Research on Route Deviation Transit Operation Scheduling—A Case Study in Suburb No. 5 Road of Harbin
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This paper presents an interesting topic, but a massive improvement needed before ready for publication.
1. The authors should give an enough overview of the existing studies in this field to improve the state of the art. I suggest to review the following article [1] that gives quite deep review on the relevant articles.
1 Giuffrida, N.; Le Pira, M.; Inturri, G.; Ignaccolo, M.; Calabrò, G.; Cuius, B.; D’Angelo, R.; Pluchino, A. On-Demand Flexible Transit in Fast-Growing Cities: The Case of Dubai. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4455.2. As a consequent of point 1, the authors should also evaluate the drawback of the existing studies, and, therefore, the contribution of this paper can be positioned.
3. The authors present an optimization algorithm to minimize vehicle operating cost and passenger travel cost, but there is no comparison between the existing operation scheduling and the optimized one, so that the outcome cannot be evaluated.
4. Poor discussion. The findings should be highlighted and discussed.
5. For such reputable journal, the references of this paper is not enough.
Author Response
Reviewer #1: This paper presents an interesting topic, but a massive improvement needed before ready for publication.
To Reviewer #1
Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions regarding our manuscript entitled “Research on Route Deviation Transit Operation Scheduling—A Case Study in Suburb No. 5 Road of Harbin”. The manuscript has been carefully revised. The point-by-point answers to the comments and suggestions are listed as below.
Question1: The authors should give an enough overview of the existing studies in this field to improve the state of the art. I suggest to review the following article [1] that gives quite deep review on the relevant articles.
[1]Giuffrida, N.; Le Pira, M.; Inturri, G.; Ignaccolo, M.; Calabrò, G.; Cuius, B.; D’Angelo, R.; Pluchino, A. On-Demand Flexible Transit in Fast-Growing Cities: The Case of Dubai. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4455.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
In the second paragraph of the introduction, we added a detailed description of existing research .And we refer to the paper”On-Demand Flexible Transit in Fast-Growing Cities: The Case of Dubai”.
Question2: As a consequent of point 1, the authors should also evaluate the drawback of the existing studies, and, therefore, the contribution of this paper can be positioned.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
In the third paragraph of the introduction, we summarize the shortcomings of existing research and propose the focus of this article. The specific content is:At this stage, the research on variable route bus dispatching algorithms is mainly divided into two categories. One is a heuristic algorithm with simple design. The algorithm is simple and easy to apply in practice, but it only starts from the local optimum and cannot guarantee the overall solution quality; the other is Class is a heuristic algorithm based on intelligent algorithm, which considers global optimality, but the algorithm is relatively complex and takes a long time to solve, which is difficult to apply in practice. This article explores the theory and method of route-offset bus system operation scheduling from the perspectives of both operators and users. Taking 5 buses in the suburbs of Harbin as an example, a multi-vehicle operation scheduling model was constructed, and the available relaxation time was used as the control parameter to design a heuristic search algorithm to solve the model. This is also the expansion and improvement of urban public transportation system planning and design theories and methods.
Question3: The authors present an optimization algorithm to minimize vehicle operating cost and passenger travel cost, but there is no comparison between the existing operation scheduling and the optimized one, so that the outcome cannot be evaluated.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
In the algorithm optimization part, we point out that this paper uses the relaxation time as the control parameter based on the plug-in algorithm proposed by Quadrifogli et al. for real-time dynamic travel demand under single-vehicle conditions to improve the algorithm. And the original single-vehicle dynamic demand scheduling model was added to the simulation results, and then compared with the RDT multi-vehicle scheduling model proposed in this paper and conventional buses.
Question4: Poor discussion. The findings should be highlighted and discussed.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
In the conclusion, we added more comparative descriptions on the original basis. The specific expression is:Based on the principle of vehicle driving, this paper takes the minimum sum of vehicle operating cost and passenger travel cost as the objective function, considering constraints such as time window, and establishes a multi-vehicle operation scheduling model of the RDT system. Taking the available relaxation time as the control parameter of the system, a heuristic search algorithm is used to design the algorithm of the scheduling model. Taking Suburb No. 5 Road in the suburbs of Harbin as the case object, using MATLAB to simulate the operation and scheduling of the RDT system,the results show that, compared with conventional bus services, the biggest feature of RDT is to reduce the walking distance and waiting time of passengers, but the price is that the passenger time in the vehicle is higher than that of conventional bus services. With the increase in passenger travel volume, the average value of the performance indicators of the RDT system has increased, while the performance indicators of conventional buses have remained basically stable. This is also one of the important differences between the two bus modes. Under the same demand conditions, the system performance index of the RDT multi-vehicle scheduling model is significantly lower than that of the conventional dynamic vehicle scheduling model. Moreover, the per capita cost of the RDT system is 5.9% to 10.8% lower than that of the conventional bus system. When the demand is 20-40 people/hour, the RDT system is more effective than the conventional bus.
Question5: For such reputable journal, the references of this paper is not enough.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
We have cited 13 related documents on the basis of the original references, most of which are reflected in the description of the existing research.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Research on Route Deviation Transit Operation Scheduling—A Case Study in Suburb No. 5 Road of Harbin [sustainability-1493953] has been an interesting paper to read and to review. An original piece of research, written in good English, on an innovative theme. This is a contribution whose publication on our journal I am definitely going to support, provided that one minor point is solved.
The contribution lacks a consistent and serious discussion on the previous literature, particularly regarding first-last mile, something that may add something to this research, and should be hence addressed. Interesting, selected previous literature on FLM is:
Boarnet, M.G., et al. (2017). First/last mile transit access as an equity planning issue. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 103, pp. 296-310
Bruzzone, F., et al. (2021). The integration of passenger and freight transport for first-last mile operations. Transport Policy 100, pp. 31-48
Chandra, S., Quadrifoglio, L. (2013). A model for estimating the optimal cycle length of demand responsive feeder transit services. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological 51, pp. 1-16
Nocera S., et al. (2021): How to evaluate and plan the freight-passengers first-last mile. Transport Policy 113: 56-66
Author Response
Reviewer #2: Research on Route Deviation Transit Operation Scheduling—A Case Study in Suburb No. 5 Road of Harbin [sustainability-1493953] has been an interesting paper to read and to review. An original piece of research, written in good English, on an innovative theme. This is a contribution whose publication on our journal I am definitely going to support, provided that one minor point is solved.
To Reviewer #2
Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions regarding our manuscript entitled “Research on Route Deviation Transit Operation Scheduling—A Case Study in Suburb No. 5 Road of Harbin”. The manuscript has been carefully revised. The point-by-point answers to the comments and suggestions are listed as below.
Question1: The contribution lacks a consistent and serious discussion on the previous literature, particularly regarding first-last mile, something that may add something to this research, and should be hence addressed. Interesting, selected previous literature on FLM is:
Boarnet, M.G., et al. (2017). First/last mile transit access as an equity planning issue. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice 103, pp. 296-310
Bruzzone, F., et al. (2021). The integration of passenger and freight transport for first-last mile operations. Transport Policy 100, pp. 31-48
Chandra, S., Quadrifoglio, L. (2013). A model for estimating the optimal cycle length of demand responsive feeder transit services. Transportation Research Part B: Methodological 51, pp. 1-16
Nocera S., et al. (2021): How to evaluate and plan the freight-passengers first-last mile. Transport Policy 113: 56-66
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
In the introduction part of this article, we have added a detailed description of existing research, especially on the last mile issue, we have referred to a lot of literature. The specific expression is:In response to the lack of flexibility of traditional public transportation systems, European and American countries took the lead in putting forward the concept of "flexible public transportation systems", which sought to solve the travel needs of passengers in the last mile, and then Demand Responsive Transit System were born[2].Regarding the last mile issue,Marlon G et al. proved that the first/last mile access/exit mode is an important tool to improve the ability of public transportation to provide work access by studying the important relationship between the entry and exit of a station or parking station and the fairness of traffic accessibility[3]. Francesco Bruzzone et al. pointed out that in practice, the last mile problem has a series of key issues such as high cost, high safety requirements, and time sensitivity, making it fragmented, uncoordinated and unattractive[4].Silvio Nocera et al. gave a detailed introduction to the identification of the first/last mile, the problematic scheme and cost analysis, the definition of the stakeholder participation process, and the identification of key aspects of the process, And determine the best strategy to reduce costs. Reduced the negative impact of liquidity for planners[5].The scheduling problem of flexible transportation is regarded as a complex NP problem[6]. Jaw et al. proposed a time-constrained heuristic algorithm for many-to-many DART problems. This algorithm describes the Advanced Dial-a-Ride Time Window Problem (ADARTW) with quality of service constraints, and can determine the feasibility of passenger insertion in the vehicle's work schedule[7]. Barr et al. provided reporting guidelines for computational experiments using heuristic methods[8]. Later, Campbell and Savelsbergh developed an efficient "plug-in heuristic" for vehicle routing and scheduling problems. This method is fast in calculation and can easily handle complex constraints[9].Nadia Giuffrida et al. used a model calibrated based on real data of geographic information system (GIS) to find the best configuration from the perspective of transportation operators and communities, indicating that the path selection strategy is important for finding the cost between operators and users. Balance is essential[10].The route-offset buses are the most common route layout form of demand-responsive buses [11].Madsen constructed a route-offset bus dynamic optimization model with line time windows, and designed a plug-in algorithm[12]. Cortes designed a heuristic algorithm to improve the efficiency of path offset system operation scheduling, and the feasibility was verified through simulation experiments[13]. Drabikowski proposed a hybrid scheduling model including static scheduling and dynamic scheduling, and designed a hybrid algorithm for real-time scheduling of the system [14].
At this stage, the research on variable route bus dispatching algorithms is mainly divided into two categories. One is a heuristic algorithm with simple design. The algorithm is simple and easy to apply in practice, but it only starts from the local optimum and cannot guarantee the overall solution quality; the other is Class is a heuristic algorithm based on intelligent algorithm, which considers global optimality, but the algorithm is relatively complex and takes a long time to solve, which is difficult to apply in practice. This article explores the theory and method of route-offset bus system operation scheduling from the perspectives of both operators and users. Taking 5 buses in the suburbs of Harbin as an example, a multi-vehicle operation scheduling model was constructed, and the available relaxation time was used as the control parameter to design a heuristic search algorithm to solve the model. This is also the expansion and improvement of urban public transportation system planning and design theories and methods.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
This paper has been highly improved and most of the comments from reviewers has been addressed. I suggest some changes:
- Figure 7 is not clear and unreadable please change this figure.
- Please see section 4.3.2: Case1, Case2, Case3. Are these written correctly? or should be Case 1, Case 2, Case 3?. Case1, Case2, Case3 also have not been mentioned/elaborated before in the text. I suggest to introduce what are the Case1, Case2, Case3 in the section 2 or 3.
Author Response
Reviewer #1: This paper has been highly improved and most of the comments from reviewers has been addressed. I suggest some changes:
To Reviewer #1
Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions regarding our manuscript entitled “Research on Route Deviation Transit Operation Scheduling—A Case Study in Suburb No. 5 Road of Harbin”. The manuscript has been carefully revised. The point-by-point answers to the comments and suggestions are listed as below.
Question1: Figure 7 is not clear and unreadable please change this figure.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
Question2: Please see section 4.3.2: Case1, Case2, Case3. Are these written correctly? or should be Case 1, Case 2, Case 3?. Case1, Case2, Case3 also have not been mentioned/elaborated before in the text. I suggest to introduce what are the Case1, Case2, Case3 in the section 2 or 3.
Answer: The issue mentioned has been adjusted.
The simulation data of case 1, case 2, and case 3 are added to Table 6 under 4.3.2 in the article. In the text, the contents of case 1, case 2, and case 3 are introduced. The specific expression is:This paper has carried out a 100-hour simulation experiment. Case 1 uses the RDT multi-vehicle scheduling model of this paper, Case 2 is the dynamic demand vehicle scheduling model used in the literature [20] mentioned in the third chapter of the algorithm optimization, and case 3 represents the use of conventional bus operation mode, and the related parameters of conventional bus are based on previous research .
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Paper improved according to the previous suggestions. Publish
Author Response
Thank you very much for your attention and consideration.
