Optimization of Transport Plan for On-Demand Bus System Using Electrical Vehicles

Abstract

An on-demand bus system is now attracting attention as an alternative transport system for traditional fixed-route bus in Japan. In the on-demand bus system, buses transport customers door-to-door according to users' demands, a user can freely specify the position of bus stop in its service area, and the desired time to get the buses. In this paper, we propose a model of the on-demand bus system using electrical vehicles and evaluate its feasibility by computer simulation. The characteristics of the electric vehicles are not considered in the past researches for on-demand bus problem. The improper charge timing decreases the acceptable rate of demands, and the lack of battery charge may occur while the vehicle is moving. In order to avoid such problems, we adopt the genetic algorithm to optimize transport plans. Simulation results showed that our transport model succeeded in the reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions by 80% and the running cost by 60% compared with traditional systems.