Dynamic Management of Paratransit Vehicle Schedules

In this paper we describe REVAMP, a mixed-initiative tool for real-time management of paratransit vehicle schedules. Like many applications, paratransit scheduling is a dynamic, execution-driven process, where unexpected events (e.g., traffic, breakdowns, new requests, cancelations) continually force changes to precomputed schedules. The design of REVAMP aims at support for this dynamic, real-time scheduling process. Real-time information on the status and location of vehicles and pending trips is used by REVAMP to maintain a “live” schedule and provide the coordinating Dispatcher with early visibility of potential delays. In response to detected problems or opportunities, REVAMP can be used to generate options for rearranging vehicle schedules to achieve better quality of service. REVAMP is being developed to support daily operations at ACCESS transportation systems, which provides an advance reservation, shared ride paratransit service for the greater Pittsburgh area in southwestern Pennsylvania. We are currently integrating REVAMP into the existing technology base used to support daily operations by one of ACCESS’s service providers for an initial pilot test. We describe the principal components of REVAMP and the current state of our solution to the ACCESS scheduling problem.