One efficient approach to alleviating the uncertainty of the PT service, such as simultaneous arrival of vehicles at a transfer point, and rectifying the service irregularity is to use real-time operational control actions (tactics), like holding, skip-stop, and short-turn.
A vast amount of research has been conducted on how to optimally or efficiently utilize the PT system. One efficient approach to alleviating the uncertainty of the PT service, such as simultaneous arrival of vehicles at a transfer point, and rectifying the service irregularity is to use real-time operational control actions (tactics), like holding, skip-stop, and short-turn. Daganzo showed that without interventions (i.e., control actions), bus bunching was almost inevitable regardless of the driver’s or the passengers’ behavior (Daganzo, 2009). With regard to transfer reliability, some recent studies show that applying certain operational tactics can significantly increase the number of direct (simultaneous) transfers and reduce total passenger travel time (Hadas and Ceder, 2010, Liu et al., 2014, Nesheli and Ceder, 2015, Nesheli and Ceder, 2014).