Urban Bus Network Design Using Genetic Algorithm and Map Information

Within local areas, buses plays an important role, therefore the bus network design is important. Bus network design problem consists of the bus stop number decision problem and the bus stop location decision problem. In this paper, the bus stop number decision problem is determined based on map information. The bus stop location decision problem is determined by a genetic algorithm. Genetic algorithms are optimization techniques which operate on the principle of the chromosome. We show a genetic algorithm is an effective way to solve bus stop location. We aim to solve the bus network design for the students commuting to Kanazawa Institute of Technology. As compared with the conventional bus stop, the total travel distance from dormitory to the bus stop was shortened by 2,551.18 m. Maximum distance from the bus stop to dormitory was shortened by 702.69 m. The number of bus stops decreased by 27.