Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Urban Public Transport Systems'

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-294).
Transfers are endemic in public transport systems. Empirical evidence shows that a large portion of public transport journeys involve at least one change of vehicles, and that the transfer experience significantly affects the travelers' satisfaction with the public transport service, and whether they view public transport as an effective option. Despite their importance, however, transfers have long been overlooked by decision-makers, transportation planners, and analysts. Transfer-related research, practice, and investments are rare compared with many other aspects of transportation planning, probably because (1) the underlying transfer behavior is too complex; (2) the analysis methods are too primitive; and (3) the applications are not straightforward. This dissertation focuses on these issues and contributes to current literature in three aspects: methodology development, behavior exploration, and applications in practice. In this research, I adopt a path-choice approach based on travelers' revealed preference to measure the disutility associated with transfer, or the so-called transfer penalty. I am able to quantify transfer experience in a variety of situations in great spatial detail, and reduce the external "noises" that might contaminate the model estimation. I then apply the method to two public transport networks: a relative small and simple rail network (subway and commuter rail) in Boston and a large and complex network (Underground) in London. Both networks offer a large variability of transfer environment and transfer activities. Estimation results show high system-wide transfer penalties in both studies, indicating that transfer experience can have a very negative impact on the performance and competitiveness of public transport. They also suggest that the system-average value has limited applications in planning and operation because the transfer penalty varies greatly across station and movement. Such variation is largely caused by different transfer environments, not by different personal characteristics, attitudes, preferences, or perceptions, at least in the two investigated networks.
The two applications to the London Underground network illustrate that the lack of careful consideration of transfer effect can lead to inaccurate passenger flow estimation as well as less credible project evaluation and investment justification. The results further confirm the potential, as well as the importance, of transfer planning in major multimodal public transport networks.
by Zhan Guo.
Ph.D.

Predicting the potential impacts of new urban public transport on people's travel behaviour is very complex. A key aspect of travel behaviour is the choice of mode. It is particularly difficult to estimate the number of people who will use new urban public transport systems. Understanding modal choices related to these systems is especially important in view of concerns about the impact of the car on the environment, on quality of life and on congestion levels in towns and cities. In this thesis, the modal choices of potential users of two new light rail systems, Luas in Dublin and Tramlink in Croydon, are examined. The decision-making processes behind these people's modal choices are explored using a theory that has been borrowed from social psychology called the Theory of Planned Behaviour. In order to apply the Theory of Planned Behaviour it is necessary to identify the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of behavioural control of potential users. Hence, interviews have been carried out with potential users of Croydon Tramlink in the six months immediately prior to its opening. This thesis will describe those interviews, the analysis of them and the findings. In addition, follow-up studies were conducted six months after the opening of the system in order to examine how many of the interviewees had used the system. In Dublin, questionnaires were distributed to potential users of the new light rail system planned for the city. The questionnaires were distributed 2 years before the planned opening of the system. The thesis concludes that the Theory of Planned Behaviour is an appropriate tool for understanding and explaining modal choices, particularly those modal choices that relate to new urban public transport. It is also concluded that both Luas and Tramlink are likely to be successful systems and will generate new trips.

This thesis describes the nature of the specification and design of revenue collection systems from four urban mass transit systems: Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield Suptertram, Grenoble Tag Light Rail system and the Netherlands National Ticketing system. Previous research in this area has been generated from an industry perspective that has focused on new technologies and types of ticketing systems available. In addition fare collection is frequently discussed, and there is academic research available, in relation to pricing theory and policy. However, as yet there appears to be no theoretical or empirical research examining urban mass transit revenue collection systems and their specification. This research was initiated from a supplier of revenue collection systems expressing dissatisfaction in the design and specification selection procedure. In addition there was a need to conceptualise the important role that a revenue collection system plays in achieving a public transport operator's objectives. The aim of this study was to add to the theoretical base of this research area through the four case studies and to improve the design and selection of revenue collection systems in `real life' situations. Due to the nature of the research area being `real world' and revenue collection systems being bespoke, theoretical propositions were created from the literature review in order to guide the research and test the hypothesis. Through the theoretical proposition the role of the revenue collection system in a service marketing context is also established. This thesis is presented in seven chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and background information to the research area. In Chapter 2 the research methodology is discussed together with the nature of the research. In Chapter 3 the literature review and the generation of the theoretical propositions and hypothesis are presented. In Chapter 4 the case studies describe the nature of the revenue collection systems and their specifications. In chapter 5 the case study analysis is undertaken based upon the theoretical propositions. Chapter 6 presents the overall conclusions and tests the hypothesis; it also presents recommendations for improving revenue collection system specification. Finally Chapter 7 discusses the research and its strengths and weaknesses and suggests areas for further research.

Lorsque surviennent des risques naturels, les dommages aux systèmes urbains représentent habituellement des conséquences économiques et sociales importantes. Parmi eux, les systèmes de transport guidé restent aujourd'hui particulièrement vulnérables notamment face au risque inondation. Par ailleurs, le concept de résilience connait d’importants développements dans le domaine de la gestion des risques naturels. La résilience peut se définir comme la capacité d’un système à absorber une perturbation et à récupérer ses fonctions à la suite de celle-ci.L’objectif de la thèse est d’étudier la vulnérabilité et la résilience des systèmes de transport guidé face au risque inondation à partir d’une analyse des mécanismes de défaillance. Ces systèmes sont assimilables à des systèmes hautement compliqués avec de multiples interdépendances entre les éléments. Etudier ces interdépendances, dans le cas d’une inondation, permet une approche comparative des trois configurations traditionnelles d’implantation d’un système de transport guidé~: en souterrain, en surface et en aérien.Cette démarche qualitative est combinée à une modélisation probabiliste, basée sur l’utilisation des réseaux bayésiens, du système soumis à un risque inondation. La thèse présente la démarche construite qui rend possible~: l’élaboration d’une approche globale c’est-à-dire de l’occurrence de l’aléa avec ses caractéristiques données d’intensité~; l’identification des dommages matériels directs~; l’identification des dommages matériels indirects c’est-à-dire ceux occasionnés par des effets domino~; la déduction des conséquences fonctionnelles c’est-à-dire les modes de fonctionnement dégradé du système relatif à son exploitation
The vulnerability of guided transport systems facing natural hazards is a burning issue for the urban risks management. Experience feedbacks on guided transport systems show they are particularly vulnerable to natural risks, especially flood risks. Besides, the resilience concept is used as a systemic approach for making an accurate analysis of the effect of these natural risks on rail guided transport systems.The purpose of this thesis is to provide an analysis of guided transport systems’ resilience in the face of flood risks through a study of the failure mechanisms to which the components of these systems are subjected. Indeed, the urban critical infrastructures such as guided transport systems are complex systems in which the components are strongly interdependent. This interdependency may imply many failures caused by cascade effect within the system.Moreover, the qualitative methodology is linked to a probabilistic framework. Indeed, from the probability of a natural hazard occurring with a given intensity through components failures due to cascade effect, the objective is to assess the probability of degraded modes of operation. This probabilistic framework allows to shift from a qualitative approach based on dependability methods to a quantitative approach based on Bayesian networks

Increasing population growth in urban areas has led to significant problems, stretching the limits of existing urban transportation systems. While once playing a critical role in transport in the early development of cities, water transport has since declined sharply in relevance with increases in bridges, tunnels and the widespread proliferation of automobiles. But land based mass transit systems are often reaching capacity. These issues have led to a resurgence of interest in the use of urban ferry services as transport corridors along currently underutilised waterways. Cities such as Brisbane, New York, London, Gothenburg and Bangkok have operating urban ferry systems which play an important role in the transport functions of each city. In order to provide a better understanding of the operation of water transport services, their wider impact and the implications for their inclusion in future city planning, this thesis investigates key issues for planning this form of transport.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith School of Environment
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
Full Text

Este trabalho enfoca o transporte público coletivo da cidade de Jaú. Os objetivos precípuos da dissertação são: fazer um diagnóstico do sistema de transporte por ônibus, no tocante à qualidade e à eficiência; e apresentar um projeto de racionalização do sistema (melhoria da qualidade e da eficiência). Os problemas mais graves verificados no diagnóstico foram os seguintes: existência de áreas ocupadas com acessibilidade insatisfatória (situadas além da distância aceitável da rede de linhas), superposições de áreas de influência das linhas, grande intervalo entre atendimentos devido ao excesso de linhas, ausência de integração tarifária, integração física precária, lotações baixas nos períodos fora dos picos, acúmulo de ônibus nos pontos de parada devido à coincidência de horários de diversas linhas, atrasos excessivos na área central, falta de abrigos na maioria dos pontos de parada, etc. No plano de racionalização desenvolvido foram previstas as seguintes principais ações: reestruturação da rede de linhas com a diminuição da quantidade de rotas e eliminação das superposições e faltas de cobertura espacial adequada, redução do intervalo entre atendimentos nas linhas, implantação de estação central fechada para promover integração física e tarifária, pavimentação/recapeamento de alguns trechos de vias, melhoria da sinalização viária nas ruas utilizadas pelos ônibus, melhoria do sistema de informação ao usuário, implementação de programação operacional racional, etc. Em termos de eficiência, os principais benefícios do sistema proposto são: redução da frota de 21%, redução da quilometragem percorrida de 18% e redução do custo de operação de 20%. No tocante à qualidade, os principais ganhos são: melhoria da acessibilidade (cobertura espacial), redução do intervalo entre atendimentos, redução dos tempos de viagem, promoção de integração tarifária, promoção de integração física adequada, aumento do número de abrigos nas paradas, melhoria da superfície de rolamento das vias utilizadas pelos coletivos, etc.
This work focuses the urban collective public transportation system by bus of the city of Jaú. The main objectives of this work is to make a diagnostic of the system in terms of quality and efficiency and to present a plan in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the transit system. The main problems faced on the diagnostic were: inadequate space covering, overlapping of bus attendance, long headway between vehicles due to an exaggerate number of bus lines, absence of fare integration, deficient physical integration, low occupation of bus in non peak periods, bus traffic jam at bus stops due to inadequate schedule, huge delays in the central area due to traffic jam, lack of shelters at bus stops, etc. In the developed plan were proposed the following main actions: reorganization of the bus transit netword with reduction of the routes number and the elimination of overlapping of bus routes and the lacks of spatil covering service, reduction of the headway in the routes, implementation of a closed central station to promote physical and fare integration, pavement/rehabilitation of road pavement, improvement of system signs in bus streets, implementation of a rational operational programming, better distribution of the vehicles to the whole city; etc. In terms of efficiency, the main benefits of the proposed system are: fleet reduction 21%, total mileage reduction of 18% and operation cost reduction of 20%. Concerning to the quality, the main gains are: better space covering, small headway in the bus routes, travel time reduction, implementation of physical and fare integration, increase of the number of bus stops shelters, improvement of the rolling surface on bus streets, etc.

With this dissertation, it is intended to improve our understanding of the effects of urban rail systems on the mobility of women, their accessibility and their extent of experiencing the city they live in, that is their urban geography. The main aim is to understand whether women who live nearby an urban rail system and who use this system have higher levels of mobility and wider urban geography when compared with those who live in places without an urban rail access and those who do not use urban rail systems. In search for the effects of metro usage on mobility, as well as the factors affecting metro usage, the study is built on four main fields in transportation studies: mode choice theory, activity based travel theory, time-geography theory and women studies. Women living on Ankara metro line and in Keç
iö
ren constitute the main case study in this thesis. With the help of a comprehensive questionnaire, applied on captive public transport women riders, it is assessed whether the Ankara metro has positive effects on the mobility of women living nearby the metro stations, whether women who use the metro have higher mobility and wider urban geography, and whether the metro can be effective in enhancing the mobility and urban geography of women who are identified as particularly vulnerable in the literature. Understanding the factors, in cases where expected positive impacts on mobility have not been realized, is also important to contribute to the theoretical discussions that the study is built on.

Today´s society is facing many challenges, of which the biggest one is to continue to be globalized and at the same time sustainable. Thus, the search for alternatives to them, requires a never before experienced effort. The rapid expansion of cities in Brazil, put issues such as urban mobility on the agenda for discussion, raising problems such as traffic jams, traffic deaths, lack of infrastructure of roads, lack of security, insecurity in public transport that make locomotion unsafe act and stressful for the citizen. The public roads remain the same, the number of private cars grows in the streets and no brakes. Given the above and taking public transport as an outlet for mitigation of problems in the context of mobility is that this study evaluated the urban mobility in the city of Aracaju, Sergipe, with regard to service and people´s access to the city´s public transport system through desk research, field and observational. The results of this study show that there must be a change in thinking of the general population. Need to understand that there is not a privilege but a right to move safely and comfortably within a city for all who compose it. Traffic routes are public goods and should be distributed according to the amount of people, not vehicles. The city should be designed for pedestrians, not for cars. The public transport has priority on the roads, then, allows the mass transport of the population. This should give security and comfort to its users. Thus, urban planning built together, demonstrates the people a service with transparency, accountability and the existence of a management based on democracy. It is hoped therefore that this research will be useful in the sphere of planning and management of the municipal territory, contributing as a monitoring tool of urban mobility, seeking to present paths to sustainable urban development of the city of Aracaju.
A sociedade atual se encontra diante de vários desafios dos quais o maior deles seja continuar sendo globalizada e ao mesmo tempo sustentável. Desse modo, a busca por alternativas a eles, exige um esforço nunca antes experimentado. A acelerada expansão das cidades, no Brasil, colocou temas como a mobilidade urbana em pauta para discussões, levantando problemas como engarrafamentos, morte no trânsito, falta de infraestrutura das vias, ausência de segurança, precariedade nos transportes públicos que torna o ato de locomoção inseguro e estressante para o cidadão. As vias públicas continuam as mesmas e o número de veículos particulares aumenta cada vez mais. Diante do exposto, e tendo o transporte público como uma saída para a mitigação de problemas no âmbito da mobilidade é que este trabalho avaliou a mobilidade urbana da cidade de Aracaju, Sergipe, no tocante ao serviço e acesso da população ao sistema de transporte público da cidade, através da pesquisa documental, de campo e observacional. Os resultados desse estudo mostram que deve haver uma mudança no modo de pensar da população de modo geral. Precisa-se entender que, não existe privilégio, mas o direito de se transitar com segurança e conforto no âmbito de uma cidade para todos os que a compõe. As vias de circulação são bens públicos e devem ser distribuídas de acordo com a quantidade de pessoas, não de veículos. A cidade deve ser pensada para os pedestres, não para os carros. O transporte coletivo tem prioridade nas vias, pois, permite o transporte em massa da população devendo dar segurança e conforto aos seus usuários. Assim, o planejamento urbano construído em conjunto, demonstra para a população um serviço prestado com transparência, responsabilidade e a existência de uma gestão baseada na democracia. Espera-se, portanto, que essa pesquisa seja útil na esfera do planejamento e gestão do território municipal, contribuindo como uma ferramenta de monitoramento da mobilidade urbana, procurando apresentar caminhos para o desenvolvimento urbano sustentável da cidade de Aracaju.

Background: Policy initiatives to promote sustainable travel through the use of Internet based public information systems have increased during the last decade. Stockholm, in being one of the first cities in Europe to implement an Internet based service for facilitating sustainable travel is believed to be a good candidate for an analysis of key issues for developing sustainable travel planning services to the public. Aim: This thesis investigates the past development of two Stockholm based public information systems and their services in order to draw lessons on how to better provide for a public information service geared towards facilitating  environmentally sustainable travel planning through information and communications technology. The overall goal of the thesis is to contribute to an understanding on how to better design and manage current and future attempts at facilitating sustainable travel planning services based on historical case studies. Approach: The thesis draws ideas from the concept of organizational responsiveness – an organization’s ability to listen, understand and respond to demands put to it by its internal and external stakeholders – in order to depict how well or not the two public information systems and their owners have adapted to established norms and values of their surroundings. Results: Overall, the findings from the historical case studies suggest that organizations attempting to provide sustainable travel planning to the public need to design and manage their systems in such a way that it responds to shifting demands on how to provide for information. Implementing and embedding new technologies involves complex processes of change both at the micro level – for users and practitioners of the service – and at the meso level for the involved public service organizations themselves. This condition requires a contextualist framework to analyze and understand organizational, contextual and cultural issues involved in the adoption of new technologies and procedures. Conclusions: The thesis concludes with a discussion on how the findings from the historical case studies may provide lessons for both current and future attempts at providing public information systems geared towards facilitating environmentally sustainable travel planning to the public. Historical examples and issues concerning collective intelligence and peer to peer based forms of designing, producing and supervising public information services identified throughout the study are looked upon and discussed in terms of their possible role in increasing the potential for public information services to facilitate sustainable urban transport.

QC 20140319

TRACS, Travel Planner for Sustainable Cities

Alstom Transport, entreprise du transport ferroviaire français, s’interroge sur l’émergence de nouveaux usages dans les véhicules de transports publics urbains. Afin de répondre à cette question, l’approche systémique a été choisie comme cadre théorique. Cette approche permet d’interroger l’organisation du système individus-habitacle. Des observations participantes structurées ont été menées dans 12 villes (dans cinq pays). Le traitement des données combinant les méthodes quantitative et qualitative a permis de décrire le placement en fonction de deux échelles (l’échelle de l’habitacle et l’échelle de l’individu). L’importance dans l’organisation du système de la position assise et de la possibilité de s’adosser a été mis en évidence, ainsi qu’une organisation spatiale des activités des individus. Une forme d’usage potentiellement émergente a pu être observée. Celle-ci interroge une évolution possible de l’organisation de placement, et ouvre de nouvelles perspectives de recherche concernant l’organisation spatiale des activités
The French rail transport company Alstom Transport inquires whether new usages are emerging in urban public transport vehicles. The systemic approach has been chosen as a theoretical frame to respond to this question. This approach enables to examine the organization of the individual-passenger compartment system. Structured observation has been conduct in 12 cities (5 countries). Data analysis combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies, allows describing the placement based on 2 scales (the passengers compartment and the individual). The sense of the sitting position and the possibility to lean on has been brought to light as well as the spatial organization of activities. A potentially emerging usage could be observed. It interrogates a possible evolution of the organization of placement, and opens new research perspectives regarding the spatial organization of activities

Magister Artium - MA
This study explores the linguistic landscape of Metrorail in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Western Cape is a diverse, multicultural society with a history of colonialism and imperialism. For this reason, the language/s on signage was explored to reveal differences/similarities between the various groups and cultures within society.This kind of investigation entailed consideration of the signage displayed on trains,stations and other railway infrastructure. Thus, data was collected over a three-month period during 2010 which coincided with the FIFA Soccer World Cup, hosted by South Africa. A combined quantitative and qualitative approach for the analysis of data was supplemented with a multimodal, multi-semiotic approach. In addition, interviews were conducted of a cross-section of commuters as a way to give meaning to the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis explored the extent to which multilingualism and multiculturalism are reflected in the linguistic landscape of Metrorail.The focus of the study was on the degree of visibility of the official and non-official languages on signage, as faced by Metrorail commuters. The findings of the study reveal that the interplay between power relations, prestige, symbolic value, identity and vitality in the linguistic landscape of Metrorail results in a somewhat limited display of multilingualism. The findings also reflect the changed language attitudes and perceptions, the maintenance of power relations, the expression of identity, and the desire to be perceived in a certain way, in a broader South African context. Furthermore,the data reveals that the actual linguistic reality does not accurately reflect the aims of the Western Cape language policy in terms of promoting multilingualism. Moreover, it reveals that English is the preferred language of wider communication and it is also the dominant language on the official and non-official signage in the public space. Although the indigenous African languages, along with Afrikaans, are generally neglected in the public space, these languages are widely spoken by Metrorail commuters. The linguistic landscape of Metrorail therefore does not accurately reflect the linguistic reality of the various speech communities in the Western Cape. The linguistic landscape of Metrorail serves to index the broader social developments of the transformed sociolinguistic South African identity.

En el presente trabajo de investigación se analiza y estima el impacto económico y social del servicio de transporte público masivo El Metropolitano que utiliza como infraestructura el Corredor Segregado de Alta Capacidad – Cosac I. Este sistema se ha constituido como el principal medio de transporte de la ciudad de Lima por atributos como: la formalidad de su servicio, la infraestructura que ofrece, su modernidad, la rapidez, entre otros aspectos que se desarrollan en las siguientes páginas. El documento está dividido en ocho capítulos. El primero está referido a los fundamentos teóricos de la investigación, el segundo contiene una breve descripción de la realidad del transporte urbano de pasajeros y de los sistemas de transporte que existen en Lima Metropolitana, la oferta actual y en este marco, se contextualiza la problemática detectada en cuanto a la informalidad, falta de regulación, baja calidad del servicio e infraestructura para la movilidad urbana en la ciudad. El tercer capítulo desarrolla la finalidad, los objetivos, justificación y alcance de la investigación. El cuarto capítulo aborda los supuestos, la hipótesis, variables e indicadores que pretendemos comprobar. Seguidamente, en el quinto capítulo se describe la metodología utilizada para realizar esta investigación y, en el sexto capítulo se presentan los resultados obtenidos de las encuestas, así como su respectiva interpretación. Por último, en el capítulo séptimo se exponen las conclusiones de la investigación realizada y en el octavo, se plasman las recomendaciones que corresponden, que esperamos sean consideradas como aporte a la gestión pública en materia de transporte.
This document of investigation measured and analyzed the economic and social impact of mass public transport service so-called “El Metropolitano” which uses as infrastructure the High Capacity Segregated Roadway  – COSAC I. This system has been established as the main means of transport of the city of Lima by attributes such as: the formality of its service, the infrastructure it offers, modernity, speed  among other aspects  that are further developed on the next chapters. The document is divided into eight chapters. The first, is related to the theoretical foundations of the research; the second chapter contains a brief description of the reality of urban passenger transport and of the transportation systems that exist in Lima Metropolitana, the existing transport offer and within that framework, the problematic detected in terms of informality, lack of regulation and low quality of service and infrastructure for urban mobility in the city. The third chapter develops the purpose, objectives, justification and scope of investigation. The fourth chapter addresses the assumptions, hypotheses, variables and indicators that we intend to verify. Next, the fifth chapter describes the methodology used to carry out this research and, in the sixth chapter the surveys outcome are presented along with the interpretation. Finally, in the seventh chapter, the conclusions of the research carried out are presented and in the eighth, the corresponding recommendations are presented, which can be a contribution to public management in the area of ​​transportation.
Trabajo de investigación

The thesis describes and assesses the current state of the transport network situation in the capital of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava. The core topic is a description of the problem areas, assessing the current status and evolution over time, for the urban public transport system.

Thesis (MComm (Logistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current subsidy system, designed to make South Africa’s public transport more affordable, has instead contributed to a worsening of the existent neglected state of affairs. Although subsidy policies are in place, misdirected allocation renders them mostly ineffective. The implementation of the new integrated public transport systems for metropolitan areas affords an opportunity to adopt a broad spectrum approach and initiate a redesigned and improved subsidy system. The purpose of this study is to assess the South African urban public transport industry with the aim of finding by means of a system-based process a subsidy approach that will overcome the remaining inequalities of the past. This study will consequently evaluate different subsidy theories and determine which one(s) will be best suited to the demands of a specific period. The final objective is to design a product which offers government a systembased process that will help it determine, every few years, whether the subsidy regime being applied at that juncture is still relevant to the requirements of the market and/or what (new) approach is necessary to achieve social and economic wellbeing. Commuter transport in South Africa is currently in a transition phase where new public transport infrastructure is being implemented in the metropolitan cities. The current economic recession (making people’s demand more elastic to prices) present a good time to conduct the system-based process necessary for transition of the public transport system and determine an optimal subsidy approach for the new system. The first step in the system-based process was to determine the scope of work and the overall objectives that should be reached. The main public transport shortcomings are the lack of accessibility to affordable transport for the poor and increasing private transport ownership by the rich, which increases congestion and forms the second step of the systembased process. The third step stated the action plan of strategies on how the objectives could be reached. These three steps also form the basic measurement criteria against which the different subsidy approaches needed to be tested. The fourth step in the system-based process to a better subsidy approach was to evaluate different theoretical subsidy approaches. The review of different subsidy approaches has indicated that some approaches work better than others, but an optimal subsidy system is almost never found.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human existence in its current form is unsustainable. Urban transport systems are one of the chief contributors to this problem due to the dominant role of the car. Car dominated transport systems have a number of serious impacts on social, economic and ecological systems which collectively suggest they are not sustainable. The complex, global “system of automobility”, a powerful socio-technical regime, ensures that car dominated transport systems endure, despite the serious problems they generate. In the face of the power and resilience of this system, there are examples around the world of urban areas which have implemented transport initiatives which depart from the dominant paradigm of automobility. They have successfully provided viable alternatives to the car, facilitated urban forms which are supportive of green modes and “reconquered” scarce urban space from the automobile. However, there are a multitude of barriers to any transition to sustainable urban transport systems. These can only be overcome through the related processes of contestation and innovation. The case of Stellenbosch is a local expression of the global “system of automobility”. Through a combination of infrastructure, urban form, institutions, beliefs and ways of life, this system is perpetuated at a local level. In a highly inequitable developing country context, this is particularly problematic. A town primarily designed to service car mobility is best suited to the reproduction of the middle class. The poor, and others without access to a car, are at a disadvantage and movement by green modes is, everywhere, discouraged. And yet, there are a number of innovative initiatives occurring within the town which depart from the dominant paradigm, contesting its continued dominance. The path towards transition is at all times uncertain. However, it is possible to enhance the potential for transition by strengthening existing niches, contesting existing regimes and preparing for the imminent increase in landscape pressure generated by climate change and resource scarcity.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Menslike bestaan in sy huidige vorm is onvolhoubaar. Stedelike vervoerstelsels is een van die belangrikste bydraers tot hierdie probleem weens die oorheersende rol van die motor. Vervoerstelsels waar die motor die botoon voer het ‘n aantal ernstige gevolge op maatskaplike, ekonomiese en ekologiese stelsels wat gesamentlik daarop dui dat sodanige stelsels nie volhoubaar is nie. Die komplekse, globale “stelsel van motorvervoer”, ‘n kragtige sosio-tegniese regime, verseker dat vervoerstelsels waar die motor die botoon voer in stand gehou word, ondanks die ernstige probleme wat hulle skep. Met inagneming van die krag en veerkragtigheid van hierdie stelsel bestaan daar oral in die wêreld voorbeelde van stedelike gebiede wat vervoerinisiatiewe geïmplementeer het wat afwyk van die oorheersende paradigma van motorvervoer. Hulle het uitvoerbare alternatiewe vir die motor suksesvol verskaf, stedelike vorme wat groen gebruike ondersteun gefasiliteer en skaars stedelike ruimte van die motorvoertuig “herwin”. Daar is egter ‘n menigte hindernisse in die pad van enige oorgang tot volhoubare stedelike vervoerstelsels. Dit kan slegs oorkom word deur die verwante prosesse van verset en innovering. Die geval van Stellenbosch is ‘n plaaslike uitdrukking van die globale “stelsel van motorvervoer”. Deur ‘n kombinasie van infrastruktuur, stedelike vorm, instellings, gebruike en lewenswyses word hierdie stelsel op ‘n plaaslike vlak bestendig en behou. Teen die agtergrond van ’n uiters onregverdig ontwikkelende land is dit in die besonder problematies. ‘n Dorp wat in die eerste plek uitgelê is om vervoer wat op motors berus, te bedien, is veral geskik vir die reproduksie van die middelklas. Die armes en diegene sonder toegang tot ‘n motor word benadeel en beweging met behulp van groen wyses word oral ontmoedig. En tog kom daar ‘n aantal vernuwende inisiatiewe in die dorp voor wat afwyk van die oorheersende paradigma wat die voortgesette oorheersing daarvan beveg. Die weg na oorgang is te alle tye onseker. Dit is egter moontlik om die potensiaal vir oorgang te verbeter deur versterking van bestaande nisse, bestryding van bestaande regimes en voorbereiding vir die toenemende druk op die landskap weens klimaatsverandering en die skaarste aan hulpbronne.

Os objetivos deste trabalho são dois: avaliar a percepção da sociedade e dos especialistas em transporte sobre os benefícios alcançados com a implantação de sistemas de transporte público urbano sobre trilhos e verificar se a percepção dos especialistas é alinhada com a percepção da sociedade. O trabalho foi desenvolvido a partir de uma pesquisa bibliográfica para identificação dos benefícios do transporte público sobre trilhos. Após definidos os benefícios foi aplicada uma pesquisa, de caráter exploratório, utilizando a escala de Likert, à sociedade, mais especificamente a alunos de graduação de cursos universitários na região metropolitana de São Paulo num total de 433 respondentes, distribuídos em 7 locais distintos. Em seguida foi realizada uma pesquisa junto a especialistas em transporte, com utilização de uma planilha para avaliação dos benefícios com base no Método de Análise Hierárquica - MAH. Na pesquisa com especialistas obteve-se 34 planilhas distribuídas em 4 grupos distintos. Os resultados mostram que a sociedade e os especialistas possuem uma percepção bastante positiva dos benefícios gerados pela implantação de sistemas de transporte público urbano sobre trilhos, havendo, no entanto, diferenças sensíveis nas avaliações, que refletem na ordem de importância dos benefícios.
The objectives of this work are, over all, two: evaluate the society´s and transportation specialists the perception on the benefits, reached with the implantation of urban public transport on tracks systems and to verify if the perception of the specialists is aligned up with the perception of the society. The work was developed from a bibliographical research that had the goal to identify the benefits of the public transport on tracks. After defined the benefits the research was applied to the society using the Likert´s scale, in exploratory way, more specifically the graduation´s pupils of university courses in the metropolitan region of São Paulo in a total of 433 respondents, distributed in seven distinct places. After that was carried through a research next to transportation´s specialists, with the resource of a spread sheet for evaluation of the benefits on the basis of the Analytic Hierarchical Process - AHP. About the research with specialists, one got 34 spread sheets distributed in four distinct groups. The results show that the society and the specialists possess a sufficiently positive perception about the benefits generated for the implantation of urban public transport on tracks systems, having, however, sensible differences in the evaluations, that they reflect in the order of the benefits importance.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Public and private transport system planning and operation have tended to be fragmented functions. In particular, public transport is often planned and operated independently of the "private" transport system. South African government policy now requires that comprehensive, strategic transport plans be prepared by metropolitan transport authorities. These plans are expected to conform to national strategic objectives as well as including local current and longterm objectives. This planning is required in the environment of a multi-modal, multi-operator, public-private partnership scenario that is new for most of the role players. The lack of experience is accompanied by a lack of any existing model for dealing with this scenario. This dissertation describes such a model. The model is based on the principles of strategic logistics management commonly employed in commerce and industry, including service-oriented industries. The modelling process is thus based on achieving a combination of customer service and long-term objectives. The model comprises a number of separate components and steps: • A transport network model (Emme/2). ~ A multi-class, generalised-cost assignment of private and public transport demand onto a network, modified to be modeless to the public transport users, is performed. This assignment allows for the imposition of generalised-cost reflecting urban-planning objectives in addition to more conventional costs such as travel cost. In this assignment, the interaction of public and private transport is accounted for and results in an associated modal choice. ~ A series of single-class generalised-cost assignments is then used to "focus" public transport demand to create corridors of demand adequate to justify public transport routes. This process can be enhanced to develop a design promoting switching from private to public transport. It also allows for multi-period route design. ~ The results of this modelling process are output to a text file and then subject to the processes described below. The results of these processes are then input into the network model where a standard transit assignment is performed and used to modify the proposed lines and update the network design data with respect to boardings and alightings at nodes. This information is used to design fixed infrastructure. • A Microsoft Access database and route extraction program. );> The network model data is drawn into the database where it is subject to a route extraction program that converts the assignment results from the network model into a set of mode specific potential public transport route definitions. These route definitions are based on paths of maximum demand. The extraction process is controlled by parameters specified by the planner, such as minimum route lengths and the demand level for various categories of service. );> After route extraction, vehicle allocation, and transit assignment, the database provides details of the boardings and alightings and number and details of transit lines using each node and link in the network. This data is used to design fixed infrastructure. • A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet vehicle operating cost model. );> For each vehicle type, the operating cost given the anticipated vehicle mileage and operating speed is determined. This is used to guide the choice of vehicles for different routes. • A Lingo goal-programming model. );> The potential routes and the available or potential fleet are subjected to a goalprogramme in which the optimum choice of vehicle allocation is determined. The allocation parameters can be controlled by the planner. These parameters may include costs, energy, fuel consumption, and vehicle and route limitations amongst others. Multiperiod design is included in the modelling process so that the optimum design may be for the operating period, daily, or weekly cycle. The modelling process provides two main outputs: • A set of fully described and costed transit lines ill terms of both routing and vehicle allocation. These transit line definitions can be output to the level of driver instructions if necessary. • Details of the type and location of infrastructure to be provided on the network.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Openbare en private vervoerstelsel-beplanning en -bedryf IS geneig om gefragmenteerde funksies te wees. Dit is veral waarneembaar in die openbare vervoerstelsels waarvan die beplanning en bedryf onafhanklik van die "private" vervoerstelsels plaasvind. Die beleid van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering vereis dat omvattende strategiese vervoerplanne deur die metropolitaanse vervoer owerhede voorberei word. Daar word van hierdie planne verwag om aan die nasionale strategiese doelwitte, asook die plaaslike bestaande en langtermyn doelwitte te voldoen. Hierdie beplanning word vereis deur 'n omgewing wat nuut is vir die meeste rolspelers en bestaan uit multi-modale, multi-operateur en openbare-private vennootskap scenario's. Die tekort aan ondervinding gaan gepaard met 'n tekort aan 'n bestaande model wat gebruik kan word om hierdie scenario's te hanteer. So 'n model word deur hierdie verhandeling beskryf. Die model is gebasseer op die beginsels van strategiese logistieke bestuur wat algemeen gebruik word in die handel en industrie, insluitende die diens-georïenteerde industrieë. Die modelleringsproses wil dus 'n kombinasie van diens aan kliënte en langtermyn doelwitte bereik. Die model bestaan uit onderskeie komponente en stappe: • 'n Vervoernetwerkmodel (Emmel2) }i;> 'n Multi-klas, veralgemeende-koste toedeling van private en openbare vervoeraanvraag op 'n netwerk, aangepas om modusloos te wees vir die openbare vervoergebruiker, word uitgevoer. Hierdie toedeling laat nie net die heffing van meer konvensionele kostes, soos reiskoste toe nie, maar ook veralgemeende kostes wat staatsbeplarmingsdoelwitte reflekteer. In hierdie opdrag word die interaksie van openbare- en private vervoer ondersoek waarvan die uiteinde 'n geassosieerde modale keuse is. }i;> 'n Reeks enkelklas veralgemeende koste toedelings word dan gebruik om op openbare vervoeraanvraag te fokus en daardeur korridors van aanvraag, wat gepas is om openbare vervoerroetes te regverdig, te skep. Hierdie proses kan verfyn word om 'n plan te ontwikkel wat die verskuiwing van private vervoer na openbare vervoer sal bevorder. Dit laat ook die ontwerp van multi-periode roetes toe. }i;> Die resultate van hierdie modelleringsproses word uitgevoer na 'n tekslêer en dan aan die prosesse, wat hier onder beskryf word, onderwerp. Die resultate van hierdie prosesse word dan ingevoer in die netwerkmodel waar 'n standaard publieke vervoertoedeling uitgevoer word. Dit word dan gebruik om die voorgestelde roetes te wysig en die netwerk data, met betrekking tot die aantal persone wat op en af klim by nodes, op te dateer. Hierdie inligting word gebruik vir die ontwerp van infrastrukture. • 'n Microsoft Access databasis en roete-ontrekkingsprogram );> Die netwerkmodel data word in die databasis ingetrek waar dit aan 'n roeteontrekkingsprogram onderwerp word. Hierdie program skakel die toedelingsresultate van die netwerkmodel om na 'n stel potensiële modus spesifieke openbare vervoerroete definisies. Hierdie roete definisies word gebasseer op paaie van maksimum aanvraag. Die ontrekkingsproses word deur parameters, soos minimum lengte van roetes en die vlak van aanvraag van verskeie kategorieë van diens, wat deur die beplanner gespesifiseer word, gekontroleer. );> Na die ontrekking van roetes, voertuigtoekenning en vervoertoedeling, voorsien die databasis besonderhede van die aantal persone wat op en af klim asook die aantal en details van vervoerroete wat elke node en skakel in die netwerk gebruik. Hierdie data word gebruik om infrastrukture te ontwerp. • 'n Microsoft Excel sigblad voertuig bedryfskoste model )i> Vir elke tipe voertuig word die bedryfskoste, volgens die verwagte afstand en spoed van die spesifieke voertuig, bepaal. Die resultate word gebruik om die keuse van voertuie vir verskillende roetes te bepaal. • 'n Lingo doelprogrameringsmodel );> Die potensiële roetes en die beskikbare of potensiële vloot word onderwerp aan 'n doelprogram waarin die optimum keuse van voertuigtoekenning bepaal word. Die toekenningsparameters kan deur die beplanner gekontroleer word. Die parameters kan onder andere kostes, energie, brandstofverbruik en voertuig- en roete beperkings, insluit. Multi-periode ontwerp is ingesluit in die modelleringsproses sodat die optimum ontwerp vir die bedryfsperiode, daaglikse of weeklikse siklusse, kan wees. Die modelleringsproses lewer twee hoofuitkomste: • 'n Stel volledig beskrywende en koste berekende vervoerroete wat, indien nodig, na die vlak van bestuurder instruksies, uitgevoer kan word. • Details van die tipe en plek van infrastruktuur wat benodig word deur die netwerk.

Esta dissertação propõe um modelo tecnológico de automação para realização de pesquisas no setor do transporte público, com o objetivo de contribuir para o aprimoramento da coleta de dados, avaliação e manutenção da qualidade dos serviços prestados à população. O trabalho justifica-se pela necessidade de superação de lacunas existentes para obtenção de informações, o que repercute na gestão do sistema de transporte público como um todo. Devido à relevância crescente do tema da mobilidade urbana e os impactos que provoca na qualidade de vida das pessoas, o objeto de estudo escolhido foram os deslocamentos dos passageiros por meio do uso de ônibus na cidade de São Paulo. O modelo proposto integra a tecnologia de identificação por radiofrequência (RFID - Radio Frequency IDentification), em cartões inteligentes, utilizados atualmente para pagar a tarifa, com tecnologias de rastreamento da frota, que, por meio de GPS (Global Position Systems), fornecem informações sobre os locais de circulação dos ônibus. Os resultados obtidos mostram que esta integração pode resolver os problemas da falta de precisão no levantamento de dados sobre os locais onde são iniciadas e finalizadas as viagens de passageiros, bem como tornar sistemáticos os levantamentos de tais dados, sem necessidade de pesquisas manuais, o que representa economia de recursos. Constitui uma proposta inovadora com grande utilidade para ampliar as condições que favorecem a mobilidade urbana e é convergente no desenvolvimento de cidades inteligentes.
This dissertation proposes a technological model for automation for conducting surveys in the public transport sector, in order to contribute to the improvement of data collection, evaluation and maintenance of quality of services rendered to the population. The work is justified by the need to overcome gaps for obtaining information, which affects the management of the public transport system as a whole. Due to the increasing relevance of the issue of urban mobility and its impact on quality of life, the chosen object of study were the passenger movements through the bus use in the city of São Paulo. The proposed model integrates the radio frequency identification technology - RFID, on smart cards currently used to pay the fare, with fleet tracking technologies, which, through GPS (Global Position Systems), provide information on the bus traffic locations. The results show that this integration can solve the problems of lack of precision in data about where passenger trips are initiated and completed as well as make systematic withdrawals of such data without the need for manual searches, saving features. It is an innovative proposal with great use to expand the conditions that improve urban mobility and is convergent to the development of smart cities.

Os sistemas de transporte público por ônibus têm sido cada vez mais relevantes para o desenvolvimento das cidades. Técnicas para melhorar o planejamento e o controle da operação diária dos serviços de ônibus apresentaram melhorias significativas ao longo dos anos, e a previsão do tempo de viagem desempenha um importante papel no planejamento e nas estratégias da operação diária. A antecipação dos tempos de viagem ajuda os planejadores e controladores a evitar os vários problemas que surgem durante a operação diária da linha de ônibus. Ela também permite manter os usuários informados para que eles possam planejar com antecedência a sua viagem. Vários estudos relacionados à previsão do tempo de viagem podem ser encontrados na literatura. Devido a sua dificuldade intrínseca, o problema foi abordado por diferentes técnicas. Resultados numéricos de estudos demonstram o potencial uso de redes neurais em relação a outras técnicas. No entanto, a literatura não apresenta aplicações que incorporem uma retroalimentação das informações contidas em séries temporais, como é feito por redes neuronais recorrentes. A maioria dos estudos na literatura tem sido realizada com dados de cidades específicas e com linhas de ônibus com paradas fixas. A situação que surge em linhas de ônibus sem paradas fixas operadas com micro-ônibus apresenta uma dinâmica diferente dos estudos de caso da literatura Além disso, os estudos existentes não usam o gráfico de marcha como um instrumento de apoio para a previsão do tempo de viagem em ônibus. Nesta tese, estuda-se o problema da previsão do tempo de viagem para linhas de micro-ônibus sem paradas fixas, utilizando as informações básicas do gráfico de marcha. O modelo proposto é baseado em redes neurais recorrentes. Os dados de entrada incluem: (i) a hora de início da viagem do ônibus, (ii) sua posição atual em coordenadas GPS, (iii) o tempo atual e (iv) a distância percorrida após um minuto. As redes são treinadas com dados de uma linha de micro-ônibus da cidade de Porto Alegre, Brasil. Os dados correspondem ao ano de 2015. Os modelos fornecem previsões para a distância percorrida minuto a minuto e para uma janela de tempo de 30 minutos. O modelo desenvolvido foi treinado com um conjunto abrangente de dados de dias úteis, incluindo períodos de pico e fora de pico. Os dados de treinamento não desconsideraram informações de qualquer dia devido à ocorrência de eventos especiais. Concluiu-se que os modelos de redes neurais recorrentes desenvolvidos são capazes de absorver a dinâmica do movimento dos micro-ônibus. A informação produzida apresenta um nível adequado de precisão a ser utilizado para informar os usuários. Também é adequada para planejadores e controladores da operação, pois pode ajudar a identificar situações problemáticas em janelas de tempo futuras.
Public transport systems by bus have been increasingly relevant for the development of cities. Techniques to improve planning and control of daily operation of bus services presented significant improvements along the years, and travel time forecast plays an important hole in both planning and daily operation strategies. Travel times anticipation helps planners and controllers to anticipate the various issues that arise during the daily bus line operation. It also allows keeping users informed, so they can plan in advance for their trip. Several studies related to travel time prediction can be found in the literature. Due to its intrinsic difficulty, the problem has been addressed by different techniques. Numerical results from studies demonstrate the potential use of neural networks in relation to other techniques. However, the literature does not present applications that incorporate a feedback of the information contained in time series as it is done by recurrent neural networks. Most of the studies in the literature have been conducted with data from specific cities and buses lines with fixed stops. The situation that arises in bus lines without fixed stops operated with microbuses present a different dynamics from the literature case studies. In addition, existing studies do not use time-space trajectories as a supporting instrument for bus travel time prediction. In this thesis we study the problem of travel time prediction for microbus lines without fixed stops using the basic information of the time-space trajectories The proposed model is based on recurrent neural networks. The input data includes: (i) the start time of the bus trip, (ii) its current position in GPS coordinates, (iii) the current time and (iv) distance travelled after one minute. The networks are trained with data from a microbus line from the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Data corresponds to the year 2015. The model provide forecasts for distance travelled minute by minute, and for a time window of 30 minutes. The developed models were trained with a comprehensive set of data from working days including peak and off-peak periods. The training data did not disregard information from any day due to occurrence of special events. It was concluded that the recurrent neural network model developed is capable of absorbing the dynamics of the microbuses movement. The information produced present an adequate level of precision to be used for users information. It is also adequate for planners and operation controllers as it can help to identify problematic situations in future time windows.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES
The Public Transportation Systems provides modern technology able to improve operation performance , comfort and safety for the costumers. This work intends to study the uses of Information Technology, its application and results as subsidy for planning and management of public transportation of passangers, predominantly fulfilled by bus. The basic hypothesis of this work is that the technological resources available are not used or are used inadequately by the managers and operators of the public transportation. The work invastigates what is known by quality on public transportation in literature and how it is conceived by the agents envolved: costumers, operators, managers and the community in general. This works shows, still, the basic concepts of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and the details and analysis of applications on public transportation, in special those regarding resources in Information Technology. The details of a survey that aimed to identify which technological resources are used by the organ managers of public transportation, in many city in Brazil, and that should be able to turn in improvements of quality of the system, completed the work. The result of this survey indicated that, even though there is a range of technologies available, the use of this potential is very small, and contributes little for the improvements of quality of the public transportation.
Os sistemas de transportes públicos dispõem de modernas tecnologias capazes de melhorar o desempenho da operação, o conforto e a segurança dos usuários. Este trabalho pretende estudar o problema do uso da Tecnologia da Informação, sua aplicação, e seus resultados como subsídio para o gerenciamento e planejamento do transporte público de passageiros, predominantemente realizado por ônibus. A hipótese básica do presente trabalho é de que os recursos tecnológicos disponíveis não são utilizados, ou são utilizados inadequadamente, pelos gestores e operadores do transporte público. O trabalho investiga o que se entende por qualidade no transporte público na literatura, e como é percebida pelos agentes envolvidos: usuários, operadores, gestores e a comunidade em geral. O trabalho apresenta, ainda, os conceitos básicos dos Sistemas Inteligentes de Transportes, e os detalhamentos e análises das aplicações no transporte público, em especial os referentes aos recursos da Tecnologia da Informação. O detalhamento de uma pesquisa que visou identificar quais os recursos tecnológicos são utilizados pelos órgãos gestores do transporte público, em diversas cidades do Brasil, e que pudessem se traduzir em melhorias da qualidade do sistema, completaram o trabalho. O resultado da pesquisa indicou que, embora exista uma gama de tecnologias disponíveis, a utilização desse potencial é muito pequeno, e pouco contribuem para a melhoria da qualidade do transporte público.

This thesis discusses which transit network structure is the best option to serve urban mobility. As a consequence of the evolution of urban form, cities have undergone a dispersion process of their activities. This fact has caused a change in mobility needs in the last few decades. Mobility networks and services should progressively adapt to the new demand patterns, especially the bus transit network, which has more flexibility to reorganize the deployment of resources at an affordable cost. Three base transit network structures are compared: a radial scheme, a direct trip-based network, and a transfer-based system. An analytical model is used to estimate the behavior of these structures for idealized monocentric mobility patterns with several degrees of concentration. This is made atop two street patterns, grid and ring-radial. The thesis aimed at determining the right range of situations for the applicability of each bus network structure, and providing guidelines about the transit network planning process. It turns out that the best structure is not always the same, and depends on the mobility spatial pattern. A radial network is the best alternative in very concentrated cities; however, a direct trip-based system is more suitable for intermediate degrees of dispersion. A transfer-based structure is the best option when the activities are more decentralized. Nevertheless, the decentralization degree that justifies a specific transit structure is not constant. This degree depends on the characteristics of the city, transport technology and users. The street pattern atop the network is designed also affects on the range of applicability, especially on the cut-off point between direct services and transfer-based networks. However, the different network structures follow the same behavior in front of urban dispersion and changes on input parameters in both street patterns. The analysis of O-D matrixes gives a first approximation about in which decentralized scenario a city is. Therefore, given that decentralization, the arising question is what network structure is the most suitable alternative for its transit system. Barcelona (Spain) is an instance where a change of bus network structure from direct services to a transfer-based scheme is justified. The analytical network design model is applied to design a transfer-based bus network for this city. The eventually proposed network, called the Nova Xarxa, covers the whole city by 28 corridors. The final design improves the level of service, reducing by 4.12% total travel time for the pre-existing bus demand. However, the new bus network design has an important handicap, a greater number of transfers. The Nova Xarxa is being deployed in a multiple-step implementation process. It is an opportunity to test the conventional wisdom that states that transit riders are averse to transfers and that consequently bus networks should be designed to limit their number. This thesis examines data from the first three deployment phases of the Nova Xarxa. It is found that the lines of the Nova Xarxa are already carrying more passengers than the old lines they replaced. Furthermore, this demand has increased disproportionately with the number of lines opened for service in each phase, revealing the existence of network effect. At the end of 2015, the percentage of trips that involved a transfer was approximately 26%, and it will reach 44% once the Nova Xarxa is completed in 2018.
Esta tesis analiza que estructura de red de transporte público es la mejor opción para servir la movilidad urbana. Como consecuencia de la evolución de la estructura urbana, las ciudades han experimentado un proceso de dispersión de sus actividades. Este hecho ha causado un cambio en la necesidades de movilidad en las últimas décadas. Las redes y servicios de movilidad deben progresivamente adaptarse a los nuevos patrones de demanda, especialmente la red de transporte público de autobús, la cual tiene más flexibilidad para reorganizar la utilización de los recursos a un coste razonable. Tres estructuras base de red de transporte público son comparadas: un esquema radial, una red basada en conexiones directas, y un sistema basado en transferencias. Un modelo analítico es usado para estimar el comportamiento de estas estructuras para idealizados patrones monocéntricos de movilidad con diferentes grados de concentración. Esto es realizado sobre dos patrones de calles, una malla rectangular y otra radial-circular. La tesis pretendía determinar el correcto rango de situaciones para la aplicabilidad de cada estructura de red de autobuses, y proporcionar directrices sobre el proceso de planificación de la red de transporte público. Resulta que la mejor estructura no siempre es la misma, y depende del patrón espacial de la movilidad. Una red radial es la mejor alternativa en ciudades muy concentradas; sin embargo, un sistema basado en viajes directos es más adecuado para grados intermedios de dispersión. Una estructura basada en la transferencia es la mejor opción cuando las actividades están más descentralizadas. Sin embargo, el grado de descentralización que justifica una estructura específica de transporte público no es constante. Este grado depende de las características de la ciudad, la tecnología del transporte y los usuarios. El patrón de calles sobre el que la red está diseñada también afecta al rango de aplicabilidad, especialmente al punto de cambio entre los servicios directos y redes basadas en transferencias. Aún así, las diferentes estructuras de red siguen el mismo comportamiento frente a la dispersión urbana y cambios en los parámetros de entrada en ambos patrones de calles. El análisis de matrices O-D da una primera aproximación sobre en qué escenario de descentralización una ciudad se encuentra. Por lo tanto, dada esta descentralización, la pregunta que surge es qué estructura de red es la alternativa más adecuada para su sistema de transporte público. Barcelona (España) es un ejemplo donde se justifica un cambio de estructura de red de autobuses desde servicios directos a un esquema basado en transferencias. El modelo analítico para el diseño de red se aplica para diseñar una red de autobuses basada en transferencias para esta ciudad. Esto proporciona un plan de diseño que se utiliza como objetivo para desarrollar un plan maestro real detallado. La red finalmente propuesta, denominada Nova Xarxa, cubre toda la ciudad con 28 corredores de fácil comprensión, líneas no tortuosas, frecuencias más altas y puntos de transferencia ubicuos. El diseño final mejora el nivel de servicio, reduciendo un 4.12% el tiempo total de viaje de la demanda del autobús preexistente. Sin embargo, el nuevo diseño de la red de autobuses tiene una desventaja importante, un mayor número de transferencias. La Nova Xarxa está siendo desplegada en base a un proceso de implementación de varias etapas. Es una oportunidad para poner a prueba la sabiduría convencional que indica que los usuarios del transporte público son reacios a transferir y que en consecuencia las redes de autobuses deben ser diseñadas para limitar su número. Con el fin de responder a esta pregunta, esta tesis analiza datos de las tres primeras fases de despliegue de la Nova Xarxa. Se halla que las líneas de la Nova Xarxa ya están llevando más pasajeros que las viejas líneas que reemplazaron. Además, esta demanda se ha incrementado de manera desproporcionada con el número de líneas implementadas en cada fase, revelando la existencia del efecto red. A finales de 2015, el porcentaje de viajes que suponían una transferencia fue de aproximadamente un 26%, y alcanzará el 44% una vez que se haya completado la Nova Xarxa en 2018. Por lo tanto, los números desmienten la sabiduría convencional.
Aquesta tesi analitza quina estructura de xarxa de transport públic és la millor opció per servir la mobilitat urbana. Com a conseqüència de l'evolució de l'estructura urbana, les ciutats han experimentat un procés de dispersió de les seves activitats. Aquest fet ha causat un canvi en les necessitats de la mobilitat a les últimes dècades. Les xarxes i serveis de mobilitat deuen progressivament adaptar-se als nous patrons de demanda, especialment la xarxa de transport públic d'autobús, la qual té més flexibilitat per reorganitzar la utilització dels recursos a un cost raonable. Tres estructures base de xarxa de transport públic són comparades: un esquema radial, una xarxa basada en connexions directes, i un sistema basat en transferències. Un model analític és utilitzat per estimar el comportament d'aquestes estructures per idealitzats patrons monocèntrics de mobilitat amb diferents graus de concentració. Això és realitzat sobre dos patrons de carrers, una malla rectangular i una altra radial-circular. La tesi pretenia determinar el correcte rang de situacions per l'aplicabilitat de cada estructura de xarxa d'autobusos, i proporcionar directrius sobre el procés de planificació de la xarxa de transport públic. Resulta que la millor estructura no sempre és la mateixa, i depèn del patró espacial de la mobilitat. Una xarxa radial és la millor alternativa en ciutats molt concentrades; no obstant això, un sistema basat en viatges directes és més adequat per graus intermedis de dispersió. Una estructura basada en transferències és la millor opció quan les activitats estan més descentralitzades. Encara que el grau de descentralització que justifica una estructura específica de transport públic no és constant. Aquest grau depèn de les característiques de la ciutat, la tecnologia del transport i els usuaris. El patró de carrers sobre el que la xarxa està dissenyada també afecta el rang d'aplicabilitat, especialment al punt de canvi entre els serveis directes i xarxes basades en transferències. No obstant això, les diferents estructures de xarxa segueixen el mateix comportament enfront de la dispersió urbana i canvis en els paràmetres d'entrada en tots dos patrons de carrers. L'anàlisi de matrius O-D dóna una primera aproximació sobre en què escenari de descentralització una ciutat es troba. Per tant, donada aquesta descentralització, la pregunta que sorgeix és quina estructura de xarxa és l'alternativa més adient pel seu sistema de transport públic. Barcelona (Espanya) és un exemple a on es justifica un canvi d'estructura de xarxa d'autobusos des de serveis directes a un esquema basat en transferències. El model analític per al disseny de xarxa s'aplica per dissenyar una xarxa d'autobusos basada en transferències per aquesta ciutat. Això proporciona un pla de disseny que s'utilitza com a objectiu per desenvolupar un pla mestre real detallat. La xarxa finalment proposada, denominada Nova Xarxa cobreix tota la ciutat amb 28 corredors de fàcil comprensió, línies no tortuoses, freqüències més altes i punts de transferència ubics. El disseny final millora el nivell de servei, reduint un 4.12% el temps total de viatge de la demanda de l'autobús preexistent. No obstant això, el nou disseny de la xarxa d'autobusos té un desavantatge important, un major nombre de transferències. La Nova Xarxa està sent desplegada d'acord amb un procés d'implementació de diverses etapes. És una oportunitat per posar a prova la saviesa convencional que indica que els usuaris del transport públic són reticents a transferir i que en conseqüència les xarxes d'autobusos deuen ser dissenyades per limitar el seu nombre. Amb la finalitat de respondre a aquesta pregunta, aquesta tesi analitza les dades de les tres primeres fases de desplegament de la Nova Xarxa. Es troba que les línies de la Nova Xarxa ja estan portant més passatgers que les velles línies que van reemplaçar. A més, aquesta demanda s'ha incrementat de manera desproporcionada amb el nombre de línies implementades en cada fase, revelant l'existència de l'efecte xarxa. A finals del 2015, el percentatge de viatges que suposaven una transferència va ser d'aproximadament un 26%, i assolirà el 44% una vegada que s'hagi completat la Nova Xarxa en 2018. Per tant, els nombres desmenteixen la saviesa convencional.

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Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior
Recognizing the importance the workplace has on mental health of the individual, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the burnout syndrome and the sources of physical and emotional wear which permeate the work conditions of the urban public transport system of the city of Natal. Although existent in international literature, research on burnout in the professional transport category and studies directed to this category are not a tradition in Brazil. The research was carried out using 412 drivers and money-changers of two transport companies of Natal. To collect the data, two questionnaires and a semi-structured interview were used. The first instrument, developed and validated during the research, investigated the sources of wear and the second, the syndrome of burnout. As its main results, two sources of empirical wear were identified as follows: (1) the Conflict of Values and the Lack of Justice at the Workplace, (2) Union and Reward. Besides these, it was observed that there is an incidence of the syndrome of burnout among the drivers and money-changers of urban transport by bus, not only in the caring occupations studied before in Natal and Brazil and that this incidence is related to the sources of wear which permeate the work conditions of these professionals
Reconhecendo-se a import?ncia que o local de trabalho tem para a sa?de mental do indiv?duo, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a rela??o entre a s?ndrome de burnout e as fontes de desgaste f?sico e emocional que permeiam ?s condi??es de trabalho do setor de transporte coletivo urbano da cidade de Natal. Embora exista na literatura internacional pesquisa sobre burnout, na categoria profissional de transporte, n?o ? tradi??o, no Brasil, estudos direcionados para essa categoria. A pesquisa foi realizada com 412 motoristas e cobradores de duas empresas de tranporte de Natal. Para realiza??o da coleta de dados foram utilizados dois question?rios e uma entrevista semi-estruturada. O primeiro instrumento, constru?do e validado durante a pesquisa, investigou as fontes de desgaste e o segundo a s?ndrome de burnout. Como principais resultados, foram identificadas duas fontes de desgaste emp?ricas a saber: (1) o Conflito de Valores e a Falta de Justi?a no Trabalho, (2) Uni?o e Recompensa. Al?m disso, observou-se que h? incid?ncia da s?ndrome de burnout entre os motoristas e cobradores de transporte urbano via ?nibus, tanto quanto nas ocupa??es de cuidado estudadas anteriormente em Natal e no Brasil e ainda que essa incid?ncia est? relacionada ?s fontes de desgaste que permeiam as condi??es de trabalho desses profissionais

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mode choice modelling is an important and versatile tool that can aid decision makers with transit related strategies and scenario planning. The traditional approach to modelling public transport is labour intensive and requires many resources. The expensive nature of developing mode choice models can also act as a deterrent for developing a model. Not having access to a functional mode choice model can force decision makers to make important decisions without having access to proper information. There is therefore a need to provide a simplified solution for developing a functional mode choice model that can be developed and maintained with fewer resources. This research project explores the possibility of developing a simplified alternative approach to public transport modelling that can model mode choice behaviour with the same degree of accuracy as traditional models. The modelling steps employed in this research project were the typical four step demand modelling approach, but the principles employed differ slightly. The focus area of this research project is the development of simplified utility functions and the calibration thereof. Typical mode choice models coincide with many assumptions, variations and uncertainties. In this research project the proposed utility functions are simplified by incorporating most of the assumptions and intangible components of the utility function into a single station to station specific calibration factor. The hypothesis is that a simplified alternative approach to the utility functions can still provide a model that is purpose built and functional. The application of the proposed mode choice model is to model the mode choice between the Gautrain and private vehicles as the major mode of transport.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2006.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-168).
Financing public transport through public funds is a common practice that can be justified on different grounds: equity, natural monopoly and, particularly with the increasing motorization rate, externalities produced by private transport (congestion, pollution, road accidents) especially in urban areas. In addition, there is a belief that transport investments support economic growth, in particular transit investments because they help fostering the agglomeration effect. Whether local or national tax sources should be used for subsidizing public transport is a fairly recent question, at least in Europe where, historically, countries used to be very centralized. Several national policy reviews as well as academic papers suggest that the reforms aiming at decentralizing power and responsibility for urban public transport management lead to successful outcomes. Yet, there is no literature on the effects of decentralization of tax raising on public transport provision although an increasing number of subnational governments reports a mismatch between transferred resources and devolved responsibilities and the public finance literature indicates that decentralization of finance authority can improve the results of decentralization reforms .
(cont.) The objective of this thesis, thus, is to test if the theoretical benefits of fiscal decentralization (i.e. decentralization of taxing power in addition to management responsibilities) apply to the urban public transport sector and to what extent. Using a sample of five European cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Milan and Stockholm) in decentralized countries as case studies, the thesis identifies three major outcomes of fiscal decentralization. First it increases the expenditure in public transport infrastructure. Second it increases the entrepreneurship of the local policy-makers. Third it generally improves the predictability of the revenues and therefore helps planning in the medium to long term. On the other hand, the research also shows that there is no increased willingness to tax at the local level therefore the stability of funding and its adequacy to the needs is not guaranteed by local fiscal autonomy. The thesis moreover suggests that a mixed system of national dedicated taxation and local capacity to incrementally adapt the tax rates is an optimal scheme for financing local public transport. Finally, in light of the case studies, the thesis provides some recommendations to Transport for London (TfL), in order to guide the ongoing debate on the necessity of increased fiscal autonomy for the local authorities in the UK to solutions that are likely to improve TfL's situation.
by Giorgia Favero.
S.M.

Thesis: Ph. D. in Transportation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-220).
After decades of academic research, urban accessibility metrics are beginning to see adoption in transportation and metropolitan planning practice. Such metrics capture the potential for reaching destinations enabled by transport (e.g. number of jobs available within a given commute time), not just the mobility benefits accruing from the use of transport (e.g. time and emissions reductions for a given commute), and have well-established advantages. From a transportation equity perspective, for example, measuring the potential for reaching destinations instead of actual travel avoids bias against groups who travel infrequently due to current or historical barriers to access. This dissertation elaborates on how accessibility concepts complement theories of urban planning and social space before considering two related extensions of accessibility metrics for public transport planning. First, drawing on collaborative planning literature, and using mixed-methods including pre-test/post-test survey designs, various versions of interactive mapping tools were tested in public workshop settings. The outcomes of these workshops suggest that accessibility concepts can improve public involvement in transit planning. Suitability for broad public participation applications, however, requires accessibility to be easily customizable and tailored to constraints that users find salient. Constrained accessibility metrics are the second focus of this dissertation. Adjusting accessibility metrics to account for unreliability in actual transit operations, matching and competition in destination opportunities (e.g. jobs), and capacity in transit networks, may help align these metrics more closely with users' personal experience. Spatial analysis techniques are used to implement some of these adjustments and show that they strengthen correlations with broader urban outcomes of interest, such as employment and use of healthcare resources. The concluding part of the dissertation discusses how these findings can inform substantive and procedural dimensions of public transport planning and urban policy.
by Anson F. Stewart.
Ph. D. in Transportation

The thesis has as a general aim to analyse if and to what extent automated urban transport systems (AUTS) can provide more sustainable mobility in urban areas. AUTS is defined as a transport system with the following properties. AUTS consist of a fleet of road vehicles with fully automated driving capabilities for passenger transport on a network of roads with on-demand and door-to-door capability. The vehicle fleet is under control of a central management system in order to meet a particular demand in a particular environment. Key Findings are that various related systems and technologies which provide one or more of the functionalities of AUTS have proven to be feasible and to provide some of the benefits anticipated for AUTS. A number of early AUTS applications have already been used or tested since 1997; these systems have proven to be safe and reliable, but various perceived risks so far delayed a wider implementation. Users and stakeholders were able to envisage the potential of AUTS to improve urban mobility, but some concerns remained at this stage over technology being mature enough for systems in mixed traffic. After having used the system, public acceptance increased, as due to the innovative characteristics of AUTS, users who had no direct experience with the system before, developed a different attitude. AUTS vehicle performance parameters including acceleration, deceleration, and jerk are below benchmark values for comparable systems in terms of comfort and safety levels for passengers. AUTS as part of the multi-modal public transport system and with accompanying measures can improve .network efficiency and reduce travel times. The research has shown that there is large potential for AUTS to provide more sustainable mobility in urban areas. But a number of implementation barriers have been identified, which so far have hindered a more widespread and large-scale implementation of AUTS. Future work in this field therefore has to address these issues and to develop means to overcome these barriers in order to realise the potentials of AUTS. Furthermore sensor technologies and robotics algorithms have to be further improved, and new vehicle, infrastructure and operational concepts have to be developed for larger and more advanced systems.

Thesis (MTech (Town and Regional Planning))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004
Urban environments are by their very nature vastly complex with regard to the way they operate and how they perform in terms of quality of life. The influence of public transportation on the urban environment was highlighted by the erstwhile South African Minister of Transport, Mr Abdulah Mohamed Omar (Department of Transport 1999) when he said that in order to ensure sustainable urban environments, public transportation needs to be the preferred mode of motorised transportation in our cities. In order for this target to be reached, as set by the Minister, it is clearly necessary that the public transportation system operates at its optimal level and that existing deficiencies be identified and addressed. One typical, under-achieving element in the public transportation systems of cities in the developing world is in fact the Public Transport Interchange (PTI). The quality of PTls and their surrounding urban environments has been seriously neglected and ignored in the past. Evidence strongly suggests that PTls have the potential to provide fundamental preconditions for social and economic development locally and in some instances in the wider metropolitan context. For this potential to be realised, a set of performance measures needs to be identified specifically for PTls as an evaluating tool and to guide upgrades and new developments. However, before such performance measures can be proposed, a full understanding of what a positive urban living environment could be in the context of PTls, needs to be developed. In summary, the objective of this research project is to address the existing shortcomings associated with Public Transport Interchanges by setting performance indicators for evaluating and developing PTls in the developing world context, with specific emphasis on Cape Town, South Africa.

The city of Pittsburgh, PA has been losing population since the steel trade imploded in the 1970â s. Every decade, the city lost more inhabitants and began to be hollowed out in the typical fashion of a Rust Belt city. For the first time in four decades, the city saw a rise in population in 2008. Indications show that Pittsburgh is becoming a successful post-industrial city. The average age of the population also lowered, indicating a brighter future. Pittsburgh recently has gained national distinction, being named Americaâ s â Most Livable Cityâ by Rand McNally (2007), Forbes (2010) and The Economist(2011). With museums, theaters, a budding arts scene, and three successful professional sports teams, the city is brimming with urban amenities. In many ways, Pittsburgh has been seen as the example that other Rust Belt cities should follow if they too are to transition into the post-industrial age. However, during the challenging economic times over the past forty years, Pittsburgh has missed out on investing in public transit infrastructure. If Pittsburgh is to continue to shed its Smoky City image and further its urban renaissance, it must invest in a modern, comprehensive and integrated regional transit system. The system will act as stitching to reconnect Pittsburghâ s urban fabric to its riverfronts as well act as a catalyst for redevelopment of its hollowed neighborhoods. This thesis offers a design for such a system, ranging from the macro scale of a regional network to the micro scale of hub station details. Each chapter examines the situation on a progressively smaller scale and the design principles in each scaleâ s examples can be applied throughout the transit network.
Master of Architecture

Nelle ultime decadi, l'incremento dell'efficienza di un Sistema di Trasporto Pubblico urbano (STP) sta assumendo un ruolo chiave nello sviluppo della società moderna. Ciononostante, la realtà è piuttosto lontana da un "mondo STP ideale", in cui i Trasporti Pubblici urbani non hanno particolari problemi nel fornire servizi efficaci ed efficienti nelle grandi citta. La realtà ci racconta che i gestori dei sistemi di trasporto urbano, nella maggior parte delle grandi città, stanno incontrando difficoltà sempre crescenti a mantenere alti livelli di efficienza. Per rispondere a questi problemi, in questo lavoro, vengono presentate tre proposte differenti. Innanzitutto è stato realizzato un framework volto a facilitare la progettazione di un sistema di monitoraggio nel settore dei trasporti pubblici, adottando lo standard europeo Transmodel come modello di riferimento. Il sistema proposto viene realizzato partendo dalla definizione di una "Knowledge Base" rappresentante una concettualizzazione del dominio del trasporto pubblico, al si sopra della quale vengono sviluppate una serie di funzionalità "logic-based". La seconda soluzione proposta consiste nell'implementazione di un algoritmo di previsione utilizzato per predire il tempo di arrivo alla fermate dell'autobus nelle aree urbane, permettendo di migliorare la percezione dei viaggiatori sulla qualità del servizio offerto. Negli ultimi anni, oltre ai modelli formati da un singolo algoritmo (chiamati "Modelli semplici"), sono emersi modelli formati dalla composizione di più algoritmi (chiamati "Modelli ibridi"). In questo lavoro viene fornita una panoramica di "Modelli ibridi" confrontandone, allo stesso tempo, le prestazioni con "Modelli semplici" applicandoli ad un caso di studio reale. Da tale studio emerge che i "Modelli ibridi" superano le prestazioni "Modelli semplici" in ogni esperimento eseguito. Il terzo modello proposto si focalizza sullo studio di una metodologia "umbalanced" applicabile a sistemi di visione per risolvere le problematiche legate alla gestione del traffico, come, ad esempio, la ricerca di parcheggi. A tale scopo viene sviluppata un'applicazione software per ottimizzare la fruizione dei parcheggi minimizzando, allo stesso tempo, il traffico causato dalla ricerca degli stessi. A causa della mancanza di dati utilizzabili, al fine di valutare comunque la qualità della metodologia proposta, tale modello è stato testato con il problema di rilevamento automatico di edifici a partire da dati aerei LIDAR. Il problema della Building Detection automatica a partire da dati aerei, in letteratura, rappresenta un dominio applicativo notoriamente "difficile" da affrontare, a causa lo squilibrio che caratterizza i set di dati utilizzati. Il metodo proposto sfrutta l'algoritmo di Baesyan Vector Quantizer (BVQ) ed, al fine di verificarne l'efficienza in domini applicativi fortemente "umbalanced", è stato confrontato con altre metodologie note, come Adaboost o Metacost, in un vero e proprio caso di studio reale. I set di dati utilizzati sono formati da quattro classi fortemente sbilanciate (edificio, vegetazione alta, vegetazione bassa e strade) ed i risultati ottenuti hanno dimostrato che BVQ supera le prestazioni delle altre metodologie nella totalità degli esperimenti eseguiti.
In the last years, the significance of improving efficiency of urban Public Transport Systems (PTSs) is taking a key role in the development of modern society. In an ideal world, urban PTSs have no particular problems in providing effective and efficient services that improve the Quality of Life (QoL) of people living in big urban areas. An efficient service would also help to solve some additional problems, such as air pollution and traffic congestions that often afflict high density urban areas. The reality, however, is that urban transportation systems in most big cities are far from ideal. Managers of PTSs services are experiencing ever greater difficulties in maintaining high levels of efficiency due to the ever-increasing congestion affecting the major urban centers. In order to face these issues and, at the same time, improve the efficiency of PTSs services, three different proposals are introduced. First, a framework, aimed to ease the design of a monitoring system in the public transport domain, has been realized by adopting the European standard Transmodel as reference model for a generic PTS system. The proposed framework is built around the definition of a knowledge base that includes a conceptualization of the public transportation domain, on the top of which a set of logic-based functionalities are developed. The second improvement proposed, consists in the implementation of a forecasting algorithm in order to predict arrival time at bus stop in urban areas that allows to improve the travelers' perception of the Quality of Service offered. In literature, several type of algorithms have been tested in order to predict arrival time at bus stops. However, in recent years, in addition to models formed by a single algorithm (called Simple Models), models formed by the composition of more algorithms (called Hybrid Models) have emerged. An overview of Hybrid Models has been performed by comparing them with Simple Models in a real-world case study from which resulted that the Hybrid Models outperform Simple Models in every experiment performed. The third improvement proposed regards the study of the impact of an "umbalanced" methodology in vision systems able to solve various issues related to traffic management such as parking discovery and occupational turnaround in order to develop a software application to optimize their employment and, in the same time, minimize traffic caused by parking lot search. Unfortunately PluService company, which provided the data to develop the entire work, had no dataset that can be used for the proposed purpose, and, for this reason, in order to assess the quality of the proposed methodology, it has been tested with building detection problem from LIDAR aerial data. Building Detection from aerial data, in literature, represents a notoriously "difficult" application domain to face, cause the imbalance that characterizes the datasets used. The proposed method takes advantage of the Baesyan Vector Quantizer (BVQ) algorithm and, in order to verify its efficiency in strongly umbalanced application domains, it has been compared with other well known methodologies, like Adaboost or Metacost, in a real-world case study. The datasets used are formed by four strongly imbalanced classes (building, high vegetation, low vegetation and streets) and the obtained results demonstrated that BVQ outperform the other methodologies applied in the totality of experiments performed.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-89).
The French tendering system for urban public transport services, introduced by the Sapin law in 1993, has often been criticized for its lack of competition. In order to check the relevance of this criticism, this thesis examines the degree of competition in the French market, using two surveys of the outcomes of tenders in the urban public transport networks outside the Paris region. The first one was conducted by the CER TU ( Centre d'Etudes sur les Reseaux, les Transports, l'Urbanisme Et les Constructions Publiques) in 1996. The second survey, undertaken in 1999 as part of this thesis research, focused on networks serving a population over 200,000 inhabitants and is based on the official minutes of the organizing authorities on the deliberation of the delegation of urban public transport services, and interviews conducted with organizing authorities, operators, and several organizations involved in urban public transport in France. Based on these two surveys, it is established that there is a small number of participants in most French tenders and that the operators in general lack competitive behavior. From this evidence, the thesis identifies five reasons for the lack of competition in the French tendering system. One obstacle is regulatory: labor law L122.12, which imposes the renewal of employment contracts on the new incumbent. The other four obstacles are: asymmetries among bidders, high tendering costs, high operation risks, and the OA' s perceived failure to conduct a fair selection. A literature review of the relevant theories on competition, industry concentration and tendering, is conducted in order to support the analysis of obstacles to competition in French tendering with the necessary theoretical background. It is then shown that all the five factors are barriers to entry, and that they should be removed, or at least reduced, in order to stimulate the entry of new competitors and therefore true competition. The thesis concludes with a presentation of a set of three strategies to improve the competition in the French market, that could be implemented within the current regulatory framework, that is to say, without modifying labor law L122-12. For each strategy, the tradeoffs between increased competition and effectiveness and quality of service are discussed. The first strategy consists of the reduction in the bundle size of service to be tendered out. The second strategy proposes a reduction of contract duration, and the third strategy consists in the improvement of the specification and selection process. It is recommended to combine all three strategies together for maximum impact on competition; this impact may however be modest, as a major barrier to entry, labor law L122-12, has not been removed. The modest increase in the number of bidders that could be achieved may still lead to an improvement in competition, and therefore in price.
by François-Xavier Duporge.
S.M.

Nesta tese, nós apresentamos uma compilação de três artigos de otimização aplicados no contexto de transporte urbano de ônibus. O principal objetivo foi estudar e implementar heurísticas com base em Pesquisa Operacional para otimizar problemas de (re)escalonamento de veículos off-line e on-line considerando várias garagens e frota heterogênea. No primeiro artigo, foi proposta uma abordagem heurística para o problema de escalonamento de veículos múltiplas garagens. Acreditamos que as principais contribuições são o método de geração de colunas para grandes instâncias e as técnicas de redução do espaço de estados para acelerar as soluções. No segundo artigo, adicionamos complexidade ao considerar a frota heterogênea, denotada como multiple depot vehicle type scheduling problem (MDVTSP). Embora a importância e a aplicabilidade do MDVTSP, formulações matemáticas e métodos de solução para isso ainda sejam relativamente inexplorados. A principal contribuição desse trabalho foi o método de geração de colunas para o problema com frota heterogênea, já que nenhuma outra proposta na literatura foi identificada no momento pelos autores. Na terceira parte desta tese, no entanto, nos concentramos no reescalonamento em tempo real para o caso de quebras definitivas de veículos. A principal contribuição é a abordagem eficiente do reescalonamento sob uma quebra. A abordagem com redução de espaço de estados, solução inicial e método de geração de colunas possibilitou uma ação realmente em tempo real. Em menos de cinco minutos, reescalonando todas as viagens restantes.
In this dissetation we presented a three articles compilation in urban bus transportation optimization. The main objective was to study and implement heuristic solutions method based on Operations Research to optimizing offline and online vehicle (re)scheduling problems considering multiple depots and heterogeneous fleet. In the first paper, a fast heuristic approach to deal with the multiple depot vehicle scheduling problem was proposed. We think the main contributions are the column generation framework for large instances and the state-space reduction techniques for accelerating the solutions. In the second paper, we added complexity when considering the heterogeneous fleet, denoted as "the multiple-depot vehicle-type scheduling problem" (MDVTSP). Although the MDVTSP importance and applicability, mathematical formulations and solution methods for it are still relatively unexplored. We think the main contribution is the column generation framework for instances with heterogeneous fleet since no other proposal in the literature has been identified at moment by the authors. In the third part of this dissertation, however, we focused on the real-time schedule recovery for the case of serious vehicle failures. Such vehicle breakdowns require that the remaining passengers from the disabled vehicle, and those expected to become part of the trip, to be picked up. In addition, since the disabled vehicle may have future trips assigned to it, the given schedule may be deteriorated to the extent where the fleet plan may need to be adjusted in real-time depending on the current state of what is certainly a dynamic system. Usually, without the help of a rescheduling algorithm, the dispatcher either cancels the trips that are initially scheduled to be implemented by the disabled vehicle (when there are upcoming future trips planned that could soon serve the expected demand for the canceled trips), or simply dispatches an available vehicle from a depot. In both cases, there may be considerable delays introduced. This manual approach may result in a poor solution. The implementation of new technologies (e.g., automatic vehicle locators, the global positioning system, geographical information systems, and wireless communication) in public transit systems makes it possible to implement real-time vehicle rescheduling algorithms at low cost. The main contribution is the efficient approach to rescheduling under a disruption. The approach with integrated state-space reduction, initial solution, and column generation framework enable a really real-time action. In less than five minutes rescheduling all trips remaining.

O tema central deste trabalho tem como o escopo a identificação das centralidades formadas em conseqüência da mobilidade e acessibilidade determinadas pelo sistema de transporte urbano de massa para os moradores de baixa renda do Distrito de Pedreira no município de São Paulo. A autonomia de cada município na gerência do seu próprio sistema de transporte coletivo urbano condiciona muitos moradores, para as compras, a se dirigirem a locais mais distantes de suas residências, por exemplo, o Largo 13 de Maio em Santo Amaro, apesar da disponibilidade de um comércio bem estruturado nas proximidades, no município vizinho de Diadema. Para alguns moradores, a distância para Santo Amaro é de 18 km enquanto Diadema se localiza a menos de 2 km. A escolha do centro habitual para as compras, em algumas situações, pode ser irracional em termos de distância e tempo. Alguns modelos racionais de localização do comércio, como o de Christaller, não se verificam no Distrito de Pedreira em conseqüência das características do sistema de transporte de massa. A estrutura da rede social dos moradores do Distrito de Pedreira possibilitou a determinação dos níveis hierárquicos de cada um dos centros de comércio objetos deste estudo. Com base em uma amostra de 135 moradores as medidas de centralidade grau, posicionamento e proximidade forneceram os parâmetros necessários para a identificação dos centros de níveis hierárquicos mais elevados os quais foram o Largo 13 de Maio, Shopping Center Interlagos e Diadema. Os resultados de equivalência estrutural possibilitaram a identificação das principais áreas de influência e a maioria delas se localiza fora dos limites geográficos do Distrito. Os produtos de baixa freqüência de demanda são os determinantes para o estabelecimento dos níveis hierárquicos mais elevados. Existe uma forte relação entre os padrões de distribuição do comércio e os níveis hierárquicos dos centros. A análise espacial, realizada com a ajuda dos recursos do sistema de informações geográficas, foi utilizada para o estudo desses padrões. Após o georeferenciamento dos pontos de comércio objetos deste trabalho, os resultados das estatísticas globais Morans I e Getis Ord G indicaram a existência de formação de grupos ou clusters, bem como, da dependência espacial em relação ao padrão de distribuição do comércio. O uso das estatísticas locais Morans I e Getis Ord Gi* permitiram a identificação dos principais centros que mais contribuem para a caracterização dos padrões de agrupamento do comércio e também indicaram as grandes semelhanças existentes entre todos os centros secundários analisados. Dentro do perímetro de um raio de 3 km a partir do centro médio dos moradores, notamos que existe somente o comércio de vizinhança, que atende apenas as compras de freqüência baixa ou diária, obrigando os moradores a deslocarem alguma distância significativa, para efetuarem as compras de produtos de demanda de baixa freqüência, como exemplo, no Largo 13 de Maio.
The main purpose of this study is the analysis of centralities regarding the mobility and the accessibility as a consequence of urban transport system in Pedreiras district, São Paulo, therefore the focus of attention is on peripheral poor residents. Each city is autonomous, to manage its urban transport system, then bus users residents go shopping in far trade center area, as Largo 13 de Maio in Santo Amaros district, instead of purchasing in a well structured commercial center in the neighborhood as Diademas city. The distance from Pedreira to Santo Amaro is 18 km, for many residents, on the contrary the distance to Diadema is up to 2 km. Sometimes the normal trade centers used by the consumers are irrational in terms of time and distance. Some rational trade center localization model, as Christallers central place theory, does not work in Pedreiras district because of this distinct urban transport system between São Paulo and Diadema. Pedreiras district social network, built with a sample of 135 residents, has been used to obtain the hierarchical level of each target trade areas. The centrality positions as degree, betweeness and proximity permitted the identification of hierarchical levels, the most important are Largo 13 de Maio, Shopping Center Interlagos and Diadema. The areas of influence have been defined by social network equivalence´s results and the localization of most of them is outside Pedreiras district boundaries. The low frequency demand goods are fundamental to determine the higher hierarchical levels. Strong relationship between the trade area cluster patterns and their correspondence hierarchical levels has been obtained. The spatial analysis has been developed using geographical information system techniques. After geocoding the target trade points, general Morans I and Getis Ord G indexes indicate the commercial activities cluster patterns spatial dependence evidence. Local Morans I and Getis Ord Gi* statistics have shown the most important trade areas, that are more significant to explain their cluster patterns, it also indicated that all of the secondary trade areas are similar. In a 3 km perimeter from the residents mean center point, the business structure attends mainly high or daily demand frequency. Therefore residents travel significant distance, as to Largo 13 de Maio, to purchase their durable goods.

A crescente demanda por movimentação de pessoas e mercadorias nas cidades contemporâneas vem exigindo das administrações públicas investimentos em sistemas de circulação coletiva de alta capacidade (trens, metrôs, etc.). Do ponto de vista espacial, a implantação desses sistemas no interior das cidades pode causar efeitos, como, por exemplo, mudanças na acessibilidade, no uso do solo e nos fluxos entre as regiões. Pode haver valorização ou desvalorização de determinadas áreas, induzindo à ocupação e ao adensamento de certas zonas, até mesmo, promovendo o surgimento de novas centralidades. Esses efeitos são sistêmicos e de difícil avaliação e antecipação. O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar e descrever os efeitos causados pela implantação de um sistema coletivo de circulação na configuração das cidades. A abordagem adotada pelo trabalho é a da configuração urbana, ou seja, a cidade é tratada como um sistema de espaços inter-relacionados, por sua vez, articulados a um sistema de movimento, uso do solo e centralidades. Toma-se como estudo empírico a implantação do Trensurb (trem metropolitano) na cidade de Novo Hamburgo, RS, ocorrida em 2014. O trabalho aborda o efeito do Trensurb sobre a acessibilidade, a centralidade e a estrutura de centros locais. Também explora o desempenho espacial da localização das estações do Trensurb em termos de sua eficiência na captura de usuários, avaliando a distribuição da oportunidade espacial de acesso ao trem. Por fim, verifica como se alteram as vantagens locacionais para oferta de serviços na cidade, após a implantação do trem. A metodologia utiliza técnicas e modelos desenvolvidos no campo dos sistemas configuracionais urbanos, tendo como referência dois cenários de análise: com e sem a presença do Trensurb. Os resultados permitem uma discussão quantitativa e qualitativa das principais alterações detectadas e reafirmam a importância desse tipo de abordagem para contribuir com a compreensão de problemas urbanos complexos.
The increasing demand in contemporary cities for circulation of people and goods has been requiring huge government investments for more efficient high capacity collective circulation systems (e.g., trains and subways). In the spatial point of view, these systems implementation in the cities can cause different impacts such as accessibility, land use and regional flows changes. Real estate appreciation or depreciation of certain areas may occur, leading to the occupation and consolidation of certain zones, and even fostering the emergence of new centralities. All these impacts are systemic and difficult to assess and anticipate. This research aims to analyze and describe the impacts caused by the implementation of a collective circulation system in the configuration of cities. The urban configuration approach is adopted, i.e., the city is addressed as an interrelated spaces system, which hinges a circulation system, land use and centrality. As empirical study, the city of Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has been chosen, where a metropolitan train, Trensurb, has been implemented in 2014. This study discusses the impact caused by Trensurb on urban accessibility and centrality and over the structure of local centers. It also exploits the spatial performance of the location of Trensurb stations in terms of their efficiency in achieving users and evaluates the distribution of the spatial opportunity of train access. Finally, this study verifies how the locational advantages for service offering change within the city, after the implementation of the new train. The methodology is based on models and techniques developed in the field of urban configurational systems, with reference to two scenarios analyses: with and without the presence of Trensurb. The results enable to quantitatively and qualitatively discuss the main changes detected in the system and to reaffirm the relevance of this approach to contribute to the understanding of complex urban problems.

Purpose - Transport is a common constant variable found in just about every aspect of our lives as well as commercial activities; this is so because transport enables accessibility to people, places and goods. The effective management of public passenger transport operations is a more complex and all-embracing concept than what it may appear at first glance. Wider dispersed work place locations and urban sprawl is on the rise driven by among other factors the increased rate of globalisation. A unique opportunity is then presented in a developing country like South Africa for effective planning and management of public passenger bus operations. In the main, the purpose of this case study research was to develop a more sustainable public passenger transport bus operation to better connect people, places and goods. The organisation that will be studied is Blunden Coach Tours a luxury and semi-lux coach Tour operator, operating from the Nelson Mandela Bay. Design / Methodology / Approach – This study employed the case study research approach which was based on the qualitative research paradigm as such allowed for in-depth description and analysis of the case as well as related phenomena in real world context. The researcher focused only on the public passenger bus transport operations in Nelson Mandela Bay thus assuming a single context focus with a single case namely the development of a more sustainable public passenger transport operations in Nelson Mandela Bay. An embedded multiple unit of analysis strategy was employed selecting a sample of key persons responsible for strategic operational areas at Blunden Coach tours, sub-contractors and suppliers. The case study employed an in-depth probing interview process in an effort to better comprehend occurrences within the actual context of the events observed. The secondary sources of information gathered were used to structure and backup the interview questions. Practical implications – The case study enabled thought provoking insight which by virtue of South Africa’s historical socio-economic landscape offered an unusual perspective of the South African bus transport scene with a particular focus on environmental, regulatory and socio-economic sustainability considerations. A limitation to the study – The lack of responses to the interview questions from some of the key role players in the bus industry who were contacted as well as some of the respondents interviewed. The lack of responses to some of the interview questions could be perceived as a limitation to validating the Summary drawn from the study.

O presente trabalho propõe a implantação de um sistema de consulta por telefone para usuários de transporte coletivo, baseado num Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG), oferecendo dentre outras informações referentes ao sistema de transporte público, as rotas ótimas entre origens e destinos informados pelos passageiros. Este sistema se fundamenta em uma base de dados ampla e atualizada, com uma grande gama de informações sobre a rede de transporte público, incluindo: cadastro de logradouros, malha de circulação viária, pontos de parada e itinerários de linhas de ônibus. Escolheu-se como estudo de caso o sistema de transporte coletivo da cidade de São Carlos - SP, cujas principais informações foram obtidas na forma cartográfica e transferidas para o formato digital, via mesa digitalizadora e através de rotinas específicas do software. Os dados espaciais e atributos, necessários a aplicação do sistema proposto, foram processados em um software para SIG, denominado TransCAD, que constitui uma poderosa ferramenta de planejamento, gerência, operação e análise de sistemas de transporte. Os resultados aqui obtidos indicam que é viável implementar um sistema de consulta dessa natureza em cidades de porte médio, sem grandes investimentos, desde que haja interesse, mão-de-obra qualificada e um treinamento prévio dos técnicos que irão operá-lo, como condições essenciais para o sucesso do projeto.
The purpose of this study is to proposes the implementation of a transit information system based on a Geographic Information System (GIS). The new system is designed to offer information by telephone about the public transportation system, such as the optimal paths between the origins and destinations provided by the system\'s users. This query system is based on a broad and updated database, which contains a large amount of information on the city\'s transit network, including the names of all the city\'s street, the network of streets accessible by bus, bus stops and routes. The public transportation system of the city of São Carlos, located in the state of São Paulo, was selected for a case study. Both spatial and nonspatial data needed for the application of the proposed system were processed in the same GIS software, called TransCAD, which is a powerful tool for planning, management, operation, and analysis of transportation systems. The basic geographic information has been transferred from printed maps - the main sources of this type of data - to digital format with the help of software routines and a small digitizing tablet. The results obtained in this study suggest that the system can be easily implemented in medium-sized brazilian cities, without the need for significant investments. The basic requirements for the success of this kind of project are as follow: a qualified staff to implement the system, and some prior training for the technician who is going to operate the system.