01121nas a2200121   4500008004100000245008900041210006900130300001100199490000600210520070900216100002300925856005100948       2011                        eng d00aSelf-organization leads to supraoptimal performance in public transportation systems0 aSelforganization leads to supraoptimal performance in public tra  ae214690 v63 aThe performance of public transportation systems affects a large part of the population. Current theory assumes that passengers are served optimally when vehicles arrive at stations with regular intervals. In this paper, it is shown that self-organization can improve the performance of public transportation systems beyond the theoretical optimum by responding adaptively to local conditions. This is possible because of a ``slower-is-faster'' effect, where passengers wait more time at stations but total travel times are reduced. The proposed self-organizing method uses ``antipheromones'' to regulate headways, which are inspired by the stigmergy (communication via environment) of some ant colonies.1 aGershenson, Carlos  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021469