Three Station Busing Model

[wmartin2014]

Let me start by saying I have not used Simio in a few years, so any help is appreciated. I'm trying to model a busing operation with three stations and three buses. Each station will start with 1 bus. Passengers will arrive at station A, B, or C. Passengers at A might be going to B or C, and those going to C could ride the bus to B and stay on until the bus approaches C. It is also possible the bus could take a full load of passengers straight from A to C. There are 6 total routes possible: A-B, A-C, B-A, B-C, C-A, C-B.

How can I set up my vehicle routing in a way that allows passengers to ride 1 or 2 segments to get to their final destination? (If someone needs to go from A to C, they could either ride from A->C or from A->B->C.)

If a group of passengers bound for stations B and C arrive at station B, how do I make sure passengers bound for station C stay on the bus?

I'm trying to use rate tables for my arrival data. Do I need to use 6 different rate tables and 6 different entities? One for each path?

Thank you for your help!

[wmartin2014]

I have made some progress, but could still use some help. Using sequence tables and 6 different entities, I now have passengers going to their correct destination. Here is my main issue:

Let's say there are 2 passengers at station A, one needs to go to Station B and one to station C. There is also a passenger at station B that needs to go to station C. My transport will take the 2 from station A directly to a sink at station B. The Passenger bound for station C will not get off the transport, but the passenger bound for Station B does. The vehicle then follows a connecter to the transfer node that is "Station B". The 3rd passenger that needs to get from B to C does not get on the transport, and the transport continues along to station C.

I have also noticed that after the second passenger gets off, usually the vehicle travels another route without any passengers before loading more.

How can I ensure my vehicle will allow passengers to board at any station when it has excess capacity? Right now it's only loading if there are 0 passengers on board.

[wmartin2014]

Here are my issues broken down:

1. After dropping passengers off, busses usually travel one more segment without any passengers. This should only happen if the station they dropped off at has zero passengers in queue. How do I make sure the bus does not travel empty unless there is no one to pick up?

2. The middle station has two types of passengers, but a bus coming in to the middle should only pick up one type. If the bus is empty, it should pick up the passenger type with the highest in system. If the bus dropped some passengers off, but has more bound for stations A or C, the bus should only allow passengers bound for that station to board.

I don't know Add-On Process Triggers very well. I tried finding some information to use Evaluating Transport Request, but no luck so far figuring it out. I've also tried using state variables to fix my 2nd issue, but I'm missing something.

[dsturrock]

Can you include your model (and version #) to make it easier for someone to help?

[wmartin2014]

We ended up simplifying the model to two stations to get the project done quickly, but I would like some insight on how to do this in the future if someone can help me out. I've attached my 3 station model. Simio version 8.139.13727.0.

The model is meant to show passengers busing at an airport between 3 stations: D4, C4, and C39. The stations are essentially set up in a straight line, with C4 being the middle station. The bus will only stop at C4 if it has passengers bound for C4 or if passengers at C4 are waiting to board for the next station in line. When the bus stops at C4, it should unload passengers and load passengers bound for the next station in line. It is also possible for the bus to turn around after visiting C4 and return to the first station if there is no one bound for the next station. I can give more details if necessary. Please let me know what else you need from me.

Basic LGA Bussing Model 1.4.spfx