The Use of Straight Line Distances in Solutions to the Vehicle Scheduling Problem

This paper is concerned with the use of straight-line distances in algorithms concerned with the solution of the vehicle scheduling problem (V.S.P.). An empirical test is carried out to see whether transport operating cost between two points can be estimated from the corresponding straight-line distance, as often assumed in V.S.P. algorithms which have a cost-minimising objective. The use of variance in V.S.P. algorithms is also discussed, especially in relation to travelled times on links and limits on goods vehicle drivers' hours.