Reisetider

Reisetider, a term used in Norwegian and Swedish, refers to the duration required to travel between two points using a specific transport mode and route. They can describe expected, typical, or observed travel times and are commonly used for planning trips as well as for informing travelers. The concept encompasses various modes, including road, rail, bus, ship, and air travel, and can be presented as standalone times or as part of time-distance matrices.

In transportation planning and operations, reisetider are essential for designing timetables, setting service frequencies, and determining transfer windows. For travelers, reisetider help with route choice and estimating arrival times. Public transit agencies and mobility providers publish reisetider in timetables, journey planners, and real-time apps to support reliable connections and accurate estimates of arrival times.

Reisetider vary due to multiple factors. Mode and route characteristics (speed, number of stops, dwell times), network conditions, and weather all influence travel duration. Time of day, day of week, season, incidents, and capacity constraints can increase variability. Analysts distinguish between planned or typical travel times and realized or actual travel times, and they often report both average values and measures of variability or reliability, such as the likelihood of meeting a stated time.

Estimation methods combine historical data, timetable assumptions, real-time data, and models. Data sources include GPS traces, automated counters, ticketing records, and traveler surveys. Challenges include data quality, changing network conditions, and the need to balance accuracy with privacy and scalability.

Modern applications increasingly rely on real-time reisetider to provide dynamic ETA information, improve transfer planning, and support multimodal mobility services.