The Kennesaw State University Department of Transportation manages the Big Owl Bus (B.O.B.). The B.O.B. has 9 routes which provide transportation around and between the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, as well as to select off-campus apartment complexes and shopping centers. We utilized a number of methodologies to recommend improvements to the efficiency and accessibility of the B.O.B. We first used the vehicle routing problem to develop a binary integer linear programming model. This allowed us to determine a new set of routes that minimize total travel time across the routes. Next, we developed an integer non-linear programming model to assign a set of buses to each of the new routes, with the goal of minimizing overall cost. Performing a sensitivity analysis of our solution allowed our recommendations to be more robust. We then created a simulation model to verify our solution. We performed a financial analysis and conducted student surveys and driver interviews to inform our recommendations.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Kennesaw State University Department of Transportation manages the Big Owl Bus (B.O.B.). The B.O.B. has 9 routes which provide transportation around and between the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, as well as to select off-campus apartment complexes and shopping centers. We utilized a number of methodologies to recommend improvements to the efficiency and accessibility of the B.O.B. We first used the vehicle routing problem to develop a binary integer linear programming model. This allowed us to determine a new set of routes that minimize total travel time across the routes. Next, we developed an integer non-linear programming model to assign a set of buses to each of the new routes, with the goal of minimizing overall cost. Performing a sensitivity analysis of our solution allowed our recommendations to be more robust. We then created a simulation model to verify our solution. We performed a financial analysis and conducted student surveys and driver interviews to inform our recommendations.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Washington, Valerie N","Starzec, Douglas"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Capstone","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Kami Anderson, PhD","Adeel Khalid, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-04-26T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-04-26T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:17Z","subjects":["optimization","transportation","public transit","simulation","sensitivity analysis","Systems Engineering"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/honors_etd/14","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Kami Anderson, PhD","Adeel Khalid, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Washington, Valerie N","Starzec, Douglas"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Capstone"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["optimization","transportation","public transit","simulation","sensitivity analysis","Systems Engineering"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/honors_etd/14"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Kennesaw State University Department of Transportation manages the Big Owl Bus (B.O.B.). The B.O.B. has 9 routes which provide transportation around and between the Kennesaw and Marietta campuses, as well as to select off-campus apartment complexes and shopping centers. We utilized a number of methodologies to recommend improvements to the efficiency and accessibility of the B.O.B. We first used the vehicle routing problem to develop a binary integer linear programming model. This allowed us to determine a new set of routes that minimize total travel time across the routes. Next, we developed an integer non-linear programming model to assign a set of buses to each of the new routes, with the goal of minimizing overall cost. Performing a sensitivity analysis of our solution allowed our recommendations to be more robust. We then created a simulation model to verify our solution. We performed a financial analysis and conducted student surveys and driver interviews to inform our recommendations.
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