Implementation and evaluation of an on-demand bus system

This work aims to develop and evaluate a dynamic bus system which abandons the concepts of a traditional bus service like bus line, bus station and timetable. The resulting system supports bringing customers from any location to any location, has a fleet of buses the routes of which are updated repeatedly as requests arrive and are accepted, and employs time windows in order to guarantee the desired pick-up and drop-off times of customers. We propose a technical realization and evaluate its effectiveness by running simulations in which traditional and dynamic systems are compared. Even though the operational cost and financial efficiency from a bus service provider's perspective is not the focus of this evaluation, the preliminary results show that both the provider and the customers might benefit from an on-demand dynamic system. We also hint at the feasibility of such a system in not only low-demand rural areas, but also high-demand urban regions.