Optimal Design of the Feeder-Bus Network Based on the Transfer System

This paper studied the classic feeder-bus network design problem (FBNDP), which can be described as follows: for the passenger travel demand between rail stations and bus stops on a given urban transit network, it designs the optimal feeder bus routes and frequencies so as to minimize the passengers’ travel expense and the operator’s cost. We extended the demand pattern of M-to-1 in most existing researches to M-to-M. We comprehensively considered the passenger travel cost, which includes the waiting and riding cost on the bus, riding cost on rail, and transfer cost between these two transportation modes, and presented a new genetic algorithm that determines the optimal feeder-bus operating frequencies under strict constraint conditions. The numerical examples under different demand patterns have been experienced and analysed, which showed the robustness and efficiency of the presented algorithm. We also found that the distribution pattern of the travel demand has a significant influence on the feeder-bus network construction. 1. Introduction As the two main transport modes in an urban transit system, the rail line usually plays the role of the transport trunk, while the feeder-bus network services act as a branch of and a supplement to the former. The integration and coordination of urban rail transit and the bus network can effectively promote the service efficiency and simultaneously improve the financial status of the system [1]. Stanger and Vuchic [2] pointed out that coordinative schedule optimization of the two modes could lead to operating cost savings. Some cities, such as Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC, gave top priority to the bus/rail coordination during the development process of the transportation systems. Dunn Jr. [3] showed that the coordination and integration of transport services have been a precondition for improving public transportation. A good feeder-bus network significantly improves the public transport system’s service level, operation efficiency, and market competitiveness. The feeder-bus network transports transfer passengers who come from the urban perimeter zone and will arrive at their final business or work destination by rail. Each bus line in the feeder-bus system usually connects to a special railway station and serves a sequence of bus stops with a certain frequency. Thus, the feeder-bus network design problem (FBNDP) can be described as follows: for a given urban rail line, the stop locations and the passenger travel demand between bus stops and railway stations, the optimal feeder bus routes, and their