The Optibus Blog
Thoughts about scheduling, planning, mass transit, technology, algorithms and more.
Helping Transit Agencies Create A COVID-19 Exit Strategy At No Cost
Now that parts of the world are considering the next stage of managing the pandemic – how to gradually reverse lockdown and revive the economy while attempting to keep contagion rates down – the time has come to evaluate different exit strategies for public transit as well. Optibus is offering no-cost help to do this.
The Case for Roster Optimization
Bus operations are complex, and so is scheduling. It is a combination of craft and science, and transportation operators devote considerable energy to getting vehicle and crew scheduling (aka blocking and runcutting) right. They do this to ensure efficient operations, cost savings, on-time performance and regulatory (and labor rule) compliance.
Yet, the same amount of energy isn’t always applied to rostering.
Generating COVID-19 Alternative Plans For Transit Operations
With the COVID-19 virus disrupting the movement of people around the world, we’ve been getting requests from Optibus customers about how to prepare alternative service plans to deal with the challenges posed by the pandemic. Hard decisions will need to be made about reducing service in ways that cause the least harm in the present,…
Helping Transit Agencies Manage COVID-19 With No-Cost Alternative Service Plans
Movement in and between cities is being reduced around the world in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving public transit agencies to figure out how best to provide transit service while minimizing the spread of the virus and contending with expected drops in ridership and driver availability.
Here at Optibus, we have employees who are quarantined and are dealing with the severe disruption COVID-19 has on our work. We have received numerous requests from transit agencies to help create contingency plans.
We’d like to help.
What Do Public Transportation Operators Think About The Efficiency Of Their Service?
We are strong believers that in the case of public transportation, efficiency needs to be both measured and managed. When transportation efficiency is measured, it can produce many insights, enabling agencies and operators to check whether their resources are allocated to offer the best possible service.
Everything You Wanted To Know About Other People’s Rostering Practices
We were wondering whether public transportation uses optimization to ensure that overtime is under control and to create rosters that better serve drivers. We now know the answer, at least with respect to US transportation operators we had surveyed: 71% of them do not use optimization as part of the process.
The Rostering Practice That Makes Life More Fair For Bus Drivers
Where would we be without bus drivers? Your bus routes might be perfect and your schedule meticulous, but a lack of drivers can leave cities, transportation companies and passengers stranded. Driver shortage caused transportation delays across the U.S. last year and is projected to intensify in the UK as driver job applications from Europe dry…
11 Tips And Tricks To Win More Transport Business
Tenders are serious business – many companies bid and only one wins. There is no second place. You can either win business for new routes, agencies or areas or lose the bid
2019 In Transportation Innovation At Optibus
Hop aboard to see a few of the ways we brought innovation to mass transit in 2019. Sneak a peek at one of our 2020 highlights at the bottom. This year we made it possible to plan routes directly on up-to-date maps that integrate with the timetable, enabled multiroute planning to improve service and…
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