A hybrid algorithm for the multi-depot vehicle scheduling problem arising in public transportation

The results obtained showed that the proposed algorithm was capable of finding the optimal solution in most cases when considering a time limit of 500 seconds. The methodology is also applied to solve a real-life instance that arises in the transportation system in Colombia (2 depots and 719 services), resulting in a decrease of the required fleet size and a balanced allocation of services, thus reducing deadhead trips.