Streamlining public transport planning and operations in Vignola
The Challenge
Vignola is a small city in the Modena region of Italy, well connected to the surrounding areas. It has a public transportation network that links it to nearby rural areas, including both city bus lines and routes serving neighbouring towns.
What is the main challenge?
Recent legislation imposing a 30 km/h speed limit in various regions of Italy, including Vignola and Modena, affects public transport vehicles as well. Due to this regulation change, Vignola needs to adjust its public transportation schedules to meet demand without compromising service levels.
The city aims to make its public transport planning resilient to such regulatory changes by evaluating the impact on vehicle numbers, kilometres travelled, frequency, service levels, driver and vehicle scheduling, costs, and more.
The Solution
To address this challenge, a scenario-based, data-driven public transport (PT) decision support system was implemented for the city. To adapt public transport planning to the new speed limits while meeting demand, optimised vehicle and driver scheduling was automatically generated using Cermoni. The municipality also aims to use its resources more efficiently and enhance service quality.
The objective is to improve public transport services with fewer vehicles and lower costs, all while maintaining high service standards, complying with new regulations, and reducing environmental impact.
Within the scope of the study, the timetables of 13 lines from the Vignola movement centre were imported into Cermoni, and a detailed analysis was carried out using standard timetable information such as line length, vehicle type, and average trip duration. Using Cermoni's planning feature, vehicle and driver assignments were made in alignment with the timetable.
One of the pilot’s objectives is to demonstrate that cities of different sizes can digitise and optimise their public transport planning processes affordably. The solution shows that even small cities like Vignola can implement this data-driven, innovative public transport planning system, making more efficient use of resources like vehicles and drivers.
Making an impact
As a starting point, the city now has an adaptable, scenario-based, data-driven decision support system for public transport planning. This system makes their planning process more resilient to varying conditions, such as changing demand, festival seasons, university terms, or regulatory changes like the 30 km/h speed limit addressed in this project.
With Cermoni, Vignola's public transport system has also achieved significant improvements, reducing the number of vehicles from 26 to 24 compared to the previous timetable. A similar reduction was seen in the number of drivers, from 31 to 28, making the timetable more sustainable. This planning process not only cut the number of vehicles but also reduced total mileage and trips per vehicle by 8.3%, leading to lower carbon emissions.
These changes minimised environmental impact while improving service quality. At the same time, reducing the number of drivers streamlined operational processes. These innovative approaches have paved the way for a more efficient, cost-effective, and reduced emissions public transport system in Vignola.
Lessons learnt
- Integration of regulations in public transport planning: successfully incorporating the 30 km/h speed limit regulation into public transport planning requires adaptability in public transport operations. Early coordination and dynamic planning ensures smoother implementation of such regulations in operational parts.
- Data-driven decision making: CERMONI's use of data for optimisation proved the innovative data driven planning tools importance in resilient and sustainable public transportation. This shows that reliable, up-to-date data sources significantly enhance decision-making processes and decision support tools make this data insights for the decision makers.
- Community impact considerations: the pilot highlighted the importance of understanding the local community's needs, especially in adapting to new regulations. Engaging with local stakeholders early on facilitated smoother transitions for both public transport users.
- Continuous monitoring and adjustment: the pilot underscored the importance of continuous monitoring. CERMONI’s dynamic platform handled well the different needs thanks to the close dialogue with its users.