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Abstract

Many rural demand-response transportation systems have increased ridership to a level that the systems feel they need technology or increased scheduling and vehicle capacity. Instead of adding resources, capacity can be expanded and performance can be increased by applying a scheduling structure. The scheduling structure proposed in this research applies directly to systems that share specific geographic characteristics. For these areas, trips are assigned to runs based on time and location, which results in increased performance and vehicle utilization. The structure enables trips to be scheduled during the booking process using simple and easy-tounderstand rules that allow the customer to select the appropriate route. This research explains how to establish structured rural demand-response transportation service and enumerates its benefits through a case study consisting of actual service data. The case study shows a reduction in service miles by 27 percent due to implementation of structured scheduling.

DOI

http://doi.org/10.5038/2375-0901.15.3.4

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