Developing measures of public transport schedule coordination quality.

This paper explores the issues surrounding the problem of schedule coordination on public transport networks. It takes the view that a major problem in planning for schedule coordination is the lack of a robust and objective measure of schedule coordination quality. Without a practical means of quantifying coordination quality, there is no systematic and defendable basis for demonstrating the benefits of improved coordination or a means of planning for optimal approaches to improve schedule coordination. This paper starts with a review of issues associated with schedule coordination to provide context. It then reviews approaches to measurement. A relatively new approach to measuring schedule coordination termed the ‘Synchronization Quality Index’ is then outlined and the results of an application of this method described. A new development of the methodology termed the ‘Synchronization Quality Ratio’ is then presented and results from a small scale application of this approach outlined. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E213716.