Optimal Algorithm for Managing On-Campus Student Transportation

Abstract

This study analyzed the transportation issues at the University of Bahrain Sakhir campus, where the existing bus system relies on the past experiences and observations of the transportation directory located within the university. The system in place assigns a fixed number of buses for each semester that continuously loop over the same route with no regard to demand. Several data collections methods were used including a survey, on-site observations, and official student schedules from the University of Bahrain's Information Technology Center for the 2022/2023 second semester to estimate the number of buses needed. The study was limited to students who require to move between buildings for academic purposes and not those who choose to ride buses for other reasons and confined to the existing transportation route. A twopart algorithm was designed to first calculate the exact bus demand generating a 5x5 matrix for each timeslot, which was then used to find the optimal number of buses needed for each day. This solution could improve transportation efficiency, lower operational costs, enhance students' mobility experience, and largely decrease CO2 emissions. A series of recommendations were provided to university officials including the need for further research to examine creating new routes and implementing express buses.