Bus Routing Algorithms: Application to a Rural School District. Working Paper No. 27

This paper proposes a mathematical model that delineates a feasible system of bus transportation for this multiple-school district. The model is composed of six elementary school districts which are part of the overall middle school and high school district. This proposal attempts to show Laurel district busing as a representative sample of what needs to be done in all six elementary districts. Final transportation routes from all six districts to the centrally located county Middle and High Schools are included and explained. Both elementary district and entire county algorithms are included. First, the population distribution was analyzed and bus stops were created for the sample Laurel district such that the average number of children per stop is maximized and each child walks no more than a predetermined distance. Next, the bus stops were grouped geographically into regions of roughly equivalent number of students, and the viable routes for each region were determined. Finally, these routes were sequenced by the implementation of the NCL (No Child Left at Bus Stop) algorithm created for the Madison County Schools. The algorithm has been created so that changes can be made to accommodate adjustments in parent and school board decisions.