TRAMP—A Multi-depot Vehicle Scheduling System

The following paper describes a vehicle scheduling computer program developed by the Operational Research Division in co-operation with the Catering Service of the Education Officer's Department. The program deals with multiple collections and "carrying through", different-sized vehicles, time and vehicle size restrictions for collection and delivery points, alternative garages and variable loading and unloading times for each collection and delivery point taking as a criterion the reduction of transport time. Although the program was developed for a specific situation, namely the organization of school meals delivery routes, and the first part of the paper describes the conditions and requirements demanded by the service, which greatly influenced the development of the program, the major part of the paper deals with the program itself, its structure and working. The paper concludes with some results of tests of the program in the southern half of the Inner London Education Authority's area.