Flexible vehicle scheduling with precedence constraints for tourists

Abstract

AbstractThis research addresses a flexible vehicle scheduling problem considering precedence constraints (FVS‐P problem), which is prevalent in many scenic areas worldwide. Each group of tourists in the FVS‐P problem comprises a set of visit requests that must be served by shuttle vehicles in a predefined order. A three‐indexed integer linear programming model is introduced. Furthermore, an index‐reduction strategy is proposed to strengthen the model. A math‐heuristic route‐segment generation algorithm embedded in a mathematical model is designed to solve the FVS‐P problem, particularly in the case of large‐sized instances. Experiments on different sizes of near‐practical instances validate the mathematical models and the algorithm. The proposed math‐heuristic can provide better solutions for large‐sized instances in a much shorter time than the models. The trade‐off between tourists’ feelings and the cost of the area is investigated to provide further insights for managers.