An Overview of Optimum Transit Feeder Network Design

Abstract

The threat of climate change, high travel time, and frequent congestion have prompted people to use transit systems to reach their destinations. The main concern with public transit is its inability to reach each doorstep. To attract urban travelers towards switching from private to public vehicles one has to adopt the concept of last-mile connectivity. To acquaint the concept of last-mile connectivity to users it is essential to identify the modes, which can serve the purpose of providing well-ordered access and egress to users. Traditionally, walking and cycling are the most commonly used modes to reach a transit system but they prove to be much time consuming and laborious in the present context. The paradigm shift of users is possible only if a city has an optimum feeder network for the main transit network in service. It is highly important to design efficient feeder and transit networks that provide fast access to the transit system. Mathematical modeling and optimization of the network is the crux of the problem of design. The present review focuses on an overview of techniques that have been used to design and optimize transit and feeder routes. The techniques have been applied to various systems like fixed route and flexible route systems. The major factors of optimization are cost to the operator and the user.