What widening the limit gains and costs
Widening the walking limit gathers nearby addresses onto a single stop. The number of stops falls, ride time shortens because the vehicle is not pulling in and out at every stop, and often one fewer vehicle goes out. That is where the cost saving comes from.
What is lost is usage. Once the limit exceeds how far people will actually walk, they stop using the service. That is a loss which never appears on the plan but quietly erodes occupancy.
300 metres on the flat is not 300 metres uphill
Measuring walking distance in metres alone is the most common planning error. On a sloped approach, 300 metres is a far longer walk than 300 metres on the flat, and the gap widens in winter and in rain.
The right approach weighs distance together with gradient. Within the same employer, 200 metres may be right in a hilly neighbourhood and 400 metres on flat ground — which is why applying one number everywhere gives the wrong answer.
The balance between stop count and ride time
Every stop adds not only road distance but dwell time: slowing, waiting, boarding and accelerating again. Per vehicle that looks small, but across fifteen stops on a route the total becomes decisive.
This is why reducing the number of stops is often more effective than shortening distance. But reduction is only possible within what the walking limit allows; the two constraints are coupled and cannot be improved separately.
Practical rules for placing a stop
A stop is not merely the geographic midpoint. It has to be somewhere the vehicle can pull in safely, where the passenger does not have to cross a main road, and which is reachable at that hour of the morning.
- A point where the vehicle can stop without blocking traffic
- The side that does not require crossing a main artery on foot
- An approach that remains walkable in winter and rain
- Where possible, a recognisable landmark — fewer people wait at the wrong stop
The walking-distance limit should be treated not as a single figure but as a range that varies with area and gradient. Stop count, ride time and vehicle count all move with that range; trying to improve the three separately breaks the plan somewhere different every time.