We introduce a simple yet efficient approach to optimize the modal fleet size of urban public transportation services, considering both user- and operator-oriented factors. This is envisaged to enhance the potential for achieving sustainable urban transportation systems, and eventually the opportunities for having sustainable cities. The presented constraint optimization approach can be described as follows. First, the expected passenger demand and the cycle time for the public transportation service are estimated. Next, desired constraints and parameters, such as those related to headway and seat supply, are determined. Finally, the optimal combination of different vehicle classes along with the number of trips satisfying all defined constraints are found. The case of an urban area in a developing country is considered. The resulting solution determines the optimal number of public transportation trips and vehicles by mode which would meet the expected passenger demand, provide a high-quality service with acceptable headways for passengers, and, at the same time, reduce the service providers’ costs as well as the environmental impacts. It is also concluded that having a fleet composed of different modes would better facilitate achieving the optimal solution for passengers and service providers compared with the one-mode fleet.

Title

Sustainability

Publisher

MDPI

Publisher Country

Switzerland

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

3.6

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

15

Year

2023

Pages

14