Optimization of Feeder Bus Routes for Electric Train Service using Ant Colony Algorithm

Nowadays, it has become more and more convenient for the citizens of Malaysia to move around the different states within the country as public transportation such as buses and trains offer affordable rates for their services. One of the most effective and efficient mode of transportation in Malaysia would be the Electric Train Service (ETS). It is a service that allows one to travel by train between cities of Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur inexpensively in a timely fashion. The ETS services may be excellent but the public transportation such as taxis and buses taking us to the station to board the trains may be inefficient and unreliable.
In order to address this issue, an optimised feeder bus system is proposed. Hence, to achieve this, various optimisation algorithm needs to be studied and researched. The techniques that would need to have the capability to do route planning or selection while considering other criteria like time, cost and efficiency in addition of the displacement travelled. A model would then be developed using a tool such as Matlab with inputs of maps from Google Maps. This will consequently enable the feeder bus system to the ETS station in Ipoh to be optimised.