Browsing by Author "Cartwright, Abigail"

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    The optimization of urban-rural demand responsive transportation services in New Brunswick
    (University of New Brunswick, 2025-03) Cartwright, Abigail; Hanson, Trevor R.; Christie, James S.
    With over one-third of New Brunswick's population living with a disability, accessible Demand-Response Transit (DRT) services are crucial for those that need it. There is a need for data on the operation and travel patterns associated with DRT services in New Brunswick as new regional agencies are assuming transportation planning responsibilities and looking to expand services. This research used geographically aggregated passenger data from 6 months of trips by a paratransit provider to estimate trip rates and to pilot an exact solution method of Mixed Integer Linear Programming (Christie Method) for vehicle deployment. The Christie Method was able to reasonably replicate the conditions of the existing service provider subject to their level of service requirements and was then applied to a community use-case based on extrapolated trip rates. While effective, the exact solution approach increases processing time exponentially for any additional constraints, therefore other heuristic approaches may warrant future considerations.