What is transit headway?

Headway is the time interval between two consecutive vehicles traveling the same route in the same direction. A 10-minute headway means a bus or train arrives every 10 minutes.

How is headway calculated?

Headway = Cycle Time / Fleet Size, where Cycle Time is the round-trip travel time in minutes: (Route Length × 2 / Speed) × 60. A larger fleet produces shorter headways (more frequent service).

What is average passenger wait time?

For random passenger arrivals and regular service, the average wait time equals Headway / 2. A 10-minute headway produces an average 5-minute wait.

Does this include layover or recovery time?

No. The cycle time here is pure travel time. In practice, add 10–20% for terminal layover and schedule recovery; increase your fleet size accordingly.

Can I use this for rail as well as buses?

Yes. The same formulas apply to any fixed-route transit system — bus, BRT, light rail, metro, or streetcar.

Transit Headway Calculator

Name: Transit Headway Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Enter route length, speed, and fleet size to get headway and wait time — or enter desired headway to find required fleet size.

Route Parameters

Units

One-way route length (km)

Average speed (km/h)

Calculation Mode

Number of vehicles in service

Enter route parameters and click Calculate

Summary

Enter route length, speed, and fleet size to get headway and wait time — or enter desired headway to find required fleet size.

How it works

Enter the one-way route length in km or miles.
Enter the average operating speed in km/h or mph.
Choose a mode: supply fleet size to compute headway, or supply desired headway to compute fleet size.
Results show cycle time, headway, frequency, and average passenger wait time.
Switch units between metric and imperial at any time.

Use cases

Plan bus service frequency for a new urban route.
Determine how many buses are needed to maintain 10-minute headways.
Estimate passenger wait times at stops under current fleet deployment.
Compare headway impact of adding or removing vehicles from a route.
Support rail and BRT (bus rapid transit) timetable design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-26 · Reviewed by Nham Vu