Exploring Service Concentration, Service Coverage and Resourcing in Urban Bus Networks

Transport authorities have decisions to make about the deployment of public transport vehicle resources on urban bus networks. Spreading out services improves coverage but can dilute service frequency. Concentrating resources can improve frequency but also acts to increase walk access distance which raises concerns over equity. This thesis explores the trade-offs between service concentration, service coverage and resourcing in urban bus networks and their effect on ridership through applying theoretical network modelling and empirical analysis of Melbourne’s bus network. Results suggest investing in service frequency instead of area coverage can increase ridership, but there are limits to service concentration.