PUNCTUALITY AND EXPECTED WAITING TIME OF STAGE BUSES IN MIXED TRAFFIC

This paper presents the punctuality index and expected average waiting time of the stage buses which were operated in a route with mixed traffic. Stage buses which are commonly operated in mixed traffic have many characteristics of operation which are influenced by various operating conditions and traffic circumstances. As the bus was mixed with other vehicles, therefore, the reliability of the bus was relatively low and so it caused the bus system not attractive to passengers. Data for analysis included route characteristics, number of passenger, number of vehicle, timetable and service frequency. The sample was drawn for two typical days representing workdays and weekends during period of one day (hourly), one week (daily) and one year (monthly). The analysis was performed to get the characteristic of punctuality and expected average waiting time. The results show that based on service frequency LOS Thresholds (TCQSM 2003), the current bus service was unattractive to choice riders (LOS D) and was available during the hour (LOS E). Also, the bus service reliability is corresponded to LOS B by referring the headway adherence LOS, meaning that vehicles slightly off headway. The service quality of stage buses operated in mixed traffic can be evaluate based on the punctuality index and expected average waiting time by using on-board survey data. Punctuality index of bus operation can be explained by using some factors on bus operation conditions, such as route length, operating speed, travel time and number of random stopping.