User-Centered Microtransit for Adolescents

This study investigates a user-centered microtransit service specifically for transporting adolescents to after-school activities. The methodology includes generating a synthetic student population and the corresponding trip requests and solving a Vehicle Routing Problem with Pickup and Delivery with Time Windows (VRPPDTW) for route generation, considering students ‘schedules and drivers’ mandatory breaks. The case study focuses on the WeeDrive project, which will introduce an on-demand transport service in Limassol, Cyprus to help families manage their teenagers’ after-school schedules. This service will operate with pre-booking and a dedicated fleet of private minibuses. Various scenarios are analyzed to assess the impact of different service strategies on the number of students served while ensuring that all trip requests are accepted, as well as the economic viability of the service with a particular focus on user satisfaction.