Comparative study of the local public transport operations by simulation

—Case study of Joso city—

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze an appropriate operation for the local public transport such as community bus and demand responsive transit (DRT) having been or being operated by Joso city, Ibaraki prefecture. Detailed operation data of DRT including service routes, operation time, geographic pick-up and drop points of travels are used. Our analysis focuses on service level of users, service distance, carbon dioxide emission and fuel consumption calculated from GPS-based log data. By simulating comparison between community bus and DRT, and the effect of changes in operation parameters, for instance, the number/size of vehicles, we discuss whether the operation of local public transport is appropriate.