Using Time Tables to avoid bus city/town bunch up?

[MarkShot]

For me this is mainly a bus issue as trains have multiple platforms.

I have seen that there are JGR's and JOKER's PPs which claim more sophisticated dynamic decongestion of buses.

But I am just going with standard OTTD. It seems the main method is to stagger the START DATE out of the depot. In theory, this should work, but real world delays seem to invariably cause some bunching up (mainly because the buses are aware of no state, but their own ... I guess this is why tracks have signals).

Any tips as to how I might avoid bunch up in OTTD?

Thanks.

[jfs]

Build some slack in to the time table. The vehicles will end up waiting at some stops longer than necessary, but they stay spread out since they don't become late.
The automatic timetable filling works okay as a starting point, but you should always observe the vehicles along the route and adjust the final timings to match worst cases.

Remember that vehicles will always load and unload as much cargo as they can regardless of the waiting time at a stop the timetable specifies, even if it means staying much longer than planned. It will never depart before it is either full, or there is no more cargo available to load.

[MarkShot]

Also, do I need to run a test route if all I am going to do is stagger the starts?

I ask because setting up bus runs for towns is like house keeping, and time is money when there are AIs which will be waking up.

Thanks.

[MarkShot]

Thanks JFS. I will try that on my next test.

[mak]

Build more than one bus stop per location.

I have built 'bus stations' off road as many as six together, three each side of road, especially at train stations etc.

[Pyoro]

If the route is circular you can also do one clockwise and one counter-clockwise; ie split up the vehicles into two routes.

But, mh, personally the improved auto-separation patches are among my favorite patches. They don't necessarily work perfectly but they tend to be reasonably good at avoiding complete bunching up ^^;