Hybrid Predictive Control for Operational Decisions in Public Transport Systems

In this chapter, a hybrid predictive control strategy is formulated for the real-time optimization of a public transport system using buses. For this problem, the hybrid predictive controller (HPC) is the bus dispatcher, who dynamically provides the optimal control actions to the system to minimize users’ total travel time considering the system’s different components: in-vehicle ride time and waiting time at stops. The HPC framework includes a dynamic objective function and a predictive model of the bus system, which is written in discrete time, where events are triggered when any bus arrives at a bus stop. Upon these events, the HPC controller makes decisions based on two well-known real-time transit control actions: holding and expressing. Additionally, the uncertain passenger demand is included in the model as a disturbance and is predicted based on both off-line and online information on passenger behavior.