Effects of Tram Warning Application on Automated Shuttle Bus and Tram Interaction

Urban transportation systems face difficulties due to the increase in urban population, as urbanisation is accompanied by higher levels of travel times, traffic congestion, delays and accidents (Goetz, 2019). These issues will be more prevalent in the future, since United Nations (2019) estimate that by 2050, 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Additional statistics suggest that urban passenger transport is responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the total passenger transport sector related GHG emissions (International Transport Forum (ITF), 2021). The alarming issue of urban transportation is congestion; it is directly related to motorisation and the expanded usage of automobiles (Rodrigue, 2020). Congestion is followed by an increased need for transportation infrastructure and road space taken away by vehicle parking (Rodrigue, 2020). Automated shuttle buses could provide a solution to these issues related to individual transportation and improve effectiveness of public transportation.
This paper presents a case study on an automated shuttle bus that shares a lane with atram for part of its route. The research question is whether shuttle bus operation affects the tram’s travel time. Specifically, the influence of a traffic management intervention, such as a tram warning, on the travel time of both the automated shuttle bus and tram is investigated.