A genetic algorithm to design touristic routes in a Bike Sharing system

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study a Bike Sharing Touring (BST) applying a mathematical model known in operation research as Orienteering Problem (OP). Several European Cities are developing BST in order to reduce the exhaust emissions and to improve the sustainability in urban areas. The authors offer a Decision Support Tool useful for the tourist and the service's manager to organize the tourists' paths on the basis of tourists' desires, subject to usable time, place of interest position and docking station location. The model analyzed presents two innovative aspects compared to a classic OP. The first one is that the start and the arrival point of routes aren't necessary coinciding and pre-conditioned. The last one is that the knowledge of tourist tours allows to book the visit to a point of interest and doing so to optimize efficiency of the whole system and not only of the single tourist tour.