Optimerad ruttplanering inom den särskilda kollektivtrafiken i Dalarna

Public transport is an essential part of people’s daily life, enabling them to move between homes, schools, workplaces and more. Swedish public transport is divided into two parts. General public transport, which follows fixed routes, and special public transport, which includes services such as transportation for people with disabilities, medical trips, and schoolchildren. In special public transport, journeys often start from the passengers’ homes, resulting in numerous different stops depending on the passengers in transit. In contrast, general public transport operates fixed stops following a predetermined route and schedule. This also means that higher requirements are placed on the planning of special public transport, due to trips beginning and ending at varying locations. Meanwhile, coordinated planning is important to minimize the driving distance and the number of vehicles in use. This study investigates how Dalatrafik's route planning for fixed trips within special public transport in Dalarna can be improved. Based on data collected by interviews, observations, and information from the company’s data systems, the potential for more efficient route planning was estimated, along with the possible effects of such improvements. An optimization model aided the study in evaluating whether improvements in the route planning of ten different vehicle loops are feasible, with regards to driving distance and vehicle resources. While simultaneously not compromising the level of service for passengers. The results of the study show that the total driving distance for ten routes spanning one day can be reduced from 720 km to 655 km. This corresponds to a reduction of 66 km, or about 10%. However, there may be potential for even greater improvements, as the study assumed that single-passenger trips must be planned with individual vehicles, whereas Dalatrafik sometimes plans single-passenger trips together regardless. If the study had included coordinated planning of certain single-passenger trips, the distance might have been further reduced. The study highlights that the times 7:40–8:30 and 13:45–14:30 were the most critical, because many school trips took place during these hours. The number of vehicles required during these times of the day could potentially be reduced from ten to nine, while a maximum of eight vehicles was sufficient to satisfy the demand during the rest of the day. The presented improvements are largely due to better coordination of passengers, resulting in shorter driving distances with passengers in vehicles. The coordination with which passengers to combine in each trip is seen as the part of the planning process with the greatest potential for improvement since it covers the largest share of the total distance. Another important planning aspect is to arrange each respective trip into complete schedules in a way that minimizes driving distances without passengers. This is something that could be further evaluated in future studies.