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Optimal public-transport operational strategies to reduce cost and vehicle's emission.

ABSTRACT: Public transport passenger demand is inevitably made non-uniform because of spatial and temporal land use planning. This non-uniformity warrants the use of public transport operational strategies to attain operating efficiency. The optimization of these strategies is commonly being done from the operator perspective, and indirectly from the user perspective. However, the environmental perspective of these strategies, in terms of vehicle's emission, has not been investigated. This study proposed a methodology to analyze the benefits of using transit operational strategies to reduce operating cost and eventually also to reduce undesirable emissions. First, a strategy-based optimization model is established to minimize the number of transit vehicles required. Four candidate operational strategies are considered in this model, including full route operation (FRO), short turn, limited stop, and a combination of limited stop and short turn. Second, the pollutant emissions of transit vehicles are estimated by the MOVES emission model. The developed methodology is applied to a real life case study in Dalian, China. Results show that the use of operational strategies can not only significantly save the number of vehicles by 12.5%, but also reduce emissions of pollutants (i.e., CO2, HC, CO, NOx, PM2.5) by approximately 13%, compared with applying FRO strategy exclusively. In addition, both benefits can be further enhanced through the use of an efficient payment mode (e.g., off-board or contactless card) or improving bus performance in deceleration/acceleration as well as doors opening and closing at a stop.

SUBMITTER: Tang C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6070237 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Optimal public-transport operational strategies to reduce cost and vehicle's emission.

Tang Chunyan C Ceder Avishai A Ge Ying-En YE

PloS one 20180801 8

Public transport passenger demand is inevitably made non-uniform because of spatial and temporal land use planning. This non-uniformity warrants the use of public transport operational strategies to attain operating efficiency. The optimization of these strategies is commonly being done from the operator perspective, and indirectly from the user perspective. However, the environmental perspective of these strategies, in terms of vehicle's emission, has not been investigated. This study proposed ...[more]

PMID: 30067806

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Project description:The interaction between transport and chemistry is pivotal for local ozone (O3) concentration, especially for a coastal region where the upstream sources might change diurnally. In the current emission control policy, most pollutants, such as particulate matter, SO2, NOx, and CO, decrease while the annual O3 trend might increase due to the complex feedbacks of precursors. In this study, we investigate the influence of transport upon the wintertime O3 diurnal trend over ZuoYing Kaohsiung, an urban coastal site in southern Taiwan, by constructing a two-dimensional numerical model coupling both physical mechanisms and core chemical processes and provide a feasible emission control strategy. The transport process (i.e., import vs. export) for the daytime is determined using the Leighton Ratio (Φ), the ratio of O3-production over O3-loss rate, under the pseudo-steady-state condition. Φ shows a deviation of -9 to +13% from the photo-stationary state, and experiences a transition from import effect before 10:15 to weakening import or net export effect afterward associated with a net O3 production as sea breeze starts developing. The significantly higher Φ derived from observation than from simulation by a factor of 1.35 might be resulted from the over-reported NO2 due to NOy contribution on the NO2 measurement, and the influence of aerosol and cloud possibly reducing ∼30% on applied NO2 photolysis rate constant, associated with aerosol optical depth of 0.75 ± 0.15 and single scattering albedo of 0.85 ± 0.15. In this studied NOx-saturated regime, the addition of sea breeze convergence over the land enhances the maximal O3 by ∼10%, mainly due to the O3 accumulation (∼88%). Furthermore, the ozone isopleth analysis as a function of non-methane hydrocarbons and NOx emissions provides an achievable strategy to decrease both maximum daily ozone and the increment of ozone from morning to maximum by reducing hydrocarbons and NOx emissions, which can also eliminate the additional nitrate contribution on the aerosols. Highlights • Leighton Ratio variation illustrates the transition of the ozone transport process.• Transport causes the noontime O3 time lag under pseudo-steady state conditions.• AOD and SSA are derived under the apparent photo-stationary condition.• Sea breeze convergence increases O3 primarily via physical accumulation.• A feasible emission control strategy is proposed by superposed isopleth diagrams. Ozone, Photochemistry, Leighton Ratio, Sea Breeze, Ozone Isopleth

Project description:The corona virus disease pandemic (COVID-19) is one of the recent issues that spread in the world, which disrupted life, impacted the economy, and led to heavy losses, whether for government sectors or private companies. This paper focuses on the Kuwait public transport company KPTC and Kuwait Airways' experience during the pandemic, since they incurred major losses due to the decline of their users. Public transport is a place to catch COVID-19, as it is subjected to the use of a large number of passengers daily within a small closed environment. The causes that led to the spread of the virus among public transport users and develop solutions to limit its spread and preserve public transport pioneer's safety were discussed in the paper. Additionally, the environmental impact resulting from the reduction of public transportation using was also addressed. Data was obtained from the KPTC, Kuwait Airways office, the Ministry of Health (MOH) database, and the Environment Public Authority (EPA) database. A questionnaire was distributed to public transport users to determine the reasons for the decline in its user's number and their aspirations to reconsider their use and ensure their satisfaction. For airplane data, the risk of importation of COVID-19 was calculated. For KPTC data, COVID-19 impact on the emissions generated per passenger-km was computed where the emissions were estimated by MOVES. The survey responses were statically analyzed using the chi-square test on the SPSS program, and they were compared to numerical analysis results. The results showed the impact of COVID-19 on people's willingness to use public transportation which was associated with the increase in the number of buses to implement social distancing has negatively affected the environment. Thus, a comprehensive strategy solution was presented consisting of three basic approaches: providing a healthy, risk-free environment for public transportation users, achieving social distancing at a low cost to offset the losses, and ensuring a healthy environment.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Approximately one-quarter of all pregnancy- and delivery-related maternal deaths worldwide occur in India. Taking into account the costs, feasibility, and operational complexity of alternative interventions, we estimate the clinical and population-level benefits associated with strategies to improve the safety of pregnancy and childbirth in India. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Country- and region-specific data were synthesized using a computer-based model that simulates the natural history of pregnancy (both planned and unintended) and pregnancy- and childbirth-associated complications in individual women; and considers delivery location, attendant, and facility level. Model outcomes included clinical events, population measures, costs, and cost-effectiveness ratios. Separate models were adapted to urban and rural India using survey-based data (e.g., unmet need for birth spacing/limiting, facility births, skilled birth attendants). Model validation compared projected maternal indicators with empiric data. Strategies consisted of improving coverage of effective interventions that could be provided individually or packaged as integrated services, could reduce the incidence of a complication or its case fatality rate, and could include improved logistics such as reliable transport to an appropriate referral facility as well as recognition of referral need and quality of care. Increasing family planning was the most effective individual intervention to reduce pregnancy-related mortality. If over the next 5 y the unmet need for spacing and limiting births was met, more than 150,000 maternal deaths would be prevented; more than US$1 billion saved; and at least one of every two abortion-related deaths averted. Still, reductions in maternal mortality reached a threshold ( approximately 23%-35%) without including strategies that ensured reliable access to intrapartum and emergency obstetrical care (EmOC). An integrated and stepwise approach was identified that would ultimately prevent four of five maternal deaths; this approach coupled stepwise improvements in family planning and safe abortion with consecutively implemented strategies that incrementally increased skilled attendants, improved antenatal/postpartum care, shifted births away from home, and improved recognition of referral need, transport, and availability/quality of EmOC. The strategies in this approach ranged from being cost-saving to having incremental cost-effectiveness ratios less than US$500 per year of life saved (YLS), well below India's per capita gross domestic product (GDP), a common benchmark for cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Early intensive efforts to improve family planning and control of fertility choices and to provide safe abortion, accompanied by a paced systematic and stepwise effort to scale up capacity for integrated maternal health services over several years, is as cost-effective as childhood immunization or treatment of malaria, tuberculosis, or HIV. In just 5 y, more than 150,000 maternal deaths would be averted through increasing contraception rates to meet women's needs for spacing and limiting births; nearly US$1.5 billion would be saved by coupling safe abortion to aggressive family planning efforts; and with stepwise investments to improve access to pregnancy-related health services and to high-quality facility-based intrapartum care, more than 75% of maternal deaths could be prevented. If accomplished over the next decade, the lives of more than one million women would be saved.

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Optimal public-transport operational strategies to reduce cost and vehicle's emission.

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Optimal public-transport operational strategies to reduce cost and vehicle's emission.

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