TAKING ACCOUNT OF WHEN PASSENGERS WANT TO TRAVEL

People will consider using a bus service only if it takes them where they want to go at the time they want to travel. In most current models and planning techniques the latter point is ignored -some aggregate level-of-service measure is usually made to stand proxy for the details of the bus timetable, despite the fact that the particular times at which the buses run may be of more concern to passengers than the overall quality of the service. This article considers the question of how the exact timing of buses interacts with passengers' lives. A case-study is described which demonstrates techniques which allow us to design bus timings which suit passengers' preferences and, importantly, also enable us to evaluate directly the impact of a change in the level of a bus service on passengers' lifestyles. (TRRL)