An Accessibility Driven Evolutionary Transit Network Design Approach in the Multi-agent Simulation Environment

This work explores the feasibility of using the accessibility measurements as an input in the public transit network design optimisation process. An existing paratransit-inspired evolutionary approach to the transit network optimization is extended to internalize the social benefits in the form of the accessibility improvements. The extension for the multi-agent simulation environment (MATSim) is proposed and tested within the number of scenarios. The novel algorithm measures inequalities in the accessibility of different types of attractions or activities on the microscopic level and calculates the subsidy, which is then introduced in the system as an incentive for paratransit operators to serve the low -accessibility zones. The algorithm also provides operators guidance on where the low accessibility zones are located, by performing weighted draw from the possible end stops during the initiation of new subsidized routes. Furthermore authors propose an approach to gradually optimize the level of provided subsidy. The results of the tests show that the proposed algorithm consistently improves the accessibility of deprived zones, building the sustainable subsidized routes, which the profit-oriented paratransit algorithm is not able to find(.)(1) (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee ofthe 7th International Young Scientist Conference on Computational Science.