<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>TRB Publications Index</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/</link><atom:link href="http://pubsindex.trb.org/common/TRIS Suite/feeds/rss.aspx?subject=Public+Transportation" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><description></description><language>en-us</language><copyright>Copyright © 2015. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright><docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs><managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor><webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster><image><title>TRB Publications Index</title><url>http://pubsindex.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.png</url><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/</link></image><item><title>Elevating Urban Public Transit: Consensus-Based Expert Study on Urban Air Mobility and Aerial Cable Car Integration</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2709303</link><description><![CDATA[Airspace is increasingly emerging as a relevant dimension for urban mobility. Urban cable cars, a prime example of airborne modes, have already succeeded in emerging and developing countries, supplementing conventional public transit. However, aerial cable cars are less prevalent in industrialized nations, and integration with high-quality transit in such countries requires careful consideration. Therefore, this study identifies impacts, challenges, and stakeholders associated with cable cars, determines common challenges, and suggests appropriate use cases. An online consensus-based two-wave expert survey involving 63 high-caliber participants from engineering and consulting companies, public authorities, transit agencies, research institutions and cable car manufacturers yielded more than 4,700 answers. Key findings from consolidated expert knowledge indicated that cable cars could effectively supplement transit in industrialized countries. Positive impacts include connectivity to transit, reliability owing to minimal road-level competition, direct connections over obstacles, and being an attractive transit option. Negative impacts include privacy concerns, property ownership interference, limited access to adjacent sites along routes owing to aerial routing, lower capacity compared with conventional transit, and knowledge gaps. Handling passenger transfers between cable cars and other transit modes owing to height differences and passenger volumes poses service challenges. Transparent communication with stakeholders is crucial for project acceptance. Municipalities, operators/planners, politicians, and manufacturers are key stakeholders. Cable cars are considered a suitable aerial transit mode, with accessibility and safety levels similar to those of traditional transit modes. High demand is anticipated, especially when bridging barriers. In conclusion, cable cars can complement transit and this study provides valuable consensus-proven planning guidance for policy makers and practitioners.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:07:22 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2709303</guid></item><item><title>Optimization of Emergency Bus Bridging Service with Mixed Diesel–Electric Fleets under Metro Disruptions</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2709234</link><description><![CDATA[Metro service disruptions occur frequently in large cities, making emergency bus bridging services essential for maintaining network functionality and reducing passenger delays. With the rapid electrification of urban bus fleets, traditional bus bridging strategies face new challenges related to electric bus state-of-charge (SOC) limits and charging availability, which are often ignored in existing models. This study develops a mixed-fleet optimization framework for emergency bus bridging services that jointly considers diesel buses and electric buses (EBs). Two models are formulated: a standard feeder model (SFM) providing all-stop services, and a combined feeder model (CFM) that supplements standard feeders with limited-stop direct services to serve high-demand origin–destination (OD) pairs. Both models explicitly incorporate EB SOC constraints, charging requirements, and coordinated fleet deployment. A case study based on the December 2023 rear-end collision on the Beijing Subway Changping Line demonstrates that both models can generate feasible emergency response plans under realistic operational and charging constraints. Compared with the SFM, the CFM reduces total system cost from RMB 76,802.99 to 76,752.93. This improvement is driven by a reduction of RMB 322.98 in passenger delay cost, which outweighs an increase of RMB 272.93 in operator cost. Sensitivity analyses are further conducted to evaluate model performance under varying demand patterns, disruption durations, direct-service capacities, and charger availabilities. Results indicate that the CFM performs best under concentrated demand, long-distance trips, and moderate disruption durations, highlighting its effectiveness in reducing passenger delays for high-impact OD flows.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:52:46 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2709234</guid></item><item><title>Max-Pressure Signal Control with Transit Priority and Lane Blockage Mitigation: Considering Dwelling Buses and Permitted Left Turns</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2706338</link><description><![CDATA[Urban traffic congestion remains a critical issue, intensifying with ongoing urbanization and increasing traffic volumes. While “max-pressure” (MP) control has emerged as a robust, decentralized strategy for optimizing intersection signals based on real-time queue dynamics, it traditionally overlooks transit vehicles and real-world complexities such as lane blockages (LB) because of buses dwelling at stops and permitted left-turn movements. This paper introduces an innovative extension of the MP paradigm for right-hand traffic systems, termed “MP-TSP-LB,” which explicitly integrates transit signal priority (TSP) through weighted priority schemes and accounts for LB caused by both dwelling buses and permitted left turns. The proposed approach modifies the conventional MP framework by introducing weight-based prioritization of buses without disrupting overall network stability. Additionally, the model incorporates effective lane capacities by estimating blockage probabilities, applying critical gap acceptance theory for permitted left turns and probabilistic dwell-time distributions for buses. The MP-TSP-LB model was rigorously tested through simulation on a 3 × 3 grid network using the Simulation of Urban Mobility simulation environment. Results indicate that the MP-TSP-LB model significantly enhances network performance across multiple metrics compared with baseline MP formulations. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the model reduces total waiting times and increases average travel speeds for both private vehicles and transit across various demand levels. Incorporating permitted left turns effects significantly improves performance under low-to-moderate demand levels, while modeling dwelling bus blockages becomes increasingly effective as transit service frequency intensifies.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 10:47:37 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2706338</guid></item><item><title>Transit Network Design and Frequency Setting Model Driven by Interchange Stations and Improved NSGA-II Algorithm</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2706169</link><description><![CDATA[The core of the transit network design and frequency setting problem lies in balancing passenger travel efficiency and operator operating costs. However, existing methods generally rely on physical distance to measure site relevance, which makes it difficult to reflect the actual connections between passenger flows. At the same time, existing algorithms are inefficient and produce poor-quality solutions when dealing with multiobjective strong constraint optimization in networks, making it difficult to effectively coordinate the optimization of complex decision variables such as route paths, station attributes, and interchange relationships. To this end, we propose a collaborative optimization framework that integrates graph representation learning and improved multiobjective evolutionary algorithms from the perspective of interchange stations. First, improved graph convolutional networks are used to deeply mine network topology and passenger flow allocation information. Through third-order neighborhood aggregation, high-order feature vectors of nodes are learned, overcoming the limitations of traditional physical distance measurements. Second, a three-layer multipopulation chromosome coding mechanism (route path, station attributes, interchange relationship) and customized genetic operators (chromosome-to-chromosome/intrachromosome crossover, perturbation strategy) based on NSGA-II were designed to effectively handle complex decision variables and construct a mathematical model containing seven types of constraints, including network topology connectivity, passenger flow allocation rules, and operational coordination. Finally, experiments on the Mandl benchmark network showed that this method achieved a minimum total travel time of 199,825.65 min, a maximum direct rate of 98.89%, and a minimum average travel time of 12.76 min on a network with six lines. The proposed method eliminates secondary and higher interchanges and unmet demand in all scenarios, with a single interchange rate controlled between 1.11% and 4.41%. By adjusting the interchange penalty coefficient through sensitive parameters, the Pareto equilibrium between operator costs and passenger travel time is significantly optimized. Compared with existing methods, we show significant advantages in solution efficiency and plan quality, providing a reference for transit network optimization.]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 10:48:02 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2706169</guid></item><item><title>Developing the Fourth Edition of the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2703935</link><description><![CDATA[The objective of this research, prepared in 2023, was to develop the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM), 4th edition, that reflects the latest transit capacity and quality of service research and applications. This research project included a detailed review of transit capacity and quality of service research and applications and identified elements of TCQSM, 3rd edition, that are no longer relevant. This report summarizes work conducted for TCRP Project A-47, “Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM), 4th edition,” that supported the development of the 4th edition and may be of interest to future researchers.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2026 18:35:19 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2703935</guid></item><item><title>Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, 4th Edition</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2703934</link><description><![CDATA[The Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) provides transportation practitioners with varying levels of experience and different types of responsibilities with information, techniques, and resources to support the planning, design, and operation of transit services, facilities, and systems. The manual provides updated, consistent, research-based concepts, data, methods, and guidance for estimating, measuring, and assessing transit quality of service, capacity, and operational performance. The TCQSM 4th Edition consists of eleven chapters, divided into three main topic areas: (a) concepts, (b) methods, and (c) resource material.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2026 18:35:18 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2703934</guid></item><item><title>Differentiated Service Pricing Strategies for Ride Hailing Considering Rational Inattentive Passengers</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2703982</link><description><![CDATA[Considering the ambiguity of passengers’ perception of the real service level of ride hailing, this paper establishes a bi-level optimization model for the pricing strategies of differentiated services on ride-hailing platforms based on the theory of rational inattention. It explores the pricing mechanism of ride-hailing platforms for two optimization objectives (profit maximization and social welfare maximization) under three service strategies (providing both high and low differentiated services, providing a single low service, and providing a single high service). The model is solved using a combination of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and the method of successive averages (MSA). Numerical examples have verified the effectiveness and robustness of the model and algorithm. The results show that under three strategies, the platform profit shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with the increase in the unit information cost. To ensure maximum profit, the platform should disclose the service information of ride hailing as much as possible but also maintain the unknownness of ride-hailing services appropriately. When the goal is to maximize social welfare, when the unit information cost is low, compared with providing a single service strategy, a differentiated service strategy can better meet the differentiated choices of drivers and passengers, thereby ensuring higher social welfare. As the unit information cost increases, the platform needs to reduce the service prices to attract rational inattentive passengers to choose ride-hailing services, thereby improving social welfare. The results can provide references for ride-hailing platforms in formulating pricing strategies for differentiated services.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 16:51:48 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2703982</guid></item><item><title>Interpretation of Equity in a Market of Transit Services in Urban Areas Based on Microeconomics</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2701372</link><description><![CDATA[Urban transit systems function as economic allocation mechanisms that determine who receives mobility services, at what cost, and under what constraints. When the interaction between service provision and user demand is misaligned, structural imbalances emerge as service shortages, excess capacity, and inequitable access. Existing transit equity assessments typically evaluate accessibility or inequality while treating demand and supply as independently determined, overlooking the market dynamics that generate these imbalances. This study develops a microeconomic framework that models transit ridership and accessibility cost as jointly determined using simultaneous demand–supply equations across urban tessellated regions. The resulting market equilibrium is a benchmark for identifying and quantifying unfair allocations (UAs) using consumer and producer surplus. The framework is applied to Nicosia’s bus system before and after restructuring. Although the redesigned system increased ridership by 12%, total UAs and per capita distortions intensified, indicating that improvements in patronage do not necessarily correspond with improvements in equity. By explicitly modeling market interactions, the proposed approach provides a systematic and policy-relevant method for evaluating and addressing fairness in urban transit systems.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 13:47:21 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2701372</guid></item><item><title>Modeling Barriers to Cashless Fare Adoption in U.S. Public Transit Systems</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2701373</link><description><![CDATA[Public transportation agencies worldwide are increasingly adopting cashless fare payment systems to improve efficiency and passenger experience. However, full implementation of cashless systems while omitting the cash option would potentially cut riders without access to requirements, such as smartphones and financial tools, or those uncomfortable with electronic transactions, out of accessible transit mobility. This study investigates transit riders’ acceptance of non-cash payment methods under hypothetical scenarios where onboard cash payments are no longer available. Using a comprehensive structural equation modeling approach, the research integrates several latent behavioral constructs, such as digital access and technological comfort, and incorporates overall transit usage frequency as an observed predictor alongside a latent sociodemographic profile. The analysis is based on a survey of over 2,300 transit riders in three U.S. metropolitan areas. The results highlight technological comfort and habitual payment behavior as the most robust predictors of intention to adopt non-cash fare systems. Digital access and financial tool availability are positively associated with technological comfort, but their direct structural effects are weaker once other behavioral factors are controlled for. Moreover, habitual reliance on cashless payment methods positively influences adoption, whereas habitual cash reliance negatively affects intention to adopt. Findings also indicate that sociodemographic factors, such as income, disability, and gender identity, captured as a latent sociodemographic profile, have strong and systematic associations with riders’ intention to adopt non-cash systems, highlighting critical equity concerns. These results indicate the necessity of equitable transit policies and we suggest practical steps in the form of digital inclusion, such as diversified fare offers and targeted incentivizing programs to bring about inclusive developments toward non-cash fare adoption.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 09:18:58 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2701373</guid></item><item><title>Route-Constrained Optimization Models for Electric School Bus Allocation and Stop Sequencing</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2701299</link><description><![CDATA[This study underscores the growing need to transition from conventional school buses powered by internal combustion engines to electric school buses (ESBs). We propose mixed integer programming (MIP)-based approaches to optimize the allocation of ESBs to predetermined routes while determining their travel paths and bus stop sequences. The problem formulation incorporates heterogeneous ESBs with mixed student loading. Essential factors such as bus seating capacity, battery capacity, energy consumption cost, and procurement cost are considered to determine optimal bus selection and allocation strategies that minimize total expenses. To address this challenge, we introduced two methodologies: a MIP-based optimization model and a two-stage hybrid model that integrates optimization with heuristic approaches. We evaluate the efficiency of the proposed approaches through nineteen computational scenarios and compare their performance. The results indicate that the hybrid model significantly improves computational efficiency for large-scale problem instances, demonstrating its potential as a scalable tool for strategic planning.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 09:18:58 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2701299</guid></item><item><title>From Functional Service to Emotional Engagement: Modeling the Mediated Pathways to Satisfaction in Age-Friendly Public Transit</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2700554</link><description><![CDATA[As populations age, public transit systems face increasing pressure to meet the specific mobility needs and service expectations of elderly passengers. To address these challenges, this study adopts a perception-oriented approach and uses a structural equation model (SEM) to develop an evaluation model for age-friendly public transit. This model integrates refined service attributes with psychological mediating factors and systematically examines how service attributes influence overall satisfaction through both direct and indirect (mediated) pathways. The SEM analysis reveals that three service factors—Adequacy of Age-Friendly Facilities, Service Professionalism, and Environmental Comfort and Convenience—have significant positive effects on overall passenger satisfaction. Meanwhile, two psychological factors—Perceived Safety and Perceived Social Support—emerge as significant mediators linking these service factors to overall satisfaction. Collectively, the findings suggest that improving service quality for elderly passengers requires not only improvements to physical infrastructure and service management, but also attention to psychological pathways related to a sense of safety and emotional connectedness. This underscores the critical role of psychological perceptions in shaping overall satisfaction. Based on these insights, the study outlines targeted, practice-oriented strategies to support future improvements in age-friendly public transit.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 14:37:18 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2700554</guid></item><item><title>Integrating Interdependencies of Demand for Public Transportation, Shared Micro-Mobility, and Land Use Within a System of Equations Modeling Framework</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2698382</link><description><![CDATA[Traditional and emerging transportation services in the form of public transportation and shared micro-mobility services, respectively, along with land use are typically hinted at as significant determinants of sustainable urban planning. This study evaluates the dynamic interrelationships between the demand for public transportation, shared micro-mobility services, and land use characteristics in a car-centric urban environment using a seemingly unrelated regression and two-stage least squares modeling approach. Beyond empirical findings, the study aims to develop a system-of-equations-framework enabling the estimation of interdependent urban mobility components. By analyzing data at the ZIP code level, the study assesses the extent to which factors such as distance to urban centers, road length, types of land use, the ridership of public transportation, and use of shared bikes affect population density. The results indicate that distance to urban center is negatively influenced by building density. While public transportation ridership is positively associated with building density and service frequency—highlighting the importance of accessible and frequent public transportation in dense areas—shared micromobility usage is found to be lower in such settings. This suggests that shared micromobility plays a more complementary role to public transportation in lower-density areas, where it can help bridge access gaps and extend the reach of fixed-route services. Moreover, the analysis on elasticities shows that road infrastructure influences the impacts of urban sprawl. The provided insights on the dynamics of urban mobility and land use can inform policymakers, highlighting the need of integrating transportation and land use planning on advocating sustainable urban mobility.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 10:16:53 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2698382</guid></item><item><title>Risk Control of the Automatic Train Supervision System in Rail Transit Systems: Under a Van der Pol Equation-Based Framework</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2697864</link><description><![CDATA[Automatic train supervision (ATS) systems are a core safety component in metro operations. Its redundant design results in extremely scarce failure data, rendering traditional data-driven risk analysis ineffective. Consequently, existing studies often substitute reliability analysis for risk analysis. To overcome the limitations of static and vague reliability methods, this study employs the van der Pol equation to dynamically quantify inherent risk oscillations in ATS systems, providing managers with actionable control measures. Our paper begins by analyzing ATS risk characteristics and examining the feasibility of using the van der Pol equation to model risk state changes. Then, we establish a risk state equation derived from this framework and analyze the system’s risk dynamics. Finally, to control risk, we integrate a risk control function into the equation. A case study of Beijing Metro Line 2 demonstrates the method’s applicability. The proposed methodology enables accurate risk state judgment, potential risk prediction, and precise control implementation. By applying differential equation theory, it reduces reliance on historical data or expert knowledge while addressing inaccuracies from missing critical data. This work establishes a novel framework for system risk control and offers practical guidance for operators.]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 15:47:06 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2697864</guid></item><item><title>Mitigating General Transit Feed Specification Message Delays Using Time Series Prediction for Transit Signal Priority</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2696109</link><description><![CDATA[As a preferential treatment at signalized intersections, Transit Signal Priority (TSP) remains a key technology for enhancing transit performance. Recently, TSP systems based on General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) Realtime have gained traction in the market, mainly because of their low implementation and maintenance costs. However, leveraging GTFS Realtime messages for TSP presents significant challenges, particularly because of two types of message delays: (1) high latency; and (2) long update intervals. Building on previous work that introduced regression models to compensate for message latency, three new machine learning models are proposed to more accurately predict future vehicle locations while mitigating these delays. To overcome the limitations of earlier regression approaches, a long short-term memory architecture for single-step prediction was developed, a long short-term memory architecture for multistep prediction was developed, and a Transformer-based architecture for multistep time series prediction was developed, which can address interval updating issues. The experimental results show that all three proposed models significantly outperform both previous regression models and five baseline statistical methods. These advancements improve the reliability and accuracy of GTFS-based Automatic Vehicle Location, reinforcing its role as a dependable data source for cloud-based TSP systems.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:19:34 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2696109</guid></item><item><title>Stops, Stares, and Safety: Interview-Based Study on Women’s Public Transport Use in the Himalayan Region</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2691013</link><description><![CDATA[Women’s safety in public transportation systems is a critical determinant of urban mobility, equity, and sustainable development. However, this remains a persistent global challenge that limits women’s freedom of movement. This study investigates the key determinants of women’s safety perceptions and experiences in public transport across urban, rural, and hilly regions of Uttarakhand, India. Using a qualitative research framework grounded in feminist epistemology and interpretive phenomenological analysis, this study employed a multi-theoretical framework that integrated the Theory of Planned Behavior, Theory of Interpersonal Behavior, Behavioral Decision Theory, Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Rational Choice Theory, and the Belief-Action-Outcome model. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 women participants aged 18–65 years, representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and geographical locations within Uttarakhand. Thematic analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework, which revealed complex interactions between individual perceptions, social influences, and infrastructural constraints shaping women’s mobility patterns. Key findings indicate that safety concerns are embedded within family-imposed restrictions, societal stigma, inadequate infrastructure, and fear of harassment, with age-specific patterns and regional disparities particularly pronounced in hilly areas. Participants demonstrated sophisticated adaptive strategies, including real time route changes, technology-driven safety tools, and crowd-avoidance techniques to mitigate risks. This study underscores the urgent need for region-responsive, multilevel interventions that combine technological innovation, social behavior change, and infrastructure reforms. Future research should adopt broader, more diversified samples across different geographic contexts and explore the intersectionality of gender with other identities to design more inclusive safety frameworks supporting evidence-based policy reforms for safer, more equitable public transportation systems.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:48:10 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2691013</guid></item></channel></rss>