengers reluctant to use mobile apps to book a ride. However, people who do not have access to phones face barriers in accessing these services.

Real-time information

In our study, we explore the potential of ODT by simulating a novel configuration using smart devices installed at bus stops. Smart City Network (SCiNe) devices are used for local communication with passengers and at the same time provide them with information in real time. SCiNe device prototypes developed by BusPas, Inc. were installed at bus stops in Montreal and Laval, Que.

SCiNe devices provide useful information such as estimated time of arrival, potential delays and the number of passengers using transit services. Providing such information in real time can improve passenger satisfaction while enabling transit agencies to make data-driven decisions that optimize operations.

With this proposed configuration, passengers at a stop equipped with SCiNe use the device to place a travel order. Upon receiving a request from a passenger, each SCiNe transmits information to the transit agency, including the location of the bus stop, the time of request and the destination location.

The agency also receives real-time data from the fleet of vehicles, mainly delivery vehicles, traveling on the network. This data allows for continuous control of vehicle status in terms of availability, current position, desired locations and routes.

Optimization of schedules and routes

Real-time data received from vehicles and SCiN are sent to the dispatching algorithm.

The dispatching algorithm is responsible for dynamically matching passengers to available vehicles, taking into account various parameters such as waiting time and detours. The algorithm also takes into account the possibility of addressing two or more requests simultaneously.

When assigning trips to passengers, the algorithm takes into account the availability of the vehicle, the proximity of the passenger’s place of residence and the expected duration of the trip. After assigning a vehicle to a passenger, the algorithm determines the optimal route along which the vehicle will reach him. To select the best route, current road conditions, distance and estimated travel time are taken into account.

The dispatching algorithm assigns vehicles to passengers, and passengers receive personalized information via SCiNes, including estimated waiting time. The vehicles also receive information about passengers to be picked up and the location of bus stops.

Deploying services on demand

The proposed configuration was implemented to simulate the ODT service for the first mile, which is the initial stage of a commuter’s journey. Terrebonne, a suburb of Montreal, was selected as the study area and the proposed ODT service was compared with the existing bus service there.

Our simulation results suggest that if such an ODT service were available, public transport users would experience reduced travel times compared to using regular bus services. ODT improves the use of public transport, making traveling faster and smoother.

If such a system were developed and implemented on a large scale, ODT could have a major impact on the organization and implementation of suburban transport. Using innovative technologies such as SCiNe devices and sophisticated dispatching algorithms, ODT offers a potential method to improve accessibility, shorten commute times and improve the overall experience of public transport users.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.