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Bi-level programming model for multi-modal regional bus timetable and vehicle dispatch with stochastic travel time

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Abstract

Public transit can be interrupted by emergencies, which can prevent vehicles from completing a trip on time, making travel times stochastic variables. In this paper, an uncertain bi-level programming model for multi-modal regional bus timetables and vehicle dispatch is presented by assuming travel times follow normal distribution based on GPS data for automatic bus station system. The lower model studies coordinating the timetables in regional bus transit with multiple modes of transport, by considering transfers between buses and buses, subways, special passenger lines with intersecting routes. The upper model assigns trips from several routes to buses located at different depots to minimize operating costs; some restrictions such as parking capacity are considered in this model. A group of feasible solutions generated by the lower level plan is provided for input into the upper level plan in order to compare their best solutions. The lower and upper solutions are calculated using the Estimation of Distribution Algorithm, which defines the satisfactory degree of the solutions to reduce their search space to find optimal scheme quickly.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (61503201); Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Province in China (BK20161280); the Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation of the Ministry of Education in China (16YJCZH086); Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu High Education (15KJB580011); Nantong Science and Technology Innovation Program (GY12015025); Project of excellent graduate innovation in Hebei province (2016348).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Transportation, NANTONG University, Nantong, 226019, China

    Ming Wei & Bo Sun

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, 92019, New Zealand

    Ming Wei

Authors
  1. Ming Wei
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  2. Bo Sun
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Correspondence to Bo Sun.

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Wei, M., Sun, B. Bi-level programming model for multi-modal regional bus timetable and vehicle dispatch with stochastic travel time. Cluster Comput 20, 401–411 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-016-0719-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-016-0719-x

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