A Bus Rapid Transit Timetable Design Method Integrating All-Stop, Short-Turn and Limited-Stop Strategies

Bus rapid transit (BRT) operates with an exclusive road environment, specialised platforms and technology-enhanced devices, which allows it to provide a higher quality of service compared with conventional bus transit. However, the temporally and spatially imbalanced distribution of passenger demand leads to a waste of BRT system investment. To improve operation efficiency, this paper presents a timetable-based optimisation method which integrates multiple operational strategies, including all-stop, short-turn and limited-stop services. A rule-based heuristic algorithm is developed to generate operational solutions for the stopping pattern and departure timetable for the analysis time period. The proposed model and algorithm enable detailed considerations of interactions among successive BRT vehicle journeys along with passengers’ boardings and alightings at stations, and the interdependencies between multiple service hours are involved. The method is validated through a real-world case study of the Fengpu Express BRT route in Shanghai, China. Sensitivity analyses are made in response to changes in OD profiles, average boarding and alighting time and maximum total mileage. Results show that the timetable-based multi-operational strategy reduces the total travel time of passengers under the same operational cost, which could facilitate future timetable design and stopping patterns of urban BRT corridors in a cost-efficient manner.