Combinatorial optimization problems allow for modeling multiple situations in which proper allocation of resources is needed. For some real-world problems, the use of fuzzy elements in the models allows for incorporating certain levels of uncertainty to better approximate such real-world situations. One way to solve combinatorial optimization problems with fuzzy elements is the parametric approach, where it is necessary to define how to explore different relaxation levels using alpha-cuts. Researchers tend to select such alpha-cuts uniformly. The current investigation proposes a novel strategy for selecting alpha-cuts in the School Bus Routing Problem with fuzzy students' maximum walking distance. This proposal bases its foundations on the number of student-bus stop pairs available according to the different levels of relaxations allowed. Results demonstrate how the proposed strategy gives attractive solutions with more diverse trade-offs, contrasted with other methods in the literature. Furthermore, it decreases the computational cost for those instances where the maximum relaxation does not provide new pairs of students-bus stops.
Copyright © 2022 Eduardo Sánchez-Ansola et al.