Routing Design Optimization of Bus Joint for Passenger Transfer Centers

Bus routing problem is the basic work of public transit planning and operation. This paper develops a solution for the optimal routing problem of bus connected with a passenger transfer center based on the research of vehicle routing problem (VRP), which is an important issue in the logistics distribution. The optimal routing solution is formulated as linking a series of bus stops in a certain order, aiming at minimizing the total cost, which includes user and supplier costs. To solve the problem, a weighting function is established to determine the weight of every link first and then an ant colony algorithm (ACO) is used to calculate the optimal solution. At last, a case study is presented based on the existing routes and stops served for the Huilongguan Community in Beijing, and the results shows that the set of routes obtained from the optimal solution costs less than the existing one.