The impact of adverse weather conditions on urban bus performance measures

Increases in congestion levels caused by adverse weather conditions are difficult to predict and therefore urban bus operators cannot incorporate appropriate changes into their planning, scheduling, and management decisions. Adverse weather conditions have an impact on the level of service an operator provides. They also result in higher levels of congestion due to an increase of personal car usage. The aim of the research paper is to investigate the impact of adverse weather conditions on urban bus performance measures. The Irish city which is used for this study given its geographical location experiences a maritime climate, dominated by low pressure from the Atlantic bringing cold wet weather with the trade winds. The study includes various types of performance measures such as ridership, frequency, headway regularity and travel time, which are analysed both in the presence and absence of adverse weather conditions. The performance measures include changing variables such as stage and destination, peak and off-peak, inbound and outbound in order to provide a comprehensive analysis. The data used for this research originate from an electronic fare collection system. 46 million individual boarding records are stored in the database. The results of the research paper include the calculation and presentation of various analysed performance measures followed by an extensive interpretation of how this information can support decision-making. The quantitative analysis method aims to improve and adjust planning, scheduling, and management decisions of urban bus operators and thereby alter and improve operations and level of service provided.