1

Performance Evaluation of Selected Routes of City Bus Services in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, 31st August 2012

Background

• APSRTC’s Visakhapatnam Division runs 1080 buses, out of which 650 buses are used for city bus operations

• It has 3400 staff including 1400 drivers

• APSRTC’s best practices have resulted in increased fuel efficiency which has earned it several awards

Aim of Study

To assist APSRTC with performance analysis of its bus operations on selected routes

Study Methodology• Surveys were conducted on selected bus routes to

appreciate the traffic and travel characteristics.• Data on bus schedules was provided by APSRTC. • The following primary surveys were conducted in

June & July 2012:– Boarding and Alighting Survey– Bus Occupancy Survey– Waiting Passenger and Auto Rickshaw Count – Auto Rickshaw Occupancy Survey (at one stop)

Bus Stop Selection

• Consultation with APSRTC

• At least 3 stops per Bus Route

• 10 bus stops were selected on the selected 5 routes

Bus Routes Selection• Bus Routes finalized in consultation with

APSRTCBus Route Description

222 City Bus Station – Tagarapuvalasa

20A Maddilapalem – Old Head Post Office

60C Arilova Colony – Old Head Post Office

38 City Bus Station – Gajuwaka

28 R.K.Beach to Simhachalam

Selected Bus Routes

Bus Stops Selected

8

Bus Stops on Bus Route 222

Bus Stops on Bus Route 20A

Bus Stops on Bus Route 38

Bus Stops on Bus Route 60C

Bus Stops on Bus Route 28

IPK Calculations for Selected Bus Routes

14

Parameters or Statistical Details

Selected Route20A 222 28 38 60C

Total Passengers Boarded per Bus per Day (B&A Data)

1321 700 1150 463 620

Scheduled Route Length Per Bus Per Day (km)

250 402 272 351 248

Indexed Passenger Kilometers (passengers/bus km)

5.28 1.74 4.22 1.31 2.50

Passenger Load Analysis• Total Number of Passengers in the Bus at any given

Time• Calculated from Boarding and Alighting Surveys• Observed Load Patterns:– AM Peak (8AM-10AM)– PM Peak (4:30PM-6:30PM)– Non Peak (remaining times)

15

Passenger Load Analysis for Bus Route 60C

16

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Passengers

Route 60C Average Passenger Load ALC-OHPO

Avg Load per trip Avg AM Peak Load per trip Avg PM Peak Load per trip Avg non-Peak Load per trip

Passenger Load Analysis for Bus Route 28

17

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80Route 28 Average Passenger Load - RKB-SML

Avg Load per trip Avg AM Peak Load per trip Avg PM Peak Load per trip Avg non-Peak Load per trip

Passenger Load Analysis for Bus Route 28

18

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Route 28 Average Passenger Load - SML-RKB

Avg Load per trip Avg AM Peak Load per trip Avg PM Peak Load per trip Avg non-Peak Load per trip

Passenger Load Analysis - Observations

• Supply not in sync with the demand• Dynamic scheduling approach can improve

operational efficiency• Additional buses needed on many routes to service

peak hour demand• Providing additional buses from R.K.Beach to Depot

in the evening peak hours and from Depot to Jagadamba during the morning peak hours.

19

Boarding and Alighting Patterns for Bus Route 28

20

0

5

10

15

20

25

Boarding and Alighting Route 28RK Beach to Simhachalam

Avg Boarding per trip Avg Alighting per trip

Boarding and Alighting Patterns-Recommendations

• Develop NAD as transfer terminal• Improve transfer facility at RTC Complex terminal• Proper steps to be taken to attract large quantum of

potential riders.

21

Headway Analysis• Time difference between the departure of a previous

service to arrival of next bus at a particular bus stop• Bus Arrival Data collected at the selected Bus Stops• Mean, Average and Standard Deviation calculated for

the following time periods:– AM Peak (8AM-10AM)– PM Peak (4:30PM-6:30PM)– Non Peak (remaining times)

• Reliability is High if Standard Deviation is close to Zero (“0”)

22

Bus Occupancy Survey

23

Bus Occupancy PercentageEmpty (< 10) 12

Half Full (10-30) 40

Full (all seats occupied + 5 people

standing)

34

Standing (all seats occupied + 5-20

people standing)

10

Crowded (all seats occupied + > 20

people standing)

4

Bus Occupancy @ Maddilapalem Bus Stop

24

25

Figure 39: Combined Analysis for NAD: RTC Complex to Simhachalam

26

Combined Analysis for Anandapuram: RTC Complex to Tagarapuvalasa

Recommendations• Continuous monitoring and benchmarking of operations• Better utilization of available technology (ETM)• Implement AVLS monitoring to have control over operations• Scheduling to match demand• Introducing shorter loops on certain routes to improve control

27

Thank You