Holding strategies in a bus-route model

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how holding strategies can mitigate clustering delays in bus routes by studying delay growth and comparing different holding methods to improve schedule stability.

Contribution

It introduces a model to study delay propagation and compares the effectiveness of various holding strategies in maintaining schedule stability.

Findings

Holding strategies can significantly reduce delay growth.

Timepoints influence the effectiveness of holding practices.

Different holding methods have varying impacts on system stability.

Abstract

A major source of delays in public transportation is the clustering instability, which causes late buses to become progressively later while the buses trailing it become progressively earlier. In this paper, we study this instability and how to neutralize it using the common practices of holding and schedule slack. Starting with an on-time route, we delay one or more buses at a single stop, and determine how these delays grow over time. We compare the effects of two different types of holding on the stability of the system, and briefly investigate how our results change with the use of timepoints.