Where should a transit network offer direct service, and where are transfers acceptable? A radial system connects outlying places to a center, a grid offers many cross-city paths, and a hybrid tries to match each pattern to the part of the city where it works best.
The video enlarges each network enough for its geometry to be unmistakable. The same passenger origins and destinations appear before vehicles move. Radial routes concentrate service toward the center; a full grid offers broader direct connections but can leave lightly used vehicles on outer links. The hybrid retains a larger central grid and radial coverage outside it. Vehicle transparency indicates utilization, while travel time and average occupancy summarize the trade-off. The core insight is that network structure should reflect the geography of demand. A route pattern that provides flexibility everywhere can spread service too thinly, while one designed only around the center can force inconvenient detours.
Bus bunching can begin with a very small delay. A bus that reaches a stop late finds more passengers waiting, spends longer boarding them, and falls farther behind. The following bus encounters fewer waiting passengers and catches up. The original even spacing can collapse into a pair of buses followed by a long gap.
Watch film
Widening a road may shorten car trips at first. But if some bus passengers respond by driving, bus ridership falls. A transit agency trying to balance its budget may then run fewer buses, making transit less attractive and sending still more travelers to cars.
Watch film
A longer urban train could carry more passengers, but extending every platform is costly. The front-and-rear operating idea uses a train longer than its platforms while controlling where it stops and which doors open, so travelers can still reach the correct station safely.
Watch film