On-time Performance - Improving Schedule Adherence

Improving Schedule Adherence

Transit agencies often take the following measures in attempts to improve schedule adherence on their routes:

• Modify schedules by adding running time, known as schedule padding. This is the most common solution, but agencies often add running time by cutting layover time, which adversely affects the ability to recover from unplanned incidents. If layover time is to remain the same, it may require an increased expenditure in the system's budget or a slight reduction in the number of trips.
• Cutting other under-performing services. The savings generated from eliminating or reducing other services may be used to improve service on other, higher-performing routes.
• Modifying routes to a route where buses can be less obstructed, when this does not interfere with the ability of riders to reach their buses.
• Splitting a long route into two or more shorter ones, as shorter routes are more likely to remain on schedule.
• Some cities have introduced bus rapid transit services or limited stop lines on long, overcrowded routes. This involves the use of part of the route's budget to operate another line on the same route that stops only at key points. While the overall frequency of the original route is reduced, riders traveling over a longer distance have the option of obtaining a quicker trip on the limited-stop line.
• Some agencies and transport companies have installed GPS devices on their buses and trains to monitor the locations of the vehicles. By linking this real-time information with stop locations and predicted travel-times, the estimated time of arrival of the next service is then displayed at some stops.
• Customer interfaces: Some agencies and companies have made the GPS tracking data described above available to public transport users online, by a toll free number, or through the mobile web.
• Accept the principle that A late journey always gets later. It is better for the majority that one journey is significantly delayed or canceled rather than delay many after because of knock-on effects such as clumping. This is more important for transportation such as railoads where vehicles are carefully scheduled to use limited infrastructure such as tracks.