Development of Performance Indicators Using Vehicle and Crew Scheduling Data Bases

Abstract

This project was initiated by Edmonton Transit and was designed to establish a mechanism to measure the performance of the transit system in the following areas:

Transit network, bus scheduling, run-cutting, and operator’s productivity. A data base was designed for all items and parameters required to calculate the performance indicators for the areas described above. All information contained in the Master Schedules and the Run-cutting data bases was down loaded into that data base. A computer program was designed using dBase III Plus and Clipper to manipulate the data base in order to produce the performance indicators.

The performance indicators can be a powerful management tool. Senior management of a transit system can monitor the changes of the system performance from sign up to sign up and from year to another. And therefore, senior management can use this tool in the strategic planning and in the decision making process in order to enhance the performance of the respective transit system.

Similarly, transit planners and schedules designers can determine the changes in the transit system performance due to service and schedule changes that usually occur from sign up to another. The performance indicator system can be a powerful planning tool that helps in the assessment of the impact of service and schedule changes on the transit system efficiency.