Developing and evaluation of an advanced electric micro bus transportation system :Part 2: Advanced on-demand bus system

An advanced on-demand bus system was developed as a part of the project of the "Advanced Electric Micro Bus Transportation System". The on-demand system for buses utilizes an advanced ITS and associated technologies, and it consists of three subsystems. One is the subsystem of wireless communication and navigation in which GPS and limited low-power wireless are applied for flexible operation of bus according to the demands from passengers' mobile phones. Another is the subsystem of traffic simulation to predict the driving condition of buses and other motor vehicles on road for managing the time schedule of the bus operation and estimating energy consumption. The other is the subsystem of estimation of the number of passengers in the model area. Some instruments of the on-demand system were set on the WEB, and the proving tests with actual bus operations were carried out at the model area in Honjo city of Saitama prefecture. For the tests, four normal bus stops and three on-demand bus stops were set in the city area. With this advanced on-demand bus system, the most appropriate route was selected out from the prescribed eight routes in accordance with the passengers' requests. As a result, the designed performances of the on-demand system were confirmed, and the conveniences for passengers' mobility were evaluated.