Synchronous hybrid transport network design

Delay, as an inevitable real-world phenomenon, is usually ignored in transport network design. A model of urban hybrid transport system with stochastic delay was created on the basis of the idealized public transport system design. After formulating the total trip time cost composed of accessing time in the sub-region of the city, waiting time at the public transport station, and in-vehicle time in the public transit network, the analytical properties of the total trip time cost function were investigated. The results show that in the urban hybrid transport network design, the total trip time cost reaches its approximate minimum in a δ-neighbourhood of buffer time of 1.5 min, and that through modelling optimal delay in hybrid transport system, the maximal synchronization can be achieved and operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction can be improved. The proposed modelling and analytical investigations are attempts to contribute to more realistic modelling of future idealized public transport system that involves more practical constraints.