Optimal Fleet Size for Kuwait Public Transport Company Based on Integer Linear Programming

Solving a bus scheduling problem is crucial for bus operators to insure effective use of resources, maintain minimum costs, and at the same time satisfy the demand. This study deals with a bus scheduling and assignment problem for Kuwait Public Transport Company (KPTC). A general model was first developed using integer programing. It was then applied on KPTC network including 35 routes and a heterogeneous fleet of 457 buses. Five different types of buses were considered based on manufacturer and bus capacity. The developed model aimed at minimizing the total cost along the assigned routes and satisfying the daily demand on each route without exceeding the fleet size. The model solution suggested using a total of 176 buses (including all the types), which represented only 38.51 percent of the total available number of buses. It focused on using Volvo and Mercedes buses while Daewoo buses were less used to reach a total minimum annual cost of 2,410,208 KWD/year and an annual profit of 8,862,453 KWD/year. The schedules generated by the model satisfied the average daily demand on each of the 35 routes considered.