Real time software solution for the integration of dynamic on-demand services in rural public transport

On-demand public transport satisfies many of the needs that traditional public transport, with fixed predetermined routes and schedules, cannot fulfill. Both schemas are able to work together, as it is discussed in this paper, being on-demand services a good alternative in the areas and time intervals where low demand makes fixed routes unsustainable. This work presents a new integrated real-time management system for road public transport services, focusing on the integration of three kinds of services: fixed services, on-demand fixed services and on-demand dynamic services. The architecture of the system and the features of the tailored algorithm for dynamic services are detailed in the paper. The main objective of the algorithm is to solve the multi-vehicle Dial-a-Ride Problem (DARP) minimizing the number of vehicles and the total distance of the routes. A heterogeneous capacitated fleet is used to serve the customers and the cost matrix is asymmetric, as real-life conditions are assumed. The desired quality of service is set by configurable parameters (e.g., waiting time window and maximum ride time). The algorithm is designed to work with two operating modes (insertion and optimization), concluding that a fast response can be achieved with the insertion mode, improving the results with the optimization mode.