Passenger shuttle service network design in an airport

This study examines the service network design problem (SNDP) for passenger shuttle buses in the airport and nearby places (e.g. train stations, parking, hotels, shopping areas). A time–space service network for bus flows and time–space networks for passenger flows are developed. Based on proposed time–space networks, the studied SNDP is formulated as a mixed integer linear program (MILP) for a single-type bus fleet and deterministic passenger demand, where the objective is to minimize the weighted sum of passenger cost and service operating cost. We then extend the developed SNDP model to the heterogeneous multi-type bus fleet case and the stochastic demand case. To solve the stochastic demand case, a Monte Carlo simulation-based approach is adopted, which is further coupled with the ‘effective demand’ concept (mean demand value plus a margin). The proposed SNDP models and solution approach are applied on the inter-terminal transport network at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport for illustration.