This Bus Fleet Size & Headway Calculator is a free planning tool designed to help transit operators, urban mobility planners, and transport consultants estimate the number of buses required to operate a route effectively based on key operational inputs.
This tool simplifies the planning process by providing a quick and intuitive way to determine:
- The fleet size required to meet expected ridership demand
- A feasible headway (time between bus departures) to ensure smooth operations.
- A breakdown of required vs. reserve buses to account for maintenance and contingencies
🔧 How to Use This Tool
To get started, simply enter the following inputs:
- Route Length (one-way, in km): The distance from start to end terminal.
- Total Daily Ridership: The total number of passengers expected across the day (both directions).
- Number of Stops (one-way): Number of designated boarding points along the route.
- Bus Speed (km/h): Average speed considering stop-and-go traffic, signals, etc.
- Bus Capacity (passengers): Maximum passenger load per bus.
- Operational Hours per Day: Duration of service (e.g., 16 for 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM).
- Reserve Percentage (%): Proportion of buses kept on standby (e.g., 20%).
- Dwell Time per Stop (minutes): Average time spent at each stop.
- Layover Time (minutes): Time spent by the bus at the terminal before returning.
After entering the data, click “Calculate” to view:
- Required buses (not including reserve)
- Reserve buses
- Total bus fleet size (required + reserve)
- Suggested headway (minutes between each departure)
- One-way trip time (including dwell and layover time)
To start fresh, click “Reset”.
🧮 How the Calculation Works
The calculator performs the following steps:
- Estimates the one-way trip time using route length, speed, number of stops, dwell time, and layover time
- Uses an initial headway to calculate the number of buses needed
- Checks whether the fleet can handle the expected ridership
- Adjusts headway and fleet size automatically if needed to meet demand
- Ensures the ridership never exceeds system capacity, resulting in a realistic and operable solution
Bus Fleet & Headway Calculator
⚠️ Planning-Level Disclaimer
This calculator is designed for planning and estimation purposes only.
The headway calculated is based on average daily ridership spread across the full operational day, not just the peak hour.
To plan for peak periods, users should input the peak hour ridership instead and set the operational hours to 1 to calculate a peak-only headway and fleet requirement.
📢 Final Disclaimer
This is a free tool developed by Arterials (Pvt) Ltd. for use by transit professionals, students, and city planners.
While every effort has been made to ensure reasonable accuracy, Arterials Pvt Ltd does not bear any responsibility or liability for decisions made using this calculator.
All results are approximations and should be validated with detailed operational studies and field data where appropriate.
If you’d like more support in transit planning, bus fleet sizing, route design, or would like to know more about this tool, please feel free to contact us.
Fleet Size FAQ
Q1. What is fleet size?
Fleet size is the total number of vehicles required to operate a service, such as buses, delivery trucks, or taxis, to meet demand within a given time period.
Q2. How do you calculate fleet size?
Fleet size can be calculated using the formula:
Fleet Size = (Daily Demand ÷ Vehicle Capacity) × (Cycle Time ÷ Operating Time).
Q3. How do you calculate bus fleet size?
For transit, fleet size is usually calculated as:
Peak Hour Demand ÷ Bus Capacity, with an additional 10–20% spare vehicles.
Q4. What factors affect fleet size?
Fleet size depends on demand, service frequency, cycle time, operating hours, vehicle capacity, and required spare ratio.
Q5. What is a spare ratio in fleet size?
Spare ratio is the percentage of extra vehicles kept in reserve to cover breakdowns or maintenance, typically 10–20% in bus operations.