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TRANSIT
TCRP REPORT 113
COOPERATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Sponsored by
the Federal
Transit Administration
Using Archived AVL-APC
Data to Improve Transit
Performance and Management
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TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2006 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SELECTION COMMITTEE (Membership as of June 2006)
(as of June 2006)
CHAIR OFFICERS
David A. Lee CHAIR: Michael D. Meyer, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute
Connecticut Transit
of Technology
MEMBERS VICE CHAIR: Linda S. Watson, Executive Director, LYNX--Central Florida Regional Transportation
Ann August Authority
Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority
Linda J. Bohlinger EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
HNTB Corp.
Robert I. Brownstein MEMBERS
PB Consult, Inc.
Sandra K. Bushue Michael W. Behrens, Executive Director, Texas DOT
FTA Allen D. Biehler, Secretary, Pennsylvania DOT
Peter Cannito John D. Bowe, Regional President, APL Americas, Oakland, CA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority--Metro
North Railroad Larry L. Brown, Sr., Executive Director, Mississippi DOT
Gregory Cook Deborah H. Butler, Vice President, Customer Service, Norfolk Southern Corporation and Subsidiaries,
Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Atlanta, GA
Nathaniel P. Ford
San Francisco MUNI Anne P. Canby, President, Surface Transportation Policy Project, Washington, DC
Ronald L. Freeland Douglas G. Duncan, President and CEO, FedEx Freight, Memphis, TN
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. Nicholas J. Garber, Henry L. Kinnier Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia,
Fred M. Gilliam Charlottesville
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Kim R. Green Angela Gittens, Vice President, Airport Business Services, HNTB Corporation, Miami, FL
GFI GENFARE Genevieve Giuliano, Professor and Senior Associate Dean of Research and Technology,
Jill A. Hough School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and Director, METRANS National Center
North Dakota State University
John Inglish for Metropolitan Transportation Research, USC, Los Angeles
Utah Transit Authority Susan Hanson, Landry University Prof. of Geography, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University
Jeanne W. Krieg James R. Hertwig, President, CSX Intermodal, Jacksonville, FL
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority Gloria J. Jeff, General Manager, City of Los Angeles DOT
Celia G. Kupersmith
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation Adib K. Kanafani, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
District Harold E. Linnenkohl, Commissioner, Georgia DOT
Clarence W. Marsella Sue McNeil, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware
Denver Regional Transportation District
Faye L. M. Moore Debra L. Miller, Secretary, Kansas DOT
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments
Authority Carol A. Murray, Commissioner, New Hampshire DOT
Michael H. Mulhern John R. Njord, Executive Director, Utah DOT
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Retirement Fund Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson
Stephanie L. Pinson Henry Gerard Schwartz, Jr., Senior Professor, Washington University
Gilbert Tweed Associates, Inc. Michael S. Townes, President and CEO, Hampton Roads Transit, Hampton, VA
Robert H. Prince, Jr.
DMJM+Harris C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
Jeffrey M. Rosenberg
Amalgamated Transit Union EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael Scanlon
San Mateo County Transit District Thad Allen (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard
Beverly Scott Thomas J. Barrett (Vice Adm., U.S. Coast Guard, ret.), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Sacramento Regional Transit District Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
Frank Tobey
First Transit Marion C. Blakey, Federal Aviation Administrator, U.S.DOT
Kathryn D. Waters Joseph H. Boardman, Federal Railroad Administrator, U.S.DOT
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA
Frank Wilson George Bugliarello, Chancellor, Polytechnic University of New York, and Foreign Secretary,
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
National Academy of Engineering
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Sandra K. Bushue, Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT
William W. Millar J. Richard Capka, Federal Highway Administrator, U.S.DOT
APTA
Robert E. Skinner, Jr. Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads
TRB John C. Horsley, Exec. Dir., American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
John C. Horsley David H. Hugel, Acting Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S.DOT
AASHTO
J. Richard Capka J. Edward Johnson, Director, Applied Science Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
FHWA Ashok G. Kaveeshwar, Research and Innovative Technology Administrator, U.S.DOT
William W. Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association
TDC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Louis Sanders Nicole R. Nason, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
APTA Julie A. Nelson, Acting Deputy Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT
Jeffrey N. Shane, Under Secretary for Policy, U.S.DOT
SECRETARY
Robert J. Reilly Carl A. Strock (Maj. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps
TRB of Engineers
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP REPORT 113
Using Archived AVL-APC
Data to Improve Transit
Performance and Management
Peter G. Furth
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Boston, MA
WITH
Brendon Hemily
HEMILY AND ASSOCIATES
Toronto, Canada
Theo H. J. Muller
DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Delft, The Netherlands
James G. Strathman
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Portland, OR
Subject Areas
Public Transit
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2006
www.TRB.org
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM TCRP REPORT 113
The nation's growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, Price $34.00
and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current
Project H-28
systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand
ISSN 1073-4872
service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve
ISBN-10: 0-309-09861-0
these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to Library of Congress Control Number 2006906799
adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to
introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit © 2006 Transportation Research Board
Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal
means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term
solutions to meet demands placed on it. COPYRIGHT PERMISSION
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining
213--Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously
based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation published or copyrighted material used herein.
Administration--now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this
report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the
Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA,
FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product,
solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and successful method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for
National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes research educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of
and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission
from CRP.
providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit research
fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities,
operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative
practices. NOTICE
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research
Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the
authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing
Board's judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the
Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum purposes and resources of the National Research Council.
agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the
The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review
three cooperating organizations: FTA, the National Academies, acting this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration
through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions
the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and
while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not
educational and research organization established by APTA. TDC is
necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council,
responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated the Transit Development Corporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S.
as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Department of Transportation.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to
may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive
of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research
TOPS Committee defines funding levels and expected products. Council, the Transit Development Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration
(sponsor of the Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are
by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting.
statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide
technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The
process for developing research problem statements and selecting
research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative
research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project
panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to
reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on
Published reports of the
disseminating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research:
transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting are available from:
material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for Transportation Research Board
workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that Business Office
results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry 500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
practitioners.
The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively and can be ordered through the Internet at
address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. Printed in the United States of America
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 113
Robert J. Reilly, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Christopher W. Jenks, TCRP Manager
S. A. Parker, Senior Program Officer
Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications
Natalie Barnes, Editor
TCRP PROJECT H-28 PANEL
Field of Policy and Planning
James W. Kemp, New Jersey Transit Corporation, Newark, NJ (Chair)
Fabian Cevallos, University of South Florida, Weston, FL
Thomas Friedman, King County (WA) Metro Transit, Seattle, WA
Erin Mitchell, Metro Transit--Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minneapolis, MN
Yuko Nakanishi, Nakanishi Research and Consulting, Rego Park, NY
Gerald Pachucki, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, UT
Kimberly Slaughter, S.R. Beard & Associates, LLC, Houston, TX
Wei-Bin Zhang, University of California--Berkeley, Richmond, CA
Sarah Clements, FTA Liaison
Louis F. Sanders, APTA Liaison
Kay Drucker, Bureau of Transportation Statistics Liaison
Peter Shaw, TRB Liaison
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FOREWORD
By S. A. Parker
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
This report will be of interest to transit personnel responsible for planning, scheduling,
and managing reliable bus transit services in congested areas. This report will also be useful
to other members of technology procurement teams, representing operations, mainte-
nance, information systems, human resources, legal, finance, and training departments.
In response to growing traffic congestion and passenger demands for more reliable ser-
vice, many transit operators are seeking to improve bus operations by investing in automatic
vehicle location (AVL) technology. In addition, automatic passenger counters (APCs),
which can collect passenger-activity data compatible with AVL operating data, are begin-
ning to reach the mainstream. Many operators are planning, implementing, or operating
AVL-APC systems. The primary application of AVL technology has been in the area of real-
time operations monitoring and control; consequently, AVL data has not typically been
stored or processed in a way that makes it suitable for subsequent, off-line analysis. In con-
trast, APC data is generally accessed for reporting and planning purposes long after oppor-
tunities for real-time use have expired.
Beyond the area of real-time operations control, AVL technology holds substantial
promise for improving service planning, scheduling, and performance analysis practices.
These activities have historically been hampered by the high cost of collecting operating and
passenger-activity data; however, AVL and APC systems can capture the large samples of
operating data required for performance analysis and management at a fairly low incremen-
tal cost. Compared to real-time applications of AVL data, off-line analysis of archived data
has different demands for accuracy, detail, and ability to integrate with other data sources.
Operators and vendors need effective strategies for designing AVL-APC systems to capture
and process data of a quality needed for off-line analysis, and for archiving and taking
advantage of this promising data source.
The objective of TCRP Project H-28 was to develop guidance for the effective collection
and use of archived AVL-APC data to improve the performance and management of tran-
sit systems. This report offers guidance on five subjects:
· Analyses that use AVL-APC data to improve management and performance
· AVL-APC system design to facilitate the capture of data with the accuracy and detail needed
for off-line data analysis
· Data structures and analysis software for facilitating analysis of AVL-APC data
· Screening, parsing, and balancing automatic passenger counts
· Use of APC systems for estimating passenger-miles for National Transit Database reporting
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Tools for (1) analyzing running times and (2) designing scheduled running times using
archived AVL and APC data were created as an extension of the existing software TriTAPT
(Trip Time Analysis in Public Transport), a product of the Delft University of Technology.
In addition, TriTAPT was used to demonstrate one of the advanced data structures recom-
mended, that of a "virtual route" consisting of multiple overlapping routes serving the same
street. Under the terms of this project, TriTAPT is available without license fee to U.S. and
Canadian transit agencies through 2009. To request TriTAPT, please send an email to Tri-
TAPT@neu.edu.
From the TRB website (http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/All+Projects/TCRP+H-28), the
following items can be accessed: (1) an electronic version of this report; (2) spreadsheet files
with prototype analyses of passenger waiting time (using AVL data) and passenger crowd-
ing (using APC data); and (3) case studies (as appendixes to TCRP Web Document 23: Uses
of Archived AVL-APC Data to Improve Transit Performance and Management: Review and
Potential).
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CONTENTS
1 Summary
8 Chapter 1 Introduction
8 1.1 Historical Background
9 1.2 Research Objective
10 1.3 Research Approach
12 1.4 Report Outline
14 Chapter 2 Automatic Vehicle Location
14 2.1 Location Technology
14 2.2 Route and Schedule Matching
17 2.3 Data Recording: On- or Off-Vehicle
19 2.4 Data Recovery and Sample Size
21 Chapter 3 Integrating Other Devices
21 3.1 Automatic Passenger Counters
21 3.2 Odometer (Transmission Sensors)
22 3.3 Door Switch
22 3.4 Fare Collection Devices
22 3.5 Other Devices
23 3.6 Integration and Standards
25 Chapter 4 Uses of AVL-APC Data
25 4.1 Becoming Data Rich: A Revolution in Management Tools
29 4.2 Key Dimensions of Data Needs
29 4.3 Targeted Investigations
29 4.4 Running Time
33 4.5 Schedule Adherence, Long-Headway Waiting, and Connection Protection
35 4.6 Headway Regularity and Short-Headway Waiting
36 4.7 Demand Analysis
39 4.8 Mapping
39 4.9 Miscellaneous Operations Analyses
40 4.10 Higher Level Analyses
41 Chapter 5 Tools for Scheduling Running Time
41 5.1 Running Time Periods and Scheduled Running Time
43 5.2 Determining Running Time Profiles Using the Passing Moments Method
45 Chapter 6 Tools for Analyzing Waiting Time
45 6.1 A Framework for Analyzing Waiting Time
46 6.2 Short-Headway Waiting Time Analysis
48 6.3 Long-Headway Waiting Time Analysis
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51 Chapter 7 Tools for Analyzing Crowding
51 7.1 Distribution of Crowding by Bus Trip
51 7.2 Distribution of Crowding Experience by Passenger
54 Chapter 8 Passenger Count Processing and Accuracy
54 8.1 Raw Count Accuracy
55 8.2 Trip-Level Parsing
58 8.3 Trip-Level Balancing Methods
63 Chapter 9 APC Sampling Needs and National Transit
Database Passenger-Miles Estimates
63 9.1 Sample Size and Fleet Penetration Needed for Load Monitoring
63 9.2 Accuracy and Sample Size Needed for Passenger-Miles
66 Chapter 10 Designing AVL Systems for Archived Data Analysis
66 10.1 Off-Vehicle versus On-Vehicle Data Recording
66 10.2 Level of Spatial Detail
68 10.3 Devices to Include
69 10.4 Fleet Penetration and Sampling
69 10.5 Exception Reporting versus Exception Recording
70 Chapter 11 Data Structures That Facilitate Analysis
70 11.1 Analysis Software Sources
72 11.2 Data Screening and Matching
73 11.3 Associating Event Data with Stop/Timepoint Data
74 11.4 Aggregation Independent of Sequence
75 11.5 Data Structures for Analysis of Shared-Route Trunks
75 11.6 Modularity and Standard Database Formats
77 Chapter 12 Organizational Issues
77 12.1 Raising the Profile of Archived Data
77 12.2 Management Practices to Support Data Quality
77 12.3 Staffing and Skill Needs
78 12.4 Managing an Instrumented Sub-fleet
78 12.5 Avoiding Labor Opposition
79 Chapter 13 Conclusions
81 References
83 Appendixes
