Reducing depot-related costs of large bus operators: A case study in Bangkok

Despite high passenger levels, many bus operators in large cities operate at a loss because of low fares and inefficient operations management. Methods to reduce the operating costs need to be adapted to the operational environment. This paper addresses one such ‘unproductive’ cost: the idle running of buses between depots and routes. Models are developed to tackle the bus allocation problem in which many different brands of buses exist for which maintenance is organised in the depots. Based on assessment using 1992 data for the city of Bangkok, a hierarchical modelling approach is retained. It is shown that important cost savings can be made.