Guarded by Gamora: How Access Control Balances Out Waiting Times in Transport Systems

TL;DR

This paper proposes an access control algorithm for transport systems with periodic cabins, aiming to balance waiting times across stations by dynamically limiting boarding, demonstrated through ski lift simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dynamic access control algorithm that effectively balances waiting times in periodic transport systems using empirical data.

Findings

The algorithm balances waiting times across stations.

It performs well with estimated passenger rates.

Simulation results validate the approach.

Abstract

A transport system with passengers traveling between stations in periodically arriving cabins is considered. We propose and evaluate an access control algorithm that dynamically limits the number of passengers who are allowed to board the current cabin. Simulation of a ski lift using empirical passenger data suggests that such access control can balance out the average waiting times at different stations. The algorithm works well with estimated values of the passengers' arrival and de-boarding rates.