How ETS saved $27 M in capital costs with HASTUS-MinBus
Major transit system in Canada
Delivering public transportation services in Edmonton, Canada’s fifth-largest city, ETS’s main aim in using HASTUS-MinBus was to help fulfil its commitment to improve peak service to suburban growth areas and alleviate critical overload situations on specific routes.
How did HASTUS help?
Using MinBus, ETS was able to balance trips and buses among all garages and reduce vehicle requirements during peak periods.
The efficiency gains allowed the redeployment of capital assets to bring about service improvements – without additional capital expenditure.
About Edmonton Transit System
- 80 million rides per year
- 4 garages spread throughout the city
- 700 regular and articulated buses
- Light rail system
- Services 200 regular routes and 200 special/school routes
Stats
49
Buses saved
7%
Entire fleet reduction
$27M
Total savings in capital costs
Highlights
Historical vehicle-scheduling method
Vehicle assignments were typically done separately by garage, based on historical allocations of routes to each garage
Since they did not view the city as a whole network, the interlining possibilities were limited
Objective: all-inclusive overview
Resulting savings would be applied to meet future transit demands
Focus on reducing total bus hours and number of vehicles required at peak time, while maintaining a defined level of service
Efficiently control the use of garages and vehicle groups
Balance trips and vehicles among multiple garages
Minimize the required number of vehicles
Review of the deadhead matrix over the entire network to ensure that it explores all vehicle-blocking opportunities
Generated additional interlining possibilities for increased savings
Better service-curve balance between garages creates a more equitable work environment
Operator duties are more similar among garages and an increased number of straight duties is possible
49 buses saved, representing 7% of its entire fleet, for total value of around $27 million
Resulted from MinBus’s automated vehicle-scheduling processes
By considering the whole network as a single unit, MinBus significantly increased blocking efficiency
The MinBus module enables HASTUS to look at the whole city as a single unit, increasing the blocking efficiency, in Edmonton’s case, by 7%.
Ray LaBrie, Scheduler,
Edmonton Transit System
