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Alternating Deadheading in Bus Route Operations

Author

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  • Peter G. Furth

    (Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts)

Abstract

“Alternating deadheading” is an operating strategy for urban bus routes that have a directional imbalance in passenger demand in which some of the vehicles operating on a route deadhead (return empty) in the reverse direction while others return in service. By reducing average cycle time, deadheading can reduce the number of buses needed to serve a route. A formula is developed for the number of buses needed to meet a regular alternating deadheading schedule. Design procedures are then presented for finding the alternating deadheading schedule that will minimize the number of vehicles needed subject to the usual operating constraints, and for minimizing total wait time for a given fleet size. Application to a major local bus route demonstrates the potential of this strategy to reduce fleet size within typical scheduling constraints.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter G. Furth, 1985. "Alternating Deadheading in Bus Route Operations," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 13-28, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:19:y:1985:i:1:p:13-28
    DOI: 10.1287/trsc.19.1.13
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Wensi & Yu, Bin & Zhou, Yu, 2024. "A real-time synchronous dispatching and recharging strategy for multi-line electric bus systems," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    2. Vee-Liem Saw & Lock Yue Chew, 2020. "No-boarding buses: Synchronisation for efficiency," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(3), pages 1-34, March.
    3. Alejandro Tirachini & Cristián Cortés & Sergio Jara-Díaz, 2011. "Optimal design and benefits of a short turning strategy for a bus corridor," Transportation, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 169-189, January.
    4. Suman, Hemant & Larrain, Homero & Muñoz, Juan Carlos, 2021. "The impact of using a naïve approach in the limited-stop bus service design problem," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 45-61.
    5. Wu, Weitiao & Liu, Ronghui & Jin, Wenzhou & Ma, Changxi, 2019. "Simulation-based robust optimization of limited-stop bus service with vehicle overtaking and dynamics: A response surface methodology," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 61-81.
    6. Chen, Jingxu & Liu, Zhiyuan & Zhu, Senlai & Wang, Wei, 2015. "Design of limited-stop bus service with capacity constraint and stochastic travel time," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 1-15.
    7. Cortés, Cristián E. & Jara-Díaz, Sergio & Tirachini, Alejandro, 2011. "Integrating short turning and deadheading in the optimization of transit services," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 45(5), pages 419-434, June.
    8. Verbas, İ. Ömer & Mahmassani, Hani S., 2015. "Exploring trade-offs in frequency allocation in a transit network using bus route patterns: Methodology and application to large-scale urban systems," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 577-595.
    9. Leiva, Carola & Muñoz, Juan Carlos & Giesen, Ricardo & Larrain, Homero, 2010. "Design of limited-stop services for an urban bus corridor with capacity constraints," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 44(10), pages 1186-1201, December.
    10. Yu, Bin & Yang, Zhongzhen & Li, Shan, 2012. "Real-time partway deadheading strategy based on transit service reliability assessment," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1265-1279.

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