Abstract: In this paper, we study the mathematical modelling of bus dispatching problem. Using the historical data of arriving passengers and leaving passengers at different bus stops and various time points, we estimate the expected values of the arriving rate and leaving rate of passengers at different stops. Utilizing the utility function theory, we construct the satisfaction degree indexes, which reflect the satisfaction degrees of passengers when they are waiting for the bus and taking the bus, respectively. Through maxinizing the weighted overall satifaction index and considering different constraints, we construct a mix-integer programming model for the bus dispatching problem. Finally, we discuss possible solution methods.

Key words: bust dispatching, mathematical modelling, satisfaction degree, integer programming optimization models