Predicting the Incremental Effects on Transit Ridership Due to Bus-On-Shoulder Operations
Eleni Pappas and Randy Machemehl, University of Texas at Austin, August 2010, 87 pp. (476660-00073-1)
Bus-On-Shoulder (BOS) operations are an extremely effective method for increasing the quality of a bus service; allowing for a bus to use a freeway shoulder as a bypass lane not only decreases bus travel time but also increases the bus service’s overall performance. BOS has also been found to increase bus ridership. The modern BOS system began in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area almost 20 years ago. Using the extensive data available from Minneapolis-Saint Paul, ridership changes due to BOS operations were explored. The data showed that with 90% confidence, ridership will increase by at least 4.5% and as much as 14.3%. This report explores how the citizens of Austin, Texas would respond to a BOS operation on local freeways. A stated preference survey was administered to a sample of Austin commuters. It was determined that potential riders would desire a time savings of 7 or more minutes. Typically, it is challenging for persons to accurately predict time savings, therefore it was concluded that, for a BOS operation to be successful, it was necessary for there to be a perceived time savings.
Keywords: Bus-On-Shoulder, BOS, Bypass Lane, Bus Ridership
ENTIRE REPORT (Adobe Acrobat File – 784 KB)