Simulation of Demand Responsive Transport using a dynamic scheduling tool with SUMO
Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) has been tested and implemented over the last years to address mobility problems in cities as well as in rural areas. The planning of DRT systems is a challenging task for transport planners, since the performance of the service depends significantly on how the scheduling is made and the routes are computed. Transport simulations are a useful option to evaluate these systems. The paper presents a python tool, which aims to simulate diverse DRT services using the microscopic simulation Eclipse SUMO (Simulation of Urban MObility) as framework. The fleet and requests of the DRT are handled dynamically by the scheduling module of the tool. This module is also responsible for calling a solver algorithm for the Dial-a-Ride-Problem (DARP), processing its results and dispatching the DRT vehicles according to them. The tool also enables an easier implementation of other methods to solve the DARP. To demonstrate the use of the tool, a DRT service operating in two central neighborhoods of the city of Brunswick (Germany) is presented. The tool is called drtOnline.py and is included in SUMO since version 1.9.0.