A Semi-Dynamic Bus Routing Infrastructure based on MBTA Bus Data

As traffic congestion continues growing in urban areas, more and more cities have realized that investment priority should be given to public transport modes, such as bus transit systems (BRT) instead of personal vehicles. Simply put, in congested cities, public transport modes are more efficient than personal vehicles in terms of carrying and moving people around. As city populations grow and as their economic bases shift and evolve, their housing sector adjusts, even more vehicles are expected to enter the roads each day, creating more traffic congestion. The 2012 Urban Mobility Report states that, the lack of public transportation services would have cost commuters an additional 865 million hours of delay. With growing urban population numbers, this number undoubtedly stands higher today (National Express). On average, expanding and optimizing transit services produced an economic benefit of roughly $45 million a year by connecting urban areas in the US. There is no doubt that expanding public transportation use is key to reducing traffic congestion.