Over the past 2 years the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has been developing ways to monitor service quality on high-frequency rail transit lines. The approaches taken to measuring service quality and displaying relevant information in real time to system controllers who have the responsibility to take ameliorative action are discussed. The resulting system has been implemented for the rail rapid transit and light rail lines of MBTA, focusing on accurately monitoring the passenger waiting time at key points in the network. This approach is particularly attractive for older rail systems and high-frequency bus lines that are not equipped with automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems and may also be extended to form a comprehensive service-quality monitoring system when AVL systems are installed. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting