Connecting Demand Response Transit With Fixed Service Transit

US Transportation Collection2022PDFTech ReportMishra, SabyasacheeBrakewood, CandaceGolias, Mihalis M.Aravind, AvaniVenthuruthiyil, Suvin PSharma, IshantUniversity of MemphisUniversity of Tennessee, KnoxvilleTennessee. Department of TransportationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationTennessee. Department of TransportationTennesseeUnited StatesCostsDemand responsive transportationFixed routesPublic transitTransportation planningFixed Route TransitDemand-Responsive TransitTransport Network Company Agent-Based ModelingRES-2021-03RES2021-03Final Report September 2020-May 2022Public transportation providers are constantly striving to maximize available resources in terms of cost and vehicle fleet to deliver high-quality services that allow passengers to finish their trips between origins and destinations in the time allotted. Even though buses and metro systems serve a vast number of people, some passengers may find them inconvenient due to their lack of flexibility. Because of its capacity to combine flexible or customizable service with cost-efficiency, demand responsive transit (DRT) captures the demands of rural populations, especially in dispersed locations, while Fixed Route Transit (FRT)can capture the urban demand. Although FRT and DRT function well in many areas, their integration is often overlooked. Therefore, by connecting FRT and DRT, transit agencies can potentially minimize the overall system cost while maximizing the coverage in the low population density areas. This study intends to cover this gap by proposing a methodology to improve the existing FRT system in Morristown, Tennessee by connecting FRT with the DRT system and assessing possible collaboration with transportation networking companies. In this study, different scenarios with multiple modes and multiple legs are modeled using agent-based simulation, integrating the Transportation Network Companies (TNC) along with, FRT, and DRT, and the best performing scenario in terms of the total system cost for every Origin-Destination pair is calculated. The results indicate how the integrated system can serve as a feeder service for the conventional fixed route transit system, with 60% of trips preferring an integrated scenario based on simulation.137