Variable Neighborhood Search Algorithms for the multi-depot dial-a-ride problem with heterogeneous vehicles and users

In this work, a study on Variable Neighborhood Search algorithms for multi-depot dial-a-ride problems is presented. In dial-a-ride problems patients need to be transported from pre-specified pickup locations to pre-specified delivery locations, under different considerations. The addressed problem presents several constraints and features, such as heterogeneous vehicles, distributed in different depots, and heterogeneous patients. The aim is of minimizing the total routing cost, while respecting time-window, ride-time, capacity and route duration constraints. The objective of the study is of determining the best algorithm configuration in terms of initial solution, neighborhood and local search procedures. At this aim, two different procedures for ∗Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Scienze Matematiche, University of Siena, Via Roma, 56, 53100 Siena, Italy, e-mail [email protected] †Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Scienze Matematiche, University of Siena, Via Roma, 56, 53100 Siena, Italy, e-mail [email protected]