What other data might you want to look at to better understand the relationship between “gaps” and running/dwell times? How would you use this data?

There exists the simple logic behind the dwell time, moving time and the gap. The more the gap between the two destinations, the more a specified train will stay at a single destination. It will cause the similar impact on the moving time. It can be said that the dwell time and the moving time tend to grow in the similar directions. The other factors that can be considered may include the traffic on a specified station along with the luggage of the passengers which they are carrying. The time taken for loading and unloading the luggage also needs to be considered (Thoreau, 2017).

The descriptive statistics of the data can also help the management to better understand the relationship gap and dwelling time.

Question 2: How would you approach validating ridership data from the bus APC data? What types of errors would you expect to see? What types of checks could you perform using the APC data itself? What other data sources could you compare to? Given limited resources, what types of checks would you prioritize? How would you determine if the output of the model is “good enough” to use?

The key features of the Automated Passenger Counters (APCs) are as given:

·         This technology tends to count the number of passengers getting on and off of buses.

·         It also helps in the on/off counts (i.e., performing the calculations) for the number of people on the bus between stops.

·         Based on the information gathered by making the use of the said technology, the data validation can better be performed on several hundred buses across the system.

·          The scheduled frequency of the bus services can also be evaluated by making use of the APCs (mta, 2019).

Validation of the ridership data from the bus APC data: The data which is gathered by making use of the APCs (on the specified stations) can either include the details related to the buses, the passengers or their luggage. The validation of the ridership data can better be performed by making effective use of the APC data. It can be done by either using the personal identification number of the passenger, the ticket number, the route number or either by using the train number in which the passenger travelled. It is all about the time recorded at which the bus moved from one stop to the other. In other words, the dwell time as well as the moving time for the train better validate the ridership data.

Expected errors: The errors which are expected while evaluating the passenger’s records along with the data of the buses, at the specified stops, may include as given:

·         The system errors while marinating the specified records.

·         The human errors while making the interpretation of the specified data.

·         The buses may arrive late or soon. It can provide misleading results for the specific situations.

Checks to be performed for the APC data: The number of the passengers and the time for the arrival of the buses cannot be determined accurately. There may exist the delay in the time to arrive at the station or the bus may arrive soon. For maintaining the records properly, the only thing that is desirable is to ensure that the system is properly installed and working effectively at the specified stations.

Determining whether the output model is good enough or not: As far as the determination of the output model is concerned, it is fair enough model. It is so because the models provide with the detailed records about the bus arrival, the bus departure, the number of passengers as well as their relevant data. The due consideration is required only for the system testing from time to time. It will provide with the accurate and relevant details regarding the bus systems.

References of Transportation Schedule and Analysis

mta. (2019). MTA: Plan a trip. Retrieved from https://new.mta.info/

Thoreau, R. (2017). Train design features affecting boarding and alighting of passengers. Journal of advanced transportation , 1-9.