Evaluating the Impacts of Real Time Passenger Information and Bus

Signal Priority in Trondheim

Morten Welde, Norwegian Public Roads AdministrationTrond Foss, SINTEF Technology and Society

Ørjan Tveit, Norwegian Public Roads Administration

ITS World Congress, Orlando, October 16-20, 2011

Objectives

To demonstrate that ITS projects can and should be evaluated to demonstrate their effects To prove, using the implementation of real time passenger information and bus signal priority in Trondheim, that ITS based solutions for public transport provide posititive effects and are profitable from an economic point of viewTo encourage the proponents of ITS solutions in the transport sector that economic evaluation is an asset for securing ITS investments

Presentation outline

1. Background2. Public transport in Trondheim3. Hypothesised effects4. Results 5. Conclusions

2. Public Transport in Trondheim

Population: 175.000Modal share: Car: 60%, Walking: 20%, PT: 10%, Bike: 10%Total number of bus trips per year: 18 mill.⅔ of costs covered by ticket revenuesBuses, one tram line and trains to and from neighbouring towns and regionsGross subsidy tendering, services planned and managed by PT authority AtB – a subsidiary of the regional authorities

1. Background: Why ITS?

ITS based projects are an asset to the transport sector for various reasons: – Enhances mobility – Improves accessibility – Improves traffic safety

However, the merits of other types of projects are gauged using economic frameworks such as cost benefit analysis (CBA), but not ITS

ITS based projects stand to loose in competition for funds unless its merits can be demonstrated!

Real time passenger information (RTPI) and bus signal priority in Trondheim

Introduced in February 2011All buses and 35 bus stops now have screens which inform passengers of next bus stop (on buses) and expected arrival time of next busRTPI available on mobile phones and audio systems for the visually impaired also availableBus signal priority in 50 junctionsA range of measures are introduced through the ‘Environmental package Trondheim’ to increase the attractivity of public transport

The “Environmental package Trondheim”

“Miljøpakke Trondheim” (Environmental package Trondheim) an ambitious programme to improve the environment and Trondheim’s transport system:– Reduce CO2 emissions by 20 %– Increase walking/cycling/PT by 50 %– Reduce the private car share of all trips to 50 %– Increase the speed of PT by 40 %– Reduce people exposed to harmful road noise by 15 %– Reduce traffic accidents by 20 %

Revenues to finance investments in PT, facilities for walkers/cyclists, road projects and subsidies to PT– 50 % for roads, 50 % other ‘soft’ measures

A toll cordon with tolls $ 1.50 − $ 3.50, depending on time of day

3. Hypothesised effects

Hypothesis 1: RTPI will reduce bus dwell time.Hypothesis 2: RTPI will reduce passengers’ wait time.Hypothesis 3: RTPI will increase passenger satisfaction. Hypothesis 4: RTPI will increase the total number of passengers.Hypothesis 5: Bus signal priority will reduce total bus travel time.Hypothesis 6: Bus signal priority will reduce bus delays at signals.

4. Results

RTPI

Bus signal priority

Cost-benefit analysis

Have RTPI reduced bus dwell time?

  Before RTPI After RTPI Reduction p-value

Bus dwell time

Stop 1 16 sec.  15 sec.  − 1 sec. 0.932

Stop 2 21 sec.  17 sec.  − 4 sec. 0.075

7.00-7.59 8.00-8.59 9.00-9.59 10.00-10.59

11.00-11.59

12.00-12.59

13.00-13.59

14.00-14.59

0

5

10

15

20

25

30 Før Etter

Significant? NO

Have RTPI reduced passengers’ wait time?

  Before RTPI After RTPI Reduction p-value

Passenger’s wait time

Stop 1 6 min 15 sec  5 min 19 sec  − 51 sec. 0.172

Stop 2 5 min 15 sec  3 min 40 sec  − 95 sec. 0.006Significant? NO/YES

Does RTPI increase passenger satisfaction? (n = 1066)

Some results from the survey:– 75% of the respondents were satisfied with today’s bus

services, 17% was dissatisfied while the remaining 8% had no opinion

– 42% of respondents felt that bus services had improved while the rest felt that the quality was unchanged.

– Over 50% of respondents agree that wait time at bus stops is short, while some 33% feel that average wait time is too long

– Over 50% have not experienced any improvements in wait time since 2010, 24% have experienced an improvement, 18% have not formed an opinion, while 7% feels wait time has become worse.

Have RTPI increased passenger numbers?

0

500 000

1 000 000

1 500 000

2 000 000

2 500 000Ja

n

Feb

Mar

s

Apr

il

Mai

Juni

Juli

Aug

Sept

Okt

Nov Des

Reisende pr mnd

2009

2010

2011

Conclusions RTPI

Hypothesis ConclusionRTPI will reduce bus dwell time Registrations show reduced bus dwell time. Reults are,

however, non-significant and we are thus unable to conclude if the reduction is due to RTPI alone.

RTPI will reduce passengers’ wait time

Average passenger wait time has been reduced significantly. Passengers also report that experienced wait time is lower after the introduction of RTPI.

RTPI will increase passenger satisfaction

Customer satisfaction has increased. It is likely that RTPI has contributed to this.

RTPI will increase the total number of passengers

The number of bus passengers has increased annually since 2009. Although RTPI has lead to positive effects for passengers, we can not conclude that this increase is due to RTPI alone.

Has bus signal priority reduced total travel time and bus delays at signals?

Although a considerable amount of data was collected and many different types of analyses were carried out it was not possible to achieve a clear and significant answer to Hypothesis 5 and 6. The results point in several directions and the main conclusion from this part of the evaluation is that a long period of study both before and after the implementation is needed and extensive data collection is necessary in order to achieve reliable results. A major challenge in the evaluation was to separate the impacts of the bus priority measure from all other variables, e.g. traffic variations and variations in the number of passengers boarding or leaving the bus stops on the road section studied. The effects of bus signal priority will continue to be monitored in order to enable us to draw final conclusions regarding the effects of this measure.

Conclusions bus signal priority

Hypothesis ConclusionBus signal priority will reduce total bus travel time

Bus signal priority will reduce bus delays at signals

Inconclusive!

A cost benefit analysis of RTPI

Overall assumptions used in the estimation:– Time frame for analysis: 25 years– Expected life time of investments: 12 years– Discount rate: 4.5%– Average VAT rate: 6%– Marginal cost of public funds: 20%– Benefit per trip when RTPI is available: $ 0.70

CBA results

 

NPV costs

NPV benefits NPV

Min Max Min MaxInvestment costs (4.8)        

Reinvestment costs (4.4)        

Maintenance and operating costs (11.1)        

Marginal cost of public funds (1.9)        

Benefits bus passengers   82 185    

NPV (22.2) 82 185 59.8 162.8

BCR       2.7 7.3

Low costs, high benefits

5. Conclusions

RTPI and bus signal priority are measures well suited to increase the quality of public transportAlong with other measures this could increase passenger numbers and encourage modal shiftEvaluation by means of CBA demonstrates that RTPI provides significant value for money

Thank you!

Evaluating the Impacts of Real Time Passenger Information and Bus

Signal Priority in Trondheim

Morten Welde, Norwegian Public Roads AdministrationTrond Foss, SINTEF Technology and Society

Ørjan Tveit, Norwegian Public Roads Administration

ITS World Congress, Orlando, October 16-20, 2011