Performance Study of University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD) Transit Shuttle Buses

Abstract

Traffic engineering uses engineering methods and techniques to achieve the safe and time efficient movement of people and goods on roadways. The safe and time efficient movement of people and goods is dependent on the transit system performance, which is directly connected to the traffic characteristics. The main parameters of performance of transport shuttles are traffic volume, speed, density and revenue; and all these are evaluated in this study. In the absence of effective planning and traffic management, current road infrastructure will not be able to cater for the future needs of the University. Students, staff and vehicle volumes have increased significantly in the last decade in the Institution, yet the performance of the transport shuttle have been dismal and unable to achieve its objectives. Findings of the study show that the morning peak period (8.00am to 9.00am) has 234 vehicles/hr, evening peak period (2.00pm to 3.00pm) has 284 vehicles/hr, while the offpeak period (11.00am to 12.00pm) has 156 vehicles/hr. The journey time from the Post Office bus stop to the University campus, measured as 34.01 minutes, was too long for the distance of 15.0km road which according to the Nigeria Highway Code should not be more than 18 minutes. The average stopping time was 6.55 minutes, average interval between arrivals of motorists was 16.40 seconds, the average queue length was 14.23 people, and the average waiting time at the bus-stop 4.17 minutes. These values were obtained using the queuing theory and shows much commuters time is lost on transit queues. The financial condition of the transit unit shows that amount generated is less than the amount expended by the transit operators. This means, in effect, that the shuttle bus operators are operating in deficit.