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Investigating the Relationship between Bus Network Topology and Temporal Ridership Patterns: A Case Study in Singapore.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Investigating the Relationship between Bus Network Topology and Temporal Ridership Patterns: A Case Study in Singapore.
Authors:	Zhou, Wei¹ (AUTHOR)
Source:	Journal of Transportation Engineering. Part A. Systems. Aug2026, Vol. 152 Issue 8, p1-17. 17p.
Subjects:	Bus travel, Network theory (Statistical physics), Discrete choice models, Public transit
Geographic Terms:	Singapore
Abstract:	To advance the understanding of passenger temporal ridership profiles in urban bus systems, this study examined the relationship between network topological characteristics and temporal ridership patterns. Using Singapore's bus system as a case study, stop-level hourly passenger profiles were constructed, and a clustering approach was applied to identify five typical temporal patterns: mixed-use central business district (CBD), western job hubs, peripheral residential regions, near-central residential regions, and school-oriented zones. Adopting the complex network theory, the bus network was represented in both L-space and P-space, allowing computation of key topological descriptors and examination of degree distributions and small-world features. A multinomial logit (MNL) model was employed to investigate the relationships between temporal ridership clusters and network topology. The results confirm significant associations and indicate that residential origins exhibit stronger outward connectivity and bridging roles, whereas job and school destinations demonstrate concentrated inflows and high local transitivity within dense route cliques. Additionally, incorporating network topology significantly improves model performance, highlighting that network context provides additional explanatory power for temporal ridership patterns beyond the urban environment alone. By linking network topology with temporal ridership dynamics, this study provides a network-based perspective that can inform more-efficient and -adaptive public bus network planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Journal of Transportation Engineering. Part A. Systems is the property of American Society of Civil Engineers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Engineering Source

Description
Abstract:	To advance the understanding of passenger temporal ridership profiles in urban bus systems, this study examined the relationship between network topological characteristics and temporal ridership patterns. Using Singapore's bus system as a case study, stop-level hourly passenger profiles were constructed, and a clustering approach was applied to identify five typical temporal patterns: mixed-use central business district (CBD), western job hubs, peripheral residential regions, near-central residential regions, and school-oriented zones. Adopting the complex network theory, the bus network was represented in both L-space and P-space, allowing computation of key topological descriptors and examination of degree distributions and small-world features. A multinomial logit (MNL) model was employed to investigate the relationships between temporal ridership clusters and network topology. The results confirm significant associations and indicate that residential origins exhibit stronger outward connectivity and bridging roles, whereas job and school destinations demonstrate concentrated inflows and high local transitivity within dense route cliques. Additionally, incorporating network topology significantly improves model performance, highlighting that network context provides additional explanatory power for temporal ridership patterns beyond the urban environment alone. By linking network topology with temporal ridership dynamics, this study provides a network-based perspective that can inform more-efficient and -adaptive public bus network planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	24732907
DOI:	10.1061/JTEPBS.TEENG-9665