Linear programming model for scheduling bus rapid transit in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

The amount of time users have to wait influences their mode of transportation choice. Commuters don’t like to wait in the bus station, especially when the weather is terrible and for the purpose of keeping appointments. Scheduling buses to the various bus terminals will meet the commuter’s needs. The aim of the study is to reduce the waiting time of commuters at bus station and to assign buses to each route. A mathematical model called linear programming (LP) was developed to schedule buses to improve the smooth process of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The linear programming model was applied to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) data in Lagos State. The proposed method generated three (3) shifts from 6 – 11am in the morning, 11 – 4pm in the midday and 4 – 9pm in the evening subject to two (2) shifts of fifteen (15) hours to reduce the number of hours buses operate per day and also allocated buses for each route for weekdays with five (5) hours per each shift instead of seven (7) hours buses operated per shift. A properly implemented strategy would significantly decrease passengers' long waits at bus stops, reduce the breakdown of buses, man-hours lost, and allows commuters to meet their various schedule for works, meetings, and other assignments.