Optimizing urban bus network based on spatial matching patterns for sustainable transportation: A case study in...

Area of Science:

• Urban planning
• Transportation engineering
• Environmental science

Background:

• Rapid economic development and urbanization cause mismatches between urban bus networks and population flow.
• Inefficient bus resource allocation leads to traffic congestion and unmet transit demand.
• Existing urban transportation systems require novel approaches for optimized resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between population flow, traffic congestion, and urban bus resource allocation.
• To develop and validate new indexes for assessing urban bus network performance.
• To propose and compare distinct optimization strategies for enhancing bus network efficiency and environmental impact.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of the Population-Bus Match Index and Population-Congestion Match Index based on spatial matching.
• Development of two optimization strategies: one based on the current network status and another on an idealized scenario.
• Quantification of CO2 emission reduction contributions for each bus station under both strategies.
• Validation of the proposed methods through a case study in Harbin.

Main Results:

• Significant supply-demand misalignment in the bus network during peak hours was identified.
• Nearly 50% of bus stations showed disparities between utilization and saturation.
• The second optimization strategy demonstrated superior overall performance compared to the first.
• The first optimization strategy exhibited a greater contribution to CO2 emission reduction.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights critical inefficiencies in current urban bus network allocations.
• Decision-makers can leverage these findings for environmentally conscious strategy selection.
• The research offers valuable insights for addressing urban transportation challenges and promoting sustainable transit.