Bus arrival time prediction using support vector machines

Effective prediction of bus arrival time is central to many advanced traveler information system. This paper presents support vector machines (SVM) , a new neural network algorithm, to predict bus arrival time. The objective of this paper is to examine the feasibility and applicability of SVM in vehicle travel time forecasting area. Time-of-day, weather, segment, the travel time of current segment and the latest travel time of next segment are taken as five input features. Bus arrival time predicted by the SVM is assessed with the data of transit route number 4 in Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone in China and some conclusions are drawn.