The Bus Bunching Problem: Why Adding Buses Doesn't Work
2025-07-25
Imagine two buses on the same route, running on a schedule. One gets delayed by traffic. This delayed bus picks up passengers who would have taken the next bus, causing further delays. The next bus, meanwhile, makes better time due to fewer passengers. Eventually, the buses bunch together, sometimes with the second bus overtaking the first. Adding more buses isn't the solution; better strategies include managing stop times, skipping stops, encouraging passengers to take later buses, or, as Northern Arizona University did, abandoning fixed schedules altogether and manually controlling bus spacing for even distribution.
