A solution for the last mile problem of the Beijing rapid transit network: Local shuttle bus system

The rapid transit network, comprising subway, bus rapid transit system (BRT) and expressway buses, is the most important part of Beijing´s public transportation system which is accountable for over 40 percent of the total ridership every day. In many cases however, the advantages of the rapid transit network have deteriorated because of the inefficient connections between the rapid transit stations/stops and the origins or destinations, which is often referred to as “the last mile problem”. The plan of the local shuttle bus system offers an all new choice to improve the final leg connectivity of the transportation system. The shuttle buses operate in short circular routes, linking the rapid transit stations/stops and the office buildings, residential houses, apartment buildings and many other sites in local areas together. Buses of smaller sizes are used for these lines not only to avoid the congestion, but also to serve in a short interval of less than 5 minutes. Due to the same reason, the current long-distance bus routes are cut into shorter ones in the new plan. GIS is the key method to determine the certain routes, stops and bus intervals of the local shuttle bus system. Based on the detailed statistics of the population of local areas and the street-level traffic data, an innovative layout of the local shuttle bus system is proposed in this paper, based on the multiple-route, maximal-covering/shortest-path (MSMCSP) model. The models are applied to the local shuttle bus routes in Hepingli area of Dongcheng District, Beijing. Results show that it is possible to improve the efficiency, convenience and comfort of the public transit system by the application of the local shuttle bus system theory. The planning of bus lines is evaluated by the buffer analysis method, to make sure whether it is effective. Cost control problem of the shuttle system is also discussed in this paper.