Scheduling & Timetabling
Timetable development, vehicle scheduling, driver rostering, resource optimisation, service frequency design.
The Problem
What fails without this service.
Poorly constructed timetables are the single most common cause of structural operational failure. When timetables are built without accurate running time data, they produce schedules that are impossible to operate reliably from the first day. Drivers run late by design, not by accident. Control teams compensate by authorising short-turns and skip-stopping that destroy the service pattern passengers depend on.
Vehicle scheduling errors compound the problem — fleets are either over-deployed (waste) or under-deployed (gaps in service). Driver rosters that ignore legal rest requirements, union agreements, and depot geography produce chronic absenteeism and overtime costs that erode operational margins.
In many African systems, timetables are created once at launch and never revised. Running times drift as traffic patterns change. Frequency assumptions made during network design become obsolete. The timetable becomes a fiction that nobody operates.
A working timetable is not a spreadsheet of departure times — it is an operational contract between the schedule and the fleet, the depot, and the drivers. Every element depends on every other: if the running times are wrong, the vehicle schedule is wrong; if the vehicle schedule is wrong, the driver roster is wrong; if the roster is wrong, the service does not operate.
We build timetables from running time surveys — not assumptions. We measure actual travel times across routes, by time of day, accounting for traffic, terminal dwell, and intermediate layover. These running times become the foundation of a timetable that is achievable, not aspirational.
Vehicle scheduling is where fleet efficiency is determined. We link trips to minimise dead-running, match fleet deployment to demand by time period, and calculate the actual fleet requirement — not the fleet the client hopes to use.
Scope of Work
What this engagement covers.
Running time surveys across all routes and time periods
Timetable development — headways, departure times, layover allocation
Vehicle scheduling — trip linking, fleet size calculation, dead-running optimisation
Driver rostering — duty design, spread calculation, rest compliance, roster balancing
Resource optimisation — vehicle and crew utilisation analysis
Service frequency design by route, direction, and time period
Seasonal and special event schedule variants
Timetable review and revision for existing services
Schedule implementation support and monitoring
Typical Outputs
What you receive at the end.
Full timetable set — all routes, directions, time periods
Vehicle schedule (block workings) by depot
Driver duty roster — all shifts with compliance confirmation
Fleet size requirement by service period
Resource utilisation report
Running time database
Schedule implementation guide
Performance baseline for post-launch monitoring
Tools & Platforms
Downloadable Resources
Take it with you.
Project Examples
Where we have delivered this.
Engagements where scheduling & timetabling was central to the work.
BRT Stabilisation — West African Corridor
Fleet Electrification — East Africa Pilot
Operational design for a 40-vehicle electric bus transition — charge-aware scheduling, grid resilience planning, and depot electrification specification across two depots serving a national capital.
Scheduling Recovery — High-Frequency Urban Route
Timetable revision and schedule recovery for a high-frequency urban route where running time drift had rendered the timetable inoperable — running time surveys, timetable rebuild, and vehicle schedule restructure.
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