Development of a driving cycle for intra-city buses in Chennai, India

In India the emissions rate and fuel consumption of intra-city buses are estimated using the European driving cycles, which don’t represent Indian driving conditions and in-use operation of vehicles. This leads to underestimation or overestimation of emissions and fuel consumption. In this context, this paper offers some insight into the driving characteristics of intra-city buses using a Global Positioning System. The study has revealed that irrespective of road type and time of travel, a higher percentage of time is spent in idle mode. This is primarily due to alighting and boarding of passengers at regular intervals and fixed delays caused by traffic lights. More than 90 percent of trips have an average speed of less than 30 km h−1. This study has also developed an intra-city bus driving cycle for Chennai and compared it with some well-known international driving cycles. It has revealed that Chennai has unique driving characteristics and, therefore, it may not be appropriate to adopt a driving cycle of another country or city.

► Road type and number of stops in each trip influences driving characteristics of intra-city buses.
► More than 90 percent of trips have an average speed of less than 30 km h−1.
► Irrespective of road type and time of travel, a higher percentage of time is spent in idle mode.
► A new intra-city bus driving cycle for Chennai was developed using the real-world GPS data.
► To improve fuel economy from intra-city buses, transit agencies should adopt eco-driving.