Dwell time is the time a bus spends serving passenger movements, including the time required to open and close doors and boarding lost time. Passenger service time is the largest component of dwell time and is influenced by several factors, including passenger demand, fare payment method, vehicle configuration, passenger load, door and door channel usage, and platform configuration.
TCRP Research Results Digest 116: Recent Research on Bus Dwell Time Factors, produced by TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program, explores recent research on dwell time factors developed since the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM), 3rd Edition was published. This research informed updates to Chapter 6 of the TCQSM, 4th Edition. The digest describes one of 12 small research tasks conducted to support the development of new content for the 4th Edition.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2026. Recent Research on Bus Dwell Time Factors. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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