Author(s)

Enrico Musso & Anna Sciomachen

Abstract

This paper deals with the so-called "plant location problem" and aims to set up a methodology for determining the optimal location and size of bus depots. Location and size of bus depots are usually not efficient, mainly because of: - the subsequent growth of the city, or significant changes in location patterns (causing possible inefficiencies in terms of land use); - the growing demand for public transport over time (causing ineficiencies in exploiting economies of scale). Nevertheless, any "present" location is usually very difficult to change, due to: - the lack of an appropriate methodology to find out better locations; - the unpopularity of any decision concerning new locations for bus depots. The poposed methodology aims to investigate the overall costs connected with depots (land use costs + operational costs + journey-to-depo

Keywords