University of Tokyo Reinventing On-Demand Buses

• Japan
• technology
• Tokyo
• transportation

By KenDec 21st, 2009

Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by Captain Giona

Have you heard of ‘on-demand buses?’

As the name implies, the buses run on demand, rather like a large taxi, but without the high price. Costing on par with regular public transport, the buses can be booked to pick you up where and when you want, and take you to your destination without making unnecessary calls at vacant bus stops. While this may seem like an ideal solution to transport problems in rural communities with declining populations, and also a good step for the environment, there are issues with delays, and high running costs that have yet to be overcome.

On-demand buses have actually been operating for around 20 years, but the issues outlined above have prevented them from becoming commercially viable.

It’s an idea that would have great social potential, if only it worked…

That is the situation that the University of Tokyo Engineering Design Lab ‘On Demand Transport Research Team’ has decided to do something about. Advances in GPS and booking systems are enabling the team to overcome the ‘useless’ image that has stuck with on-demand buses, and are currently conducting trials around the county.

So can the University of Tokyo brains really overcome these problems? Let’s take a look.

The research team has developed a computerized system to manage both customer bookings and the bus movements together.
Until now, customers would call an operator (a person), who would then check bookings and routes, before giving instructions to the driver. While this system works fine with a limited number of customers, with a large number of users, the operator dependant system can easily start running late.
As you can see, this isn’t exactly a very practical system.

The team decided to try automating the whole process, from taking bookings, to deciding routes, and giving directions to the drivers. With the newly developed system, users can book through the internet, or dedicated terminals. The computer will calculate the route, and send it to a PDA on the buses automatically, eliminating the potential for human error. In addition, the route calculator receives information from a GPS installed on the buses, and makes allowances for days, times, and weather when planning the route, enabling an accurate schedule, a big reduction in operating costs, and improvement in efficiency.

In contrast to existing systems where the whole package, including the server, must be bought, the new system uses cloud computing, reducing maintenance issues and costs. This means the operator does not need to buy a server, and a remote server can be accessed through the internet. As high initial costs are avoided, the system is viable for short-term trials of just a few months. There’s no doubt this new system will give a boost to the practicality of on-demand buses.

A touch-panel screen set up in a train station for the Kashiwa City trial

But, how can we avoid those annoying delays? Punctuality is essential in our modern busy life, and without ensuring this, the system just wont make the cut.

The key to solving this issue is the concept of flexible time, or ‘leeway’. When users make their booking, they choose whether they want to arrive early, or late. If they choose ‘early’, then this creates ‘leeway’ (around 10 minutes) to arrive early, enabling flexibility to making new stops if necessary. While users may be inconvenienced slightly by arriving early (as they would have had to have left early), because the arrival time is guaranteed, this system has run to great satisfaction in the trials.

In order to reduce environmental impact further, users with a more flexible schedule can choose to go on a slower route. If a user allows 30 minutes for a 20 minute route, this will allow more time for the driver to pick up more passengers. If this option is chosen, fewer buses are needed, and environmental impact is reduced further. Users who choose this option could be offered special eco-points, encouraging continued use of the system. It’s small details like this that set this system apart from anything that has been used in the past.

The booking screen, showing multiple choices

Trials of the new system will begin in a total of 13 regions starting this October. Operators include local municipalities, hospitals, supermarkets, and taxi companies. In Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, two trials by a bus company and local citizens group will start simultaneously. How will these two trials differ, and how will they fair?

According to Tsubouchi, who is leading the development of this system at the University of Tokyo Graduate School, feedback from tests has been encouraging.
‘Existing on-demand buses cater mainly for the elderly. Our system will cater for a much larger range of people, including commuters to work or school. In the Kashiwa City tests, around 90% of people arrived within the set time, and half of the users were commuters. This has proved the punctuality of the service.’

The future of low cost, practical on-demand buses has gotten a step closer. Yanagisawa, a fourth year student at the University of Tokyo who is involved in the research, shared the following. ‘I hope this bus will facilitate communication within the community. We’re developing this system in the hope that people will realize that they can change society by their choice of transport.’

Finally, one important point is that this system should co-exist with existing transport providers. . While there are concerns that the new system will conflict with existing buses, the research team believes that this must not happen. According to the leaflet:

(The system is) developed as a tool for existing transport providers to utilize when re-assessing existing routes that are running at a loss and using huge public funding, or for coming up with new services.

• Areas where regular buses provide a satisfactory service should not be targeted
• Acceptance by existing transport operators should be gained through local transport councils

With such communication with the local community, the new system can co-exist with current services. Might the on-demand bus be the transport system to create the community of the future? Good luck to the University of Tokyo team!

This article is translated from the original Japanese post