IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/pubtra/v14y2022i3d10.1007_s12469-021-00281-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of rural bus stops on travel time and reliability

Author

Listed:
  • Joel Hansson

    (Lund University
    K2 – The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Public Transport)

  • Fredrik Pettersson-Löfstedt

    (Lund University
    K2 – The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Public Transport)

  • Helena Svensson

    (Lund University
    K2 – The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Public Transport)

  • Anders Wretstrand

    (Lund University
    K2 – The Swedish Knowledge Centre for Public Transport)

Abstract

Due to relatively low patronage levels, rural bus stops are sometimes questioned in order to improve travel time and reliability on regional bus services. Previous research into stop spacing has focused on urban areas, which means that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the effects of bus stops in regional networks, with longer distances, higher speeds, and lower passenger volumes, in general. The present study addresses this knowledge gap by analysing the effects of bus stops on a regional bus service regarding average travel times, travel time variability, and on-time performance. This is done by statistical analysis of automatic vehicle location (AVL) data, using a combination of methods previously used for analysis of rail traffic and urban bus operations. The results reveal that bus stops that are only used sporadically have a limited impact on average travel times, in general. In contrast, they are all the more influential on travel time variability, and, in turn, on on-time performance. On the studied bus service, the number of stops made have a far greater impact on travel time variability than any of the other included variables, such as the weather or traffic conditions during peak hours. However, the results suggest that rural bus stops have a much lower impact than what we define as secondary bus stops in urban areas. Consequently, by primarily focusing on bus stop consolidation in urban areas, it is possible to significantly improve service reliability without impairing rural coverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel Hansson & Fredrik Pettersson-Löfstedt & Helena Svensson & Anders Wretstrand, 2022. "Effects of rural bus stops on travel time and reliability," Public Transport, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 683-704, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:pubtra:v:14:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12469-021-00281-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s12469-021-00281-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12469-021-00281-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12469-021-00281-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Walker, Jarrett, 2008. "Purpose-driven public transport: creating a clear conversation about public transport goals," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 436-442.
    2. Dennis van Soest & Miles R. Tight & Christopher D. F. Rogers, 2020. "Exploring the distances people walk to access public transport," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 160-182, March.
    3. Tirachini, Alejandro, 2014. "The economics and engineering of bus stops: Spacing, design and congestion," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 37-57.
    4. Colin Stewart & Ahmed El-Geneidy, 2016. "Don’t stop just yet! A simple, effective, and socially responsible approach to bus-stop consolidation," Public Transport, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, March.
    5. Jessica Berg & Jonas Ihlström, 2019. "The Importance of Public Transport for Mobility and Everyday Activities among Rural Residents," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-13, February.
    6. Mulley, Corinne & Ho, Chinh & Ho, Loan & Hensher, David & Rose, John, 2018. "Will bus travellers walk further for a more frequent service? An international study using a stated preference approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 88-97.
    7. Mingfeng Lin & Henry C. Lucas & Galit Shmueli, 2013. "Research Commentary ---Too Big to Fail: Large Samples and the p -Value Problem," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(4), pages 906-917, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hansson, Joel & Pettersson-Löfstedt, Fredrik & Svensson, Helena & Wretstrand, Anders, 2021. "Replacing regional bus services with rail: Changes in rural public transport patronage in and around villages," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 89-99.
    2. Gupta, Akshay & Bivina, G.R. & Parida, Manoranjan, 2022. "Does neighborhood design matter for walk access to metro stations? An integrated SEM-Hybrid discrete mode choice approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 61-77.
    3. Telan Wu & Hui Jin & Xiaoguang Yang, 2022. "To What Extent May Transit Stop Spacing Be Increased before Driving Away Riders? Referring to Evidence of the 2017 NHTS in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Hsin-Han Chen & Hui-Ling Chen & Yi-Tien Lin & Chaou-Wen Lin & Chien-Chang Ho & Hsueh-Yi Lin & Po-Fu Lee, 2020. "The Associations between Functional Fitness Test Performance and Abdominal Obesity in Healthy Elderly People: Results from the National Physical Fitness Examination Survey in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-14, December.
    5. Thomas Görzen, 2019. "Can Experience be Trusted? Investigating the Effect of Experience on Decision Biases in Crowdworking Platforms," Working Papers Dissertations 55, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    6. Yi Yang & Kunpeng Zhang & Yangyang Fan, 2023. "sDTM: A Supervised Bayesian Deep Topic Model for Text Analytics," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 137-156, March.
    7. Combs, Tabitha S., 2017. "Examining changes in travel patterns among lower wealth households after BRT investment in Bogotá, Colombia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 11-20.
    8. Evangelista, Rui & Ramalho, Esmeralda A. & Andrade e Silva, João, 2020. "On the use of hedonic regression models to measure the effect of energy efficiency on residential property transaction prices: Evidence for Portugal and selected data issues," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    9. Yen-Chun Chou & Howard Hao-Chun Chuang, 2018. "A predictive investigation of first-time customer retention in online reservation services," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 12(4), pages 685-699, December.
    10. Tang, Kayu & Parsons, David J. & Jude, Simon, 2019. "Comparison of automatic and guided learning for Bayesian networks to analyse pipe failures in the water distribution system," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 24-36.
    11. Sujin Park & Ali Tafti & Galit Shmueli, 2024. "Transporting Causal Effects Across Populations Using Structural Causal Modeling: An Illustration to Work-from-Home Productivity," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(2), pages 686-705, June.
    12. Börjesson, Maria & Fung, Chau Man & Proost, Stef & Yan, Zifei, 2018. "Do buses hinder cyclists or is it the other way around? Optimal bus fares, bus stops and cycling tolls," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 326-346.
    13. Dessouky, Maged M & Hu, Shichun, 2021. "Dynamic Routing for Ride-Sharing," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt6qq8r7hz, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    14. Claire Teunenbroek & René Bekkers & Bianca Beersma, 2021. "They ought to do it too: Understanding effects of social information on donation behavior and mood," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 18(2), pages 229-253, June.
    15. Clifton, Geoffrey T. & Mulley, Corinne, 2016. "A historical overview of enhanced bus services in Australian cities: What has been tried, what has worked?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 11-25.
    16. Sanko, Nobuhiro, 2020. "Activity-end access/egress modal choices between stations and campuses located on a hillside," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    17. Kent, Jennifer L. & Mulley, Corinne & Stevens, Nick, 2020. "Challenging policies that prohibit public transport use: Travelling with pets as a case study," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 86-94.
    18. Mokonyama, Mathetha & Venter, Christo, 2018. "How worthwhile is it to maximise customer satisfaction in public transport service contracts with a large captive user base? The case of South Africa," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 180-186.
    19. Moccia, Luigi & Laporte, Gilbert, 2016. "Improved models for technology choice in a transit corridor with fixed demand," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 245-270.
    20. Ofentse Mokwena, 2016. "Paratransit Mesoeconomy: Control Measures From The Supply Side?," Proceedings of Economics and Finance Conferences 3205591, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:pubtra:v:14:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s12469-021-00281-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.