JOINTLY OPTIMIZING COST, SERVICE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE IN DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSIT SCHEDULING

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2003

Subject Area

operations - scheduling, operations - performance, infrastructure - vehicle, planning - service quality, planning - environmental impact, land use - impacts, land use - planning, ridership - demand, policy - environment, economics - operating costs, organisation - performance, mode - bike, mode - paratransit

Keywords

Vehicle fleets, Simulation, Service quality, Scheduling, Routing, Quality of service, Passenger service quality, Paratransit services, Optimization, Optimisation, Operating costs, Motor vehicle fleets, Methodology, Methodologies, Life cycle planning, Life cycle analysis, Fleets (Vehicles), Environmental impacts, Environmental effects, Dial a ride, Demand responsive transportation, Cost of operation, Computer simulation

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology for the joint optimization of cost, service and life-cycle environmental consequences in vehicle routing and scheduling for a demand-responsive (paratransit or dial-a-ride) transit system. In such fleet systems, the environmental impacts of operations are, to some extent, a controllable function of vehicle routing and scheduling decisions. However, few studies have considered environmental impacts in fleet vehicle routing and scheduling optimization, in particular where the impacts were assessed systematically using life-ccle impact assessment methodologies such as those described by the Society of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology. Through simulation, it is shown that using the proposed methodology makes it possible to substantially reduce environmental impacts for heterogeneous fleets, with only minimal negative impacts on operational cost and service performance.

Comments

Transportation Research Part D Home Page: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

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