Continuous Dynamic Optimization (CDO) Technology for Automated Paratransit Scheduling Operations Improved Transit Service Productivity Up to 31 Percent as a Measure of Increased Passenger Trips per Revenue Vehicle Hour.

Survey Data from 11 Transit Agencies Were Used To Assess Impacts of CDO Technologies on Paratransit Services.

Date Posted
05/30/2023
Identifier
2023-B01747
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Continuous Dynamic Optimization Impacts on ADA Paratransit Services: A Synthesis of Transit Practice

Summary Information

Continuous Dynamic Optimization (CDO) is an automated scheduling/dispatching technology designed to enhance efficiency in services like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit and other demand-responsive services. Its inception was driven by the need to effectively manage unassigned trips after dispatchers' working hours and to counteract the decline in productivity and on-time performance experienced on the service day. It originally stemmed from a need to more effectively schedule unassigned trips after the dispatchers leave for the day and to address reductions in productivity and on-time performance that occur on the day of service. Given this, the objective of this study was to document the existing use of CDO for ADA paratransit services in the US. This study conducted an online survey during March 2022 to June 2022 on the practices of 11 transit agencies, which were also interviewed for the case examples. The surveyed transit agencies provided information on the state of the practice and emphasized their lessons learned and challenges.

METHODOLOGY

Based on the online survey, 11 out of 24 agencies confirmed using CDO in their daily operations specifically for ADA paratransit, as some agencies either didn't use CDO or used it for other services. For this final batch of agencies, ADA paratransit services collectively used four technologies provided by different vendors and had different experiences with CDO.  Technologies used included traditional paratransit scheduling software systems used by transit agencies to deploy the software’s CDO in support of their ADA paratransit services, as well as on-demand technology used primarily for microtransit services.

The 11 transit agencies also reflected diversity in location, size, and service model. In addition, the study also interviewed staff from several technology vendors whose CDO capabilities support ADA paratransit services. Some of the interviews led to an online demonstration of the technology. 

FINDINGS

  • Across the six agencies that provided before-and-after data pertaining to CDO implementation, the change in productivity, measured as the number of passenger trips per revenue vehicle hour, ranged from an increase of eight to 31 percent. The average change in on-time performance was a 17 percent increase. The median change was a 15 percent increase. 
  • Six of the transit agencies indicated that the change in operating costs ranged from a 30 percent decrease to a four percent increase, with the average change in operating costs amounting to a 13 percent reduction. 
  • Dispatcher and scheduler labor costs were reduced because of CDO, reporting by 27 percent of the surveyed transit agencies. Across the four agencies that provided before-and-after data, one reduced dispatcher and scheduler labor costs by 40 percent.
  • About half of the responding transit agencies (55 percent) attributed a reduction in customer complaints to the use of CDO. Across the four agencies that provided before-and-after data, the change in customer complaints as a result of CDO ranged from a 100 percent decrease to a 50 percent increase. The average change in customer complaints was a 56 percent reduction. The median change was a 65 percent reduction.
  • The majority of the agencies (73 percent) reported a reduction in real-time problems. 
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