STRIDE Project E3

STRIDE Project E3

Locating and Costing Congestion for School Buses and Public Transportation

Research Team

Kai Monast, North Carolina State University
Ruth Steiner, University of Florida
Terry Karlson, North Carolina State University

What product did this research project create? This project generated a tool that calculates delay time and the relative costs of delay that schools and public transit buses experience due to congestion. Practitioners can use the tool to determine cost-effective solutions. Transit agencies, school districts, municipalities, and regional planners will benefit from this tool.

Background Information: School and public transportation buses subjected to recurring congestion delays result in these modes becoming both more expensive to operate and often less-competitive as mobility options. Maintaining existing coverage and frequency requires increases in operating and capital expenses. Failing to maintain coverage and frequency encourages mode shifts which may exacerbate congestion in these corridors. School and public transportation buses subjected to recurring congestion delays result in these modes becoming both more expensive to operate and often less-competitive as mobility options. Maintaining existing coverage and frequency requires increases in operating and capital expenses. Failing to maintain coverage and frequency encourages mode shifts which may exacerbate congestion in these corridors. This project combines three large datasets, 1) EDULOG school transportation routes, 2) GTFS public transportation routes, and 3) RITIS congestion data. Combined, these three datasets inform when and where publicly-funded transportation vehicles are operating and allow the estimation of the delay experienced by each vehicle. The delay costs can then be calculated both temporally and spatially, allowing for identification of locations and times where mitigation strategies may be most-appropriate. Strategies may include route diversion, lane dedication, signal prioritization, queue jumping and many others.