Collaborative travel data analysis effort in Dublin leads to 10 to 15 percent reduction in bus travel times.

Dublin City Council and IBM Research collaborate to examine traffic and travel data

Date Posted
12/19/2014
Identifier
2014-B00969
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Big data bonus for Dublin's buses

Summary Information

Facing a 200-unit reduction in Dublin's public bus fleet due to austerity measures, the Dublin City Council (DCC) partnered with IBM Research to investigate methods for capacity optimization. In exchange for access to Dublin's traffic pattern data, IBM has provided expert analyses previously unavailable to the city due to personnel constraints. One output of this partnership has been the tracking of bus journey information utilizing GPS data gathered from on-board automatic vehicle location (AVL) units. Using this data, the DCC's Roads and Traffic Department is able to track travel times and observe variances based on time of day, placement of traffic signals, driver behavior, and other factors. Bus locations are also made available to the public via the agency's website. Current efforts to improve transit signal priority effective utilizing AVL units are currently being evaluated as well.

Results

The combinatory effects of the DCC/IBM partnership initiatives have resulted in:
  • An estimated 10 to 15 percent reduction in bus journey times