Quito, the capital of ecuador, has recently experienced a 12% growth in its activities, and the demand for bus transportation has increased correspondingly. In 1985-1986, this city was served by 81 bus lines. Large buses accounted for 79% of the fleet, and small busesaccounted for 21%. The bus system in quito was owned and operated by 36 different organizations, companies, and individuals. About 900 buses per hour entered the historical center of quito. About 95% of the buses traveled on routes that circulated through the historical center, even though it was the destination of only about 35% of the bus users. In addition, bus schedules did not match the actual fluctuation in user demand, resulting in increased operating costs and time delays. Bus stops were not always in convenient or safe places, and the bus drivers did not always load and unload passengers at assigned bus stops. The bus fleet was old, the buses were usually overloaded, and travel in such conditions was uncomfortable. Finally, the planning and monitoring of route assignments were not carried out properly. The operations of the 36 bus groups were poorly coordinated, and scheduling was not sufficiently sensitive to changes in the demand for bus transportation. Among the solutions adopted were the following improvements: (a) planning, organizing, and managing the public transportation system; (b) regulating traffic and parking; and (c) improving the signalization and local intersections. Only simple and economic solutions were considered. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1266, Urban public transportation research 1990.
Samenvatting