Scheduling Method of Demand-Responsive Transit Based on Reservation Considering Vehicle Size and Mileage

Abstract

Demand-responsive transit (DRT) is a kind of new public transit tailored to passenger needs that can provide passengers with fast, convenient, and diversified travel services. This paper proposes a scheduling model for demand-responsive transit based on reservations applicable to multi-vehicle task dispatching during the time period. It uses an ant colony algorithm for a solution. The model uses vehicle size and mileage as the optimization objectives while considering practical constraints like multi-vehicle operation, maximum pick-up intervals, etc. The feasibility of the model and the algorithm’s effectiveness are verified using the Shanghai Huyi Highway Demonstration Line as a case study. The results indicate that the model can effectively generate the optimal scheduling plan for DRT, significantly reduce the system’s operating cost, and improve resource utilization efficiency.