An inverse bilevel equilibrium problem for public transport demand estimation

We consider the problem of demand estimation for public transport networks. Given an origin-destination matrix representing demand, distribution flow among different lines can be obtained assuming that it corresponds to a certain equilibrium characterized by optimization problem. The knowledge is expensive and sometimes unaffordable in practice. Traditionally, estimated using statistical or econometrical considerations. In this work, we explore through numerical solution bilevel One disadvantage formulation difficulty obtaining descent directions, therefore proposed derivative-free method resolution firstly tested on small networks then, approach based simulation. This simulation-optimization methodology showed as good results analytical modeling, opening door handle bigger where computation hard accomplish.