Design of a decision support tool for assessing the performance of public bus system alternatives

The objective of this project is to design a simulation model to assess the performance of a public bus system currently being considered for the Greater Beirut Area (GBA).  Specifically, a bus route network is proposed consisting of 11 lines operating out of 13 stations and using 95 buses to cover the GBA, and would require the construction of new infrastructure (bus stations, bus stops, dedicated lanes, management system…).  This project requires the following main tasks:

  1. Forecasting the passenger demand for the proposed route network using appropriate statistical methods.
  2. Assessing the performance of the proposed system (i.e. route network, number of buses, bus stops, and frequency of service) in terms of covering the expected demand, and proposing improvements as needed.
  3. Identifying and costing the new infrastructure requirements.
  4. Pricing the passenger fare to recover capital investment and operate the system profitably over the medium to long term.

Assessing the sustainability impacts of the system (e.g. cost savings compared to private car, reducing traffic congestion and emissions…).

Project Details