Computer simulation of London transport route 11 has been used to examine the effects and interaction of various measures aimed at reducing the irregularity of the service. The measures investigated are both preventative (the improvement of punctuality of garage departures, the reduction of cancellations and rescheduling of a depleted service) and remedial, by means of bus control. The results show that the two basic approaches (preventative and remedial) are interdependent in that the adoption of one type of action reduced the scope for improvement by the other. This is an important consideration when taking investment decisions aimed at improving bus service regularity. The results suggest that for route 11, the provision of more buses is an expensive way to improve the services compared with measures which make more efficient use of existing resources. (Author/publisher)
Abstract