An AI designed bus network for Glasgow

[Glasgowbusguy]

So I have spent a bit of time with chat GPT and asked it to design a bus network for Glasgow. Here is what it came up up with, including a night bus network of circular routes.



Revised Daytime Bus Network
With the specified constraints and additions, here's the updated list:

Major Urban Routes (1-20)

1: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Kelvinbridge - Hillhead - Partick - Anniesland - Bearsden Station - Milngavie

2: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Argyle Street - Govan - Cardonald - Paisley (Gilmour Street)

3: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Springburn - Bishopbriggs - Kirkintilloch (Town Centre)

4: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Partick - Anniesland - Drumchapel - Clydebank (Bus Station)

5: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Gorbals - Shawlands - Pollokshields - Darnley

Regional Routes (21-40)

21: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Paisley (Gilmour Street) - Glasgow Airport

22: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - East Kilbride (Bus Station) - Hamilton (Bus Station)

23: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Hamilton (Bus Station) - Motherwell (Bus Station)

24: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Cumbernauld (Bus Station) - Falkirk

25: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Kirkintilloch (Town Centre) - Kilsyth

26: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Dumbarton (Central Station) - Helensburgh (Central Station)

27: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Coatbridge (Central Station) - Airdrie (Town Centre)

28: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Clydebank (Bus Station) - Dumbarton (Central Station)

29: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Bearsden Station - Milngavie - Baljaffray

30: Glasgow (Buchanan Bus Station) - Greenock (Central Station) - Gourock

Suburban and Local Routes (41-60)

41: City Centre (Central Station) - Maryhill (Maryhill Shopping Centre) - Summerston

42: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Gorbals - Rutherglen (Bus Station) - Cambuslang

44: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Cardonald - Paisley (Gilmour Street) - Linwood

45: Partick Interchange - Anniesland - Bearsden Station - Drumchapel

46: Govan (Bus Station) - Bellahouston Park - Pollokshields - Cathcart

47: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Shettleston (Shettleston Station) - Baillieston - Coatbridge (Central Station) - Airdrie

49: Shawlands (Shawlands Cross) - Pollokshields - Newlands - Thornliebank

Easterhouse and Greater Easterhouse Routes (61-70)

61: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Glasgow City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) via Shettleston (Shettleston Station) - Tollcross - Glasgow Royal Infirmary - City Centre

62: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Glasgow City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) via Parkhead (The Forge Shopping Centre) - City Centre

63: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Glasgow City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) via Baillieston - Coatbridge (Central Station)

65: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Carntyne - City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Maryhill (Maryhill Shopping Centre)

66: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Stepps - Cumbernauld (Bus Station) - Falkirk

67: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Garthamlock - Craigend - Robroyston

68: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Barlanark - Greenfield - Tollcross - Cambuslang

69: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Cranhill - Haghill (Cumbernauld Road) - Glasgow Royal Infirmary - City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station)

70: Easterhouse (Shandwick Square) - Provanhall - Queenslie - Glasgow Fort - City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station)

71: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Queen Elizabeth University Hospital - Govan (Bus Station) - Bellahouston Park

72: City Centre (Buchanan Bus Station) - Glasgow Royal Infirmary - Dennistoun - Alexandra Parade - Parkhead (The Forge Shopping Centre) - Shettleston (Shettleston Station)

73: Govan (Bus Station) - Queen Elizabeth University Hospital - Pollok - Darnley - Newton Mearns

Night buses

N1: City Centre - West End - North West - Clydebank - Drumchapel - City Centre

N2: City Centre - Southside - Giffnock - City Centre

N3: City Centre - East End - Easterhouse - City Centre

N4: City Centre - Springburn - Bishopbriggs - Kirkintilloch - Robroyston - City Centre

N5: City Centre - West End - Bearsden - Clydebank - City Centre

N6: City Centre - Gorbals - Rutherglen - Tollcross - Greenfield - Barlanark - Easterhouse - Provanhall - City Centre

N7: City Centre - Springburn - Cumbernauld - Stepps - City Centre

N8: City Centre - Southside - East Kilbride - Hamilton - Motherwell - City Centre

N9: City Centre - Byres Road - Hyndland - Maryhill - Springburn - Robroyston - City Centre

N10: City Centre - Paisley - Cardonald - Bellahouston - Govan - Partick - City Centre

Updated Terminus Points
City Centre: Buchanan Bus Station, Central Station

West End: Kelvinbridge, Hillhead, Partick, Anniesland, Bearsden Station

North West: Drumchapel, Clydebank (Bus Station), Milngavie

Southside: Govan (Bus Station), Shawlands, Pollokshields, Darnley, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

East End: Shettleston (Shettleston Station), Baillieston, Easterhouse (Shandwick Square), Parkhead (The Forge Shopping Centre), Glasgow Royal Infirmary

North Glasgow: Springburn, Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch, Robroyston, Maryhill (Maryhill Shopping Centre), Summerston

Suburbs/Regional: Paisley (Gilmour Street), Glasgow Airport, East Kilbride (Bus Station), Hamilton (Bus Station), Motherwell (Bus Station), Cumbernauld (Bus Station), Falkirk, Dumbarton (Central Station), Helensburgh (Central Station), Coatbridge (Central Station), Airdrie (Town Centre), Greenock (Central Station), Gourock

 

[greenline712]

Interesting ... you mention specified constraints and additions ... what might they be?

There don't seem to be any cross-city routes ... have you considered terminal workings and stances? In Glasgow centre, ISTR that buses generally only wait on street for a very few minutes between trips.

 

[yorksrob]

Do we really want AI designing bus routes ?

 

[markymark2000]

Do we really want AI designing bus routes ?

Let's not give First Bus any ideas eh!

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

Interesting ... you mention specified constraints and additions ... what might they be?

There don't seem to be any cross-city routes ... have you considered terminal workings and stances? In Glasgow centre, ISTR that buses generally only wait on street for a very few minutes between trips.

So the constraints I put in were the following:

Maximum connectivity.

Night services to areas with large night time economies, to large residential areas and to be circular routes
No routes under 4 miles in length ..

Provide hospital links.

 

[yorksrob]

Let's not give First Bus any ideas eh!

Quite. Or Arriva !

 

[greenline712]

So the constraints I put in were the following:

Maximum connectivity.

Night services to areas with large night time economies, to large residential areas and to be circular routes
No routes under 4 miles in length ..

Provide hospital links.

What do you mean by "maximum connectivity"? Trying to provide many routes for passengers with no need to change buses?

And "provide hospital links"? Same again . . . links from all residential areas directly to all hospitals?

What frequencies would you provide? And how would you confirm that said frequencies are adequate for the passenger numbers expected . . . does your "Chat GPT" (whatever that is) take this into account?

I'm not trying to be facetious, but genuinely interested . . .

 

[Man of Kent]

Looks less like a single network for Glasgow than a replacement for First services. The 4 should go to Shawlands, Newton Mearns, Kilmarnock and Ayr in my book....

 

[ian1944]

A couple of points - neither Cumbernauld nor Motherwell have a bus station. The former has two horrible laybys on either side of a fast centre-barriered dual carriageway under the horrible shopping gulag, connected only by a convoluted route involving a bridge crossing. The latter has the usual collection of stops near the rail station and the shopping centre. If you're going to create real ones, then Paisley's case is at least as good, replacing stops scattered along Gauze Street.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

What frequencies would you provide? And how would you confirm that said frequencies are adequate for the passenger numbers expected . . . does your "Chat GPT" (whatever that is) take this into account?

The frequency I left to AI

Here is a link to the conversation

ChatGPT - Scotland Coach Network Design

Shared via ChatGPT

chatgpt.com

 

[greenline712]

The frequency I left to AI

Here is a link to the conversation

ChatGPT - Scotland Coach Network Design

Shared via ChatGPT

chatgpt.com

Um ... so no real substance then, unless you need to sign up to this beastie, which I don't intend to.
No disrespect, but this seems like lines on a map ... I was hoping for more.

 

[CBlue]

Um ... so no real substance then

To be honest that's what you could apply to almost all AI output. It doesn't give you a "correct" answer for anything so much as giving you something that "looks about right"

 

[route101]

I think the timetables are starting to be created by AI. When you get odd service frequencies its a clue its AI.

 

[Glasgowbusguy]

Um ... so no real substance then, unless you need to sign up to this beastie, which I don't intend to.
No disrespect, but this seems like lines on a map ... I was hoping for more.

With AI now being used for timetables and traffic management how long until it is used for route planning and network design? I also think that it has thrown up a few very unique ideas that