Constrained local search method for bus fleet scheduling problem with multi-depot with line change

Abstract

This paper proposes a bus fleet scheduling model with multi-depot and line change operations with the aim to reduce the operating costs. The problem is constrained by various practical operational constraints, e.g. headway, travel time, and route time restrictions. A constrained local search method is developed to find better bus schedules. The method is tested with the case study of the Bangkok bus system with nine bus service lines covering around 688 trips per day. The test result shows that around 10% of the total operating costs could be saved by the optimized schedule. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.