A multi-attribute performance measurement model for advanced public transit systems

Public transit systems are subject to irregularities due to traffic, weather conditions, and incidents along the route. Transit agencies usually employ real-time control strategies in order to remedy the specific problems as they occur. Recently, new technologies, such as automatic vehicle location systems and global positioning systems, have made it possible to design advanced public transit systems. In such systems, an accurate performance measurement that helps managers and controllers with monitoring and control of operations is an essential task. This article presents a new approach to measuring the performance of services in advanced public transit systems. The novelty of the work presented herein lies in integrating two operation control tools, which are schedule and headway adherences applicable respectively to high and low frequency services. These control tools aid managers in depicting deviations in schedules and take proactive corrective actions to effectively prevent service interruptions. A new mathematical model is developed and illustrative numerical examples are provided.