Poster #85 - Queueing Theory Applications to Optimize Service Delivery in Public Transportation Systems in India

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

Background: Queuing theory is not new, but it has only recently begun to be used effectively in various areas. Long waiting times in any transportation system are considered indicators of poor quality. The chief aim of public transportation is to provide better and quicker service to commuters. The transportation management needs to properly arrange the allocation of vehicles across different routes and the deputation of drivers for efficient and quick service to different populations. The purpose of this research is to present a way of optimizing the use of public transportation to improve service. In transportation systems, passengers often arrive in groups of random sizes and wait for vehicle arrival. Upon arrival, vehicles collect all waiting passengers up to maximum capacity before promptly departing. However, operators may employ vehicle-dispatching strategies to optimize performance, minimizing costs by delaying or cancelling departures to avoid uneconomically small loads.

Methods: This study employs a multi-channel queuing model with Poisson arrival and exponential service time to optimize vehicle allocation across routes by analyzing arrival patterns and average journey durations for different transportation categories, aiming to reduce waiting times of population to tolerable limits while considering necessity and urgency of travel demands and running the system economically. The objectives of the research are to develop a model for vehicle-dispatching strategies, analyze the impact of dispatching strategies on system performance, and identify optimal dispatching policies for various scenarios to optimize transportation systems. This model is based on group arrivals with random size, vehicle capacity constraints, flexible dispatching strategies, minimizing costs and optimizing performance utilizing stochastic modeling of bulk arrival and service queues in complex systems.

Findings: The analysis provides insights into queueing behavior, waiting times, and system performance in the public transportation for improved efficiency and reduced costs.

Author

• Monali Mal, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author