Bus routing strategy : market-oriented bus routing with GIS

Abstract

The problem considered in this thesis is bus routing in terms of route location choice in response to bus user markets in urban areas. Bus service sustainability which is under threat constitutes the study background. This study establishes a market-oriented bus routing strategy able to resolve the dilemma between the poor economic sustainability, societal demands and benefits from the services. Empirical bus routing practices are typically set in an operation-oriented bus routing framework. The major characteristic of the operation-orientation is the direct use of mathematical routing methods to minimise routing costs and so determine route location. A shortest route linking a route origin with a route destination is usually the outcome. The users residing within the service areas now bypassed by the direct route are ignored.

This study suggests that this loss of bus patronage subsequently leading to poor economic sustainability is due to inappropriate geographical distribution of services, re-locating routes can influence the chances of travellers using bus services, and market—oriented bus routing can improve the service sustainability by linking where bus users want to go with where they come from. The bus routing strategy in terms of a market-oriented framework can be used for planning fixed bus routes where a number of criteria in addition to the usual operational constraints are considered. In particular, the market-orientation emphasises the study of bus user markets. A “satisficing” or acceptable routing solution rather than a cost-optimal solution is sought. The “satisficing” solution derives from a trade-off or compromise among bus users needs and bus operators’ requirements.

The market-oriented routing framework is based on theory from several disciplines. It adopts economic “satisficing” theory in a geographical spatial environment and links route optimisation methodology from engineering and customer profiles from marketing. This study progresses research by these links. The three major aspects are: 1. Bus users are studied through the application of market analysis principles and techniques of socio-demographic and geographical market segmentation. 2. Mathematical routing methods for searching for a shortest path and a facility location are applied for laying out bus routes, guided by bus user markets and “satisficing” principles. The facility model operates to find key user market locations, and the shortest path model operates to lay out a route passing through these key market locations. 3. The established Geographic Information System (GIS) works as an information platform for both organising the database and implementing the market analysis and the routing methods.

The routing framework proposed in this study is examined in cases in Irmer Western Sydney. The first part of the examination is the use of census data and home interview survey data to explore the characteristics of bus commuter markets and bus travels. The second part is the demonstration of the routing effectiveness in terms of market patronage potential increments within the service catchment areas of the routing alternatives.

The Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat (SWOT) of the routing alternatives suggested in the case studies are analysed. The final routing alternatives show the characteristics of acceptable routing

solutions and the application of the principle of compromise. They also show that the routing strategy has the elements of customer orientation in terms of residential socio-demographics and competitor orientation in terms of geographic locations in the market definition.

Future study areas for bus routing include the incorporation of information on all travel purposes, the addition of specific information on road networks, the assistance to designing bus route networks, and the introduction of travel choice behaviour theory to study the compromise between users needs and operators requirements.