🚍 Cermonews #9 | Deadhead Kilometers: The Hidden Cost of Public Transport
- Parabol
- Mar 1
- 4 min read
Hello 👐🏻
As many of our cities begin to enjoy springtime, we’re here to accompany you on these sunny days with the 9th issue of Cermonews ☀️.
In each edition, we explore an important topic in the public transport sector, enriched with your comments and contributions.
This issue focuses on one of public transport’s hidden costs: deadhead kilometers. How can this invisible cost be prevented? How can transit agencies minimize deadhead kilometers? In this issue, we discuss:
What deadhead kilometers are and why they matter
How they can be minimized
Their impact on sustainability
The solutions Cermoni provides for reducing them
We also continue with our “News from Us” and “Behind the Scenes” sections, introducing you to the expert team behind Cermoni. In this issue, you’ll get to know our teammate Yağmur more closely. In addition, with our new series Cermopedia, we begin introducing key concepts in public transport that you may be curious about.
Our biggest motivation is to continue producing and sharing high-quality knowledge and content on mobility, sustainable transport, and public transit—together with you. We always look forward to your contributions, comments, and suggestions!
Enjoy your reading! 🎉
What are deadhead kilometers and why are they important for transit operators?
Deadhead kilometers refer to the distance traveled by a public transport vehicle without carrying passengers, outside of regular service. This typically occurs due to:
Vehicles traveling from depots/garages to the start of their routes
Returning from the last stop of a route back to the starting point
Service gaps caused by irregular scheduling, requiring vehicles to move without passengers
Because vehicles are running without providing service, deadhead kilometers both increase operational costs and create negative environmental impacts. They result in higher fuel consumption, unnecessary maintenance costs, and overall inefficiencies that place financial strain on public transport systems.
Strategies to reduce deadhead kilometers
For transit agencies, reducing deadhead kilometers requires strategic planning. Some methods include:
Demand Management & Fleet Efficiency: Low-demand services during off-peak hours often stem from inefficient fleet use and poor scheduling. While this should not be confused with deadhead kilometers, both issues can be improved through demand-responsive scheduling, better synchronization of vehicles and drivers, optimization of return trips, and effective inter-route vehicle transfers.
Strategic Depot/Terminal Planning: Positioning vehicle start points more strategically minimizes deadhead distances. Instead of using a single depot, multiple dispatch centers can be used to improve fleet efficiency.
Impact of reducing deadhead kilometers on sustainability
Deadhead kilometers are not only a financial burden but also a challenge for environmental sustainability. Higher fuel consumption increases carbon emissions, worsening air pollution and contributing to climate change.
Effective deadhead management leads to:
Lower fuel consumption and reduced carbon footprint
Improved air quality in major cities
Reduced traffic congestion and more efficient transit operations
Ultimately, strategies for reducing deadhead kilometers help control costs and contribute to building more sustainable, livable cities.
Can Cermoni help reduce deadhead kilometers?
Yes—Cermoni’s Deadhead Optimization feature reduces costs in public transport operations, making systems more efficient and sustainable.
Fleet & Driver Management: Cermoni determines where and when vehicles should operate, ensuring effective fleet use. Synchronization of vehicles and drivers, as well as inter-route transfers, create an efficient operational process.
Demand-Based Planning: Advanced planning recommendations anticipate required services and fleet size by time of day.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: By analyzing operational data, Cermoni optimizes depot locations, terminal placements, and fleet movements to minimize deadhead kilometers.
With Cermoni, transit agencies can lower costs while boosting efficiency and sustainability.
📰 News from Us
Cermoni has been selected as “Innovation of the Month” by Europe’s largest mobility network, EIT Urban Mobility 🌐
Our public transport decision support system, Cermoni, was recognized as the Innovation of the Month by EIT Urban Mobility, a leading European network supporting sustainable mobility solutions. Every month, they showcase best practices and inspiring implementations from across Europe through the “Mobility Innovation Marketplace.”
This month, Cermoni was highlighted as a Best Practice for its public transport optimization project in Modena, Italy 🚍. The positive impact we are creating in cities continues to gain recognition across the sector 💪🏻.
Cermoni at Burulaş: Always with our users 👐🏻
We successfully completed our training sessions with Burulaş, and Bursa’s iconic yellow buses are now planned digitally and data-driven with Cermoni!
During the training, we worked with the Burulaş team on:
✅ Demand-based scheduling
✅ Vehicle and driver allocation
✅ Duty planning
We thank the entire Burulaş team for their valuable collaboration. We are proud to be part of Bursa’s journey toward more efficient and sustainable urban transport! 🌍
✨ New Series: Cermopedia 🎉
We are excited to launch Cermopedia, a new content series where we explain key public transport and mobility concepts in short, accessible videos with our expert team! 🚍
Our first episode covers deadhead kilometers—a hidden cost of public transport.👉 What are deadhead kilometers?👉 Why do they occur?👉 How do they affect your fleet and budget?
These questions and more are explained by our colleague Yağmur Gülbaz, an Industrial Engineer working on public transport algorithms at Parabol.
🎥 Watch the video here → [Link]
With Cermopedia, our goal is to boost knowledge-sharing, contribute to the sector, and learn together. Stay tuned for more episodes! 🌿
Behind the Scenes
Each issue, we introduce one of our team members to bring you closer to the experts driving innovation in public transport.
This time, meet Yağmur Gülbaz, Industrial Engineer at Parabol, who develops Cermoni’s optimization algorithms 🚍:
“Working as an R&D Engineer at Parabol has been a great opportunity for me. In such a dynamic and ever-evolving field as public transport, working on optimization not only enhances my technical expertise but also gives me the chance to make a tangible impact in real life. Every day, we develop data-driven solutions to help cities achieve more efficient and sustainable transport systems. It’s truly exciting to contribute to shaping the future of public transport with such an innovative and multidisciplinary team.”
Are you working to reduce deadhead kilometers in your city?
Many readers follow Cermonews from different cities. How is your city tackling deadhead kilometers? Are there new planning efforts, optimization initiatives, or solutions being considered?
Reply to this newsletter to share your experiences and needs—we’d love to hear from you.
Thank you in advance for your contributions! 🙌🏻
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