8th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
An Application of Genetic Algorithm in Optimizing
Jeepney Operations along Taft Avenue, Manila
Raymund Paolo B. Abad Dr. Alexis M. Fillone
Civil Engineering Dept. Civil Engineering Dept.
De La Salle University, De La Salle University,
Manila City, Philippines Manila City, Philippines
raymund.abad@dlsu.edu.ph alexis.fillone@dlsu.edu.ph
Abstract Effective transport service scheduling involves
minimization of transit operating cost and maximization of
generated revenue while meeting the demand for such service.
This paper investigates the application of Genetic Algorithm in
the optimization of Jeepney services along a busy section of their
transit service routes. The main objective of this study is to
improve transit service operations by minimizing travel and
vehicle operating costs. The paper presented three types of
services: Normal, Express A, and Express B. It was determined
that a combination of the operation types would yield the
smallest operating cost. Preference is still shown to Normal
operation due to high passenger demand in the selected section
during morning peak hours. Express services are more preferred
during off-peak hours due to lower passenger demand.
Index Terms genetic algorithm; transit scheduling; jeepneys
I. INTRODUCTION
Public utility jeepneys (PUJ) have become one of the most
utilized mode of transport in Metro Manila, Philippines. In
2014 alone, about 36% of the generated trips inside Metro
Manila have been made using jeepneys. The PUJ comes
second to buses in terms of average occupancy (8.84
passengers) [1]. The success and popularity of jeepneys are
attributed to local availability, intermediate size or capacity,
accessibility, familiarity, economical fare, and extensive
service networks [2][3][4][5]. The advantages of the PUJ
makes it a highly viable alternative mode of a transport that
even car-owners agree to use jeepneys in some cases [5].
In recent years, Metro Manilas population is rapidly
growing because of its development and urbanization. The
growth of the metropolis put extensive pressure in the existing
transport systems. In response to the growing demand of public
transport services, the government has been taking steps to
increase the capacity of mass transit in the form of the MRT,
LRT, and PNR. Likewise, improved road transport services are
also sought to meet the high trip demand. The jeepney sector is
also pressured to adapt to the changing preferences of transit
users for, although Jeepneys have its merits, some commuters
still consider them as noisy, dirty, and dangerous. They
also associate negative images to jeepneys like poor,
stressed, and disorder [5]. The negative perception of
jeepneys are brought by their infamous road behavior. PUJs are
978-1-5090-0360-0/15/$31.00 2015 IEEE
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Philippine Section
9-12 December 2015 Water Front Hotel, Cebu, Philippines
Dr. Elmer P. Dadios Krister Ian Z. Roquel
Manufacturing Engineering Civil Engineering Dept.
and Management Dept. De La Salle University,
De La Salle University, Manila City, Philippines
Manila City, Philippines krister.roquel@dlsu.edu.ph
elmer.dadios@dlsu.edu.ph
Fig. 1. Diagram showing undisciplined Jeepney operations and its impact on
vehicular traffic
known to stop at the middle of roads to pick-up and drop
passengers which create instant bottlenecks at every crossing
as shown in the diagram in Fig. 1 [6]. Likewise, the
contribution of the PUJ to the worsening urban traffic situation
is highlighted by their undisciplined operation [7].
The changes in the transportation sector in Metro Manila
puts the role of jeepneys in a transition role. From a main mode
of transport used in everyday travel, jeepneys are transformed
into feeder modes. Despite this transition, it still holds a
competitive advantage against other modes of transport
considering its ability to access narrow roads or areas with
limited transport service at inexpensive costs. However, this
should not be a reason for jeepney services to remain
incompetent. Jeepney operations are not subsidized by the
government and its operations are highly vulnerable to the
fluctuations of oil prices. Minimizing costs incurred by its
operations should be the top priority of drivers and operators,
alike. This paper addresses the minimization of costs incurred
by jeepney operations by applying Genetic Algorithm to
optimize its service.
Operations of jeepneys along Taft Avenue, Manila was
chosen since it is a major thoroughfare in Metro Manila
connecting three different cities: Manila, Pasay, and Paraaque.
The study area will focus on the three kilometer section from
Vito Cruz (Pablo Ocampo St.) to Ayala Boulevard intersection.
 8th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Philippine Section
9-12 December 2015 Water Front Hotel, Cebu, Philippines
II. OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM
Timetable development or dispatch scheduling of road-
based transport is not commonly done in Metro Manila. Most
operators send out their whole fleet every day thinking it would
maximize their generated income. This type of operation may
make their revenues smaller because of greater operating costs.
Sending out the entire fleet without knowing actual transit
demand also has an effect to urban traffic flow since jeepneys
would stubbornly wait for passengers along road segments.
Efficient public transport operations must minimize waiting
time and travel time of passengers and the costs for operators.
Different operating schemes adapting to real-time traffic
scenarios were formulated to address the optimization problem.
In this paper, three types of operations were chosen: Normal,
Express A, and Express B as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3, red
points indicate that jeepneys should stop at that point and green
points indicate a skipped point. Normal operations allow the
Fig. 2. The study area and common points of passenger exchange vehicle to run and stop along all common pick-up and drop-off
points. Express A and Express B operations allow the vehicles
This section was selected because it is a very busy corridor to stop at predetermined common pick-up and drop off points.
with frequent heavy traffic mainly due to the numerous trip Express A and Express B are different in terms of pick-up and
generators in the area such as, higher educational institutions, drop-off points. Common pick-up points are used in this paper
schools, hospitals, government offices, and recreational areas considering that jeepney operations do not have designated
(parks and malls), among others. pick-up and drop-off points. This paper would not employ zone
There are many different jeepney routes that pass by along operations considering that the selected study area is already a
Taft Avenue indicating that there is a very high passenger zone from the whole transit service route.
demand in the study area. Table 1 shows the different operating
routes and the number of jeepney units that pass by Taft
Avenue. The table clearly shows that there is a need to
effectively manage jeepney services along the chosen corridor
because of the extremely high number of jeepneys available to
the public despite the short trip length.
Fig. 3. Different operating types used in the study
TABLE I. JEEPNEY ROUTES OPERATING ALONG TAFT AVENUE
Route Trip Length (km) Units III. METHODOLOGY
MCU-Vito Cruz LRT 11.8 12.0
Baclaran-Retiro (via L Guinto & Quiapo) 11.9 4.0 The following sections show the employed methods in the
Retiro-Libertad (via L Gunito & Sta Cruz) 11.4 28.0 model development and the algorithm formulation.
MCU-Pasay Rotonda (via Taft Ave) 14.8 71.0
Escolta-Libertad (via L Guinto) 6.8 3.0 A. Data Gathering
P Campa-Libertad 7.4 1.0
Kamuning-Vito Cruz LRT 12.2 22.0 Existing transit data were used in this study which were
Monumento-Pasay Rotonda (via Taft) 14.0 28.0
Libertad-Quezon Institute 10.2 19.0
collected were done through frequency counts and on-board
Blumentritt-Baclaran 12.1 261.0 surveys. Frequency counts were done in order to determine
Blumentritt-Vito Cruz LRT 7.2 23.0 which transport service routes heavily utilize the study area.
Blumentritt-Remedios 7.5 10.0
Project 6-Vito Cruz LRT 16.0 10.0
The most jeepney routes that were counted operating along
Blumentritt-Pasay Rotonda 10.1 56.0 Taft Avenue were highlighted on Table 1. These routes
Dapitan-Libertad (via L Guinto) 10.5 31.0 contribute to about 60% of the jeepney volume along Taft
Pasay Rotonda-Divisoria 9.1 23.0
Cubao-Remedios 12.2 323.0
Avenue [8]. Further analysis of the vehicle occupancies shows
Monumento-Vito Cruz (via Taft) 11.2 11.0 that jeepneys are, on the average, operate at 47% occupancy
Baclaran-P Campa (via L Guinto) 10.1 67.0 during the day.
Project 2/3-Remedios 12.6 48.0
Baclaran-Dapitan (via L Guinto) 11.8 182.0
On-board passenger surveys were also conducted to
Blumentritt-Baclaran 11.8 185.0 determine the number of embarking and disembarking
Baclaran-Divisoria (via L Guinto) 9.7 247.0 passengers at common pick-up and drop-off points. This study
Monumento-Libertad (via Taft) 12.2 35.0
Blumentritt-Libertad 9.7 27.0 optimizes the operation of jeepneys during the morning peak
Total 1,727 and off-peak periods. Fig. 4 shows the hourly average
distribution of the boarding and alighting passengers along the
 8th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Philippine Section
9-12 December 2015 Water Front Hotel, Cebu, Philippines

Table 3 shows the description of the normal and express

Fig. 4. Passenger boarding and alighting during the peak period (top) and off-
peak period (bottom)
operations of jeepneys for the study area. Locations wherein
jeepneys would stop for passengers are designated with 1,
otherwise 0.
B. Assumptions
Considering that jeepney operations are affected by a
variety of factors, specific assumptions are to be laid out in this
study. The assumptions include: (a) all jeepneys have the same
capcacity; (b) jeepney operations are managed by a transit
authority; (c) vehicles run at constant speed; (d) there are
enough vehicles in the fleet to serve passengers; (e) vehicles
would run even in the occurrence of traffic accidents and other
unforeseen circumstances; (f) passenger arrival rate is uniform;
and (f) the algorithm can be used in different frequencies or
number of jeepney departures per hour.
C. Development of the Mathematical Model
This study adapts the mathematical model from previous
work wherein costs incurred due to passenger travel time and
vehicle operating time is reduced [9]. The three objective
functions consist of passenger waiting time, passenger travel
time, and vehicle operating time as shown below.

study area during the peak (6:00 AM 9:00 AM) and off-peak f N r h2
periods (9:00 AM 12:00 NN). C1 = VOT j i , j + Si 1, j hi , j

i =1 j =1 2
Table 2 shows the distances between points of embarkation (1)
and disembarkation along Taft Avenue and its corresponding f
[ ) c] + (L
N

travel times. An average travel velocity of 7.45 kilometers per

C2 = VOT Li , j t j + ( l
i, j + l
i , j 1 i, j Ai , j ) T0
l
i, j
i =1 j =1
(2)
hour (kph) was determined from on-board surveys during the f
[ ( ) ]
N
study periods. C3 = VOC t j + il, j + il, j 1 c + il, j T0 (3)
i =1 j =1
TABLE II. DISTANCE AND TRAVEL TIMES BETWEEN COMMON POINTS OF
EMBARKATION AND DISEMBARKATION
Where,
Location Distance (km) tj (mins) i vehicle, i = 1,2,,f;
Vito Cruz - Estrada 0.5 4.027 j passenger embarking and disembarking point along the
Estrada - Quirino 1 4.027
Quirino - Remedios 1.2 1.611 route, j = 1, 2,,N
Remedios - Malvar PWU 1.4 1.611 l form of operation, l = 1 means normal operation, l = 2
Malvar PWU - Pedro Gil 1.7 2.416
Pedro Gil PGH 1.9 1.611
means express A operation, l = 3 means express B
PGH - Faura 2.2 2.416 operation
Faura - NBI/UN 2.4 1.616 hi,j headway between vehicle i-1 at stop j and computed
NBI/UN - Kalaw 2.7 2.416
Kalaw - Taft Ayala 3.1 3.221
as:
j j

TABLE III. OPERATION TYPE AND CORRESPONDING STOP ASSIGNMENTS

( )
hi , j = h + il, k (T0 + c ) il1, k (T0 + c )( ) (4)
k =1 k =1

Peak Off Peak rj arrival rate at stop j

Location
Normal Express A Express B Express A Express B Si,j the total left passengers of vehicle i at stop j and
Vito Cruz 1 1 1 1 1
Estrada 1 0 0 0 0
computed as:
N
Quirino
Remedios
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
Si , j = s i , jk
Malvar/PWU 1 1 0 1 1
k = j +1
(5)
Pedro Gil 1 1 0 1 0 T0 dwell time and calculated as
PGH 1 0 1 0 1
Faura 1 1 0 1 0 T0 = 7.0401797Emb + 1.76214Dis [10] (6)
NBI/UN 1 1 0 0 0 Emb number of boarding passengers at stop j
Kalaw 1 0 1 0 1
Dis number of alighting passengers at stop j
Taft Ayala 1 1 1 1 1
 8th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Philippine Section
i,jl 0-1 variable. 1 when the vehicle i stops at j ,
otherwise 0.
il operation type of vehicle i
c acceleration and deceleration time (0.0833 minutes)
VOT value of time of passengers (P78.1/hour) [11]
VOC vehicle operating cost (calculated as P1.82/min)
[11]
The first objective function takes into account the waiting
costs of passengers for a service vehicle to arrive. It includes
the waiting time of the vehicle and the time caused by skipping
stops. The second objective function calculates the onboard
costs of passengers. Finally, the vehicle operation cost is
calculated from the travel time, acceleration and deceleration
time, and dwelling time.
Dwell time per stop were determined from the regression
equations developed from [10]. Meanwhile, VOT and VOC are
calculated from the study reports of [11].
IV. GENETIC ALGORITHM
In this paper, genetic algorithm was used to find a solution
to the optimization problem. Genetic algorithm is an adaptive
search technique patterned after the evolutionary process of
selection and survival of the fittest [9]. Genetic algorithm is
very powerful in finding solutions from complex problems. It
begins with an initial group of strings (population) that
represents a possible solution to the problem. A chromosome,
represented by a string or a member of the population, is
evaluated by a fitness function. From the evaluation,
chromosomes are deemed whether fit or not to be mated. Each
chromosome would generate a new population of
chromosomes. The generation of a new population is often
characterized by three processes: reproduction, crossover, and
mutation. Generation of new populations is continuous until
convergence or a local minimum or maximum is attained. The
search algorithm is terminated once convergence is attained.
The process of the genetic algorithm in this study is shown in
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5. Flowchart for the Genetic Algorithm
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
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A. Initial Population
The initial population is randomly generated. The length of
coding is defined by the minimum and maximum headway.
The chromosome is composed of n number of genes where n is
the frequency of jeepneys within an operating period (one hour
for this study). A gene is represented by the type of operation
in the study area. Normal type of operations is represented by
1. Express A and Express B operations are represented by 2
and 3, respectively. The number of genes in each chromosome
is held constant for each determined headway. This study
tested four different headways resulting to different operating
combinations.
B. Fitness Function
This study minimizes the total costs incurred during the
operation. The solution provided should have the least waiting
and travel time for the passenger. The solution that satisfies the
equation below will be considered the fittest individual:
min X = f(X) = C1 + C2 + C3 (7)
C. Genetic Operators
1) Selection of Parents
Roulette gambling law was chosen as the selection method
for individuals. Roulette gambling law selects chromosomes in
random. Chromosomes that are more fit have a higher
probability of being selected.
2) Crossover
Crossover is the operation that generates a new set of
population [12]. Crossover works by crossing two individuals
at a certain location. One-point crossover was used in this
study as shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6. Example of one-point crossover between two parents
3) Mutation
Mutation works by altering a specific gene from a selected
chromosome. Chromosomes are mutated at random locations
when it meets a defined mutation probability.
D. Definition of Parameters
Other parameters that are needed in the model are described
in this section. Acceleration and deceleration time of jeepneys
are estimated as 0.0833 minutes (5 s) considering the short
distances between common points of passenger exchange.
Mutation rate is taken as 0.005, population size and number of
generations is kept constant at 20 and 100, respectively. Four
headways of 3, 4, 6, and 10 minutes for an hourly operating
period were tested. Other parameters can be found in Tables 2
3.
 8th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Philippine Section
V. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
The main objective of the algorithm is to create an
operating schedule with the minimum cost. Hence, this
algorithm should minimize the value of the fitness level for
each passing generation. Fig. 7 shows that convergence is
attained after a number of generations during the peak period
with a frequency of 20 jeepneys for the study period.
Fig. 7. Fitness for every generation (f=20, peak period)
Convergence was also attained for other conditions and
variables as shown in Table 4. It can be observed that as the
length of the chromosomes grow longer, the higher number of
generations were needed to attain the minimum value.
Convergence to a minimum value shows that genetic algorithm
finds the desired fitness.
TABLE IV. CONVERGENCE OF FITNESS VALUES ON DIFFERENT
PARAMETERS
Frequency AM Peak AM Off-Peak
6 10 10
10 20 35
15 85 80
20 60 95
The combination of operating types are shown in Table 5.
Each vehicle is given a headway depending on the number of
assigned vehicles within the operating period (1 hour). The
combination of operations would vary depending on the
passenger demand for each location along the route. The
algorithm has calculated a viable operating combination at the
most economical cost.
It is seen in Table 5 that during the peak periods, preference
is given with consecutive similar operating types. This
occurrence is due to the fact that the model depends on the
least operating time between points of embarkation and
disembarkation. Headways are normally smaller when
consecutive vehicles have the same operating type.
Furthermore, Express services increase the amount of waiting
passengers which increase passenger waiting costs.
Considering that the selected study area has high passenger
volume at every stop, the program tends to prefer the normal
type of operations. Off-peak operating combinations show a
different trend especially at smaller headways. It shows that
given the smaller passenger demand, jeepneys are suggested to
Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM)
9-12 December 2015 Water Front Hotel, Cebu, Philippines
skip different stops in order to minimize total travel time. It
also suggests consecutive vehicles having the same operating
type to minimize headways. Passengers waiting at stops are
also smaller which explains the preference of express services
during off-peak hours. However, on larger headways,
preference is again given to normal operations.
TABLE V. OPTIMIZED OPERATING COMBINATIONS
Frequency Operating Combination Fitness
Morning Peak Period
6 311112 2563.613
10 3111133232 2025.147
15 311111222222222 1971.975
20 21111111133222232322 2182.294
Morning Off Peak Period
6 21112 2702.958
10 2311111133 2238.627
15 333333323333333 2171.11
20 33333323333333323332 2324.204
VI. CONCLUSION
This paper showed that genetic algorithms can be used to
optimize the operation of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) along a
busy corridor of their service route. A model was adopted so
that waiting and travel time of passengers and operating time of
jeepneys are minimized. The use of genetic algorithm in the
minimization problem was proven feasible by showing its
convergence at a local minimum after a number of generations.
The developed model highly depend on the headways
between vehicles and the number of passengers boarding and
alighting the vehicle at designated stops. At sections wherein
passenger demand is relatively high, preference was given to
normal operations to address the passenger waiting costs.
Express services are highly preferred during off-peak hours.
The inclination towards express services is a result of the low
passenger demand at these times. It was also shown in both
study periods that consecutive vehicles having the same
operating type further minimizes the costs by maintaining the
headways. The variations in passenger demand and headways
should be monitored as these factors serve as the reference of
the operating combinations that will be implemented in the
operating period.
Overall, the application of genetic algorithm in optimizing
jeepney operations along a busy section of a transit service
route is possible. It should be the responsibility of the
respective transit agencies to select which stops or locations
would be served or skipped. Incorrectly determined skipped
stops would normally make express services more expensive
and less desirable in the algorithm. This paper proves the high
capability of genetic algorithms in finding the optimal
operations of transit services considering different costs.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors express their gratitude to the support given by
Dr. Alexis Fillone and the PUBFix project team which is
supported by the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and
 8th IEEE International Conference Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Philippine Section
Emerging Technology Research and Development of the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCIEERD).
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