Optimization Model for Headway of a Suburban Bus Route

Table 1

Passenger load LOS and crowding cost of suburban bus routes.

LOS	Standing passenger area (m^2/person)	Crowding cost in vehicle per person (RMB/person)	Comments
A	>1.00	0	No passenger needs to sit next to another
B	0.76~1.00	2	Passengers can choose where to sit
C	0.51~0.75	4	All passengers can sit
D	0.36~0.50	8	Comfortable standee load for design
E	0.20~0.35	16	Maximum schedule load
F	<0.20	32	Crush load

At LOS “A” load levels, passengers are able to spread out and can use empty seats to store parcels and bags rather than carry them on their laps, while at LOS “E,” a bus vehicle is full, and passengers could normally tolerate the full vehicle. LOS “F” represents crush loading levels. Hence, the crowding cost per person, denoted by , varies from 0 to 32, when LOS decreases from “A” to “F.”