Resolving splits in location/allocation modeling: a heuristic procedure for transit center decisions

A heuristic procedure is developed to assign buses to transit centers (garages) in such a way that all the buses on a particular route are assigned to a single transit center. This research builds on an optimal mixed integer programming location/allocation model that splits the bus assignments when capacity limitations were reached at a transit center. The heuristic procedure adopts a two-step process: namely, assignment of all buses of a route to a unique transit center, then switching of routes to alternative transit centers to enforce capacity limitations. The procedure is shown to still provide cost savings over current locations and allocations for the Vancouver Regional Transit System (VRTS), Canada's largest urban transit network.