Effects of feeder network operations on trunk-feeder network performance: a case study of Mitchells Plain, Cape Town
type: CreativeWork
description: In South Africa, more than 65% of commuters use public transport every day. However, the public transport system which commonly takes the form of a trunk-feeder network is not structured to meet the needs of the different users. Taxis which are informal serve as feeders to an interchange while the trunk services depart the interchange in a scheduled formal manner. Because of this difference in the nature in which the two public transport services operate, it renders the intermodal system uncoordinated. It thus makes it difficult for transport planners to coordinate unscheduled feeder services to the scheduled trunk services. This study investigated how the feeder public transport service configurations and operations on trunk bus services can be integrated and coordinated. The research employed an agent-based simulation tool to model and simulate trunk-feeder operations and further investigate how the configuration and operational characteristics of the trunk-feeder public transport system impact the passenger travel performance. The modelled intermodal operations mimicked typical trunk-feeder operations as follows: passenger arrival at stops to wait for taxis; passengers boarding and alighting along the feeder route; transferring passengers alighting from taxis; and walking through the interchange to connect to their respective trunk services so as to reach their destinations. The output of the validated base simulation model i.e. system characteristics, configurations and parameters were utilized to determine the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in the system. The analysis of the KPIs showed that there is indeed no co-ordination between feeder arrivals and trunk departures, and that this is mostly a result of inefficiencies in current operations in the feeder system. Scenarios were then developed to improve the trunk-feeder model where they focused on improving the efficiency of taxi feeder operations along the feeder route, as well as integrating and co-ordinatin…
abstract: In South Africa, more than 65% of commuters use public transport every day. However, the public transport system which commonly takes the form of a trunk-feeder network is not structured to meet the needs of the different users. Taxis which are informal serve as feeders to an interchange while the trunk services depart the interchange in a scheduled formal manner. Because of this difference in the nature in which the two public transport services operate, it renders the intermodal system uncoordinated. It thus makes it difficult for transport planners to coordinate unscheduled feeder services to the scheduled trunk services. This study investigated how the feeder public transport service configurations and operations on trunk bus services can be integrated and coordinated. The research employed an agent-based simulation tool to model and simulate trunk-feeder operations and further investigate how the configuration and operational characteristics of the trunk-feeder public transport system impact the passenger travel performance. The modelled intermodal operations mimicked typical trunk-feeder operations as follows: passenger arrival at stops to wait for taxis; passengers boarding and alighting along the feeder route; transferring passengers alighting from taxis; and walking through the interchange to connect to their respective trunk services so as to reach their destinations. The output of the validated base simulation model i.e. system characteristics, configurations and parameters were utilized to determine the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in the system. The analysis of the KPIs showed that there is indeed no co-ordination between feeder arrivals and trunk departures, and that this is mostly a result of inefficiencies in current operations in the feeder system. Scenarios were then developed to improve the trunk-feeder model where they focused on improving the efficiency of taxi feeder operations along the feeder route, as well as integrating and co-ordinatin…
author: Birungi, Claire
language: eng
date published: 2017
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:06Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Civil Engineering

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25165