Work out bus frequency requirement instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Service frequency is peak demand divided by the effective capacity of a vehicle, which is nominal capacity times a target load factor below one so that passengers are not left behind on a busy departure. Headway is sixty divided by buses per hour, and the fleet in service is round trip time divided by headway.
Frequency
Buses per hour = peak passengers / (capacity x load factor)
Fleet
Vehicles in service = ceil(round trip time / headway)
Buses per hour = peak passengers / (capacity x load factor). Service frequency is peak demand divided by the effective capacity of a vehicle, which is nominal capacity times a target load factor below one so that passengers are not left behind on a busy departure.
Because demand varies between departures. Planning at full capacity means every above-average bus leaves passengers behind, and reliability collapses.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Peak passengers per hour per direction, Bus capacity, Target load factor, Round trip time including layover. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.