Alternating Deadheading in Bus Route Operations

“Alternating deadheading” is an operating strategy for urban bus routes that have a directional imbalance in passenger demand in which some of the vehicles operating on a route deadhead (return empty) in the reverse direction while others return in service. By reducing average cycle time, deadheading can reduce the number of buses needed to serve a route. A formula is developed for the number of buses needed to meet a regular alternating deadheading schedule. Design procedures are then presented for finding the alternating deadheading schedule that will minimize the number of vehicles needed subject to the usual operating constraints, and for minimizing total wait time for a given fleet size. Application to a major local bus route demonstrates the potential of this strategy to reduce fleet size within typical scheduling constraints.