About Batch Scheduling

Batch scheduling or batching is the automated process of selecting a bunch of trips.

Batch Scheduling lets the algorithm sort trips in some pre-defined way, known as the batch sort order, and then scheduling them one-by-one through the single insert scheduling method.

During batch processing, some, all, or no trips may be scheduled; already-scheduled trips can be rescheduled in search of a better run. Therefore, batches can be re-run multiple times to improve overall results of a run. Improvement can be seen in the increasing number of trips scheduled, as well as potentially decreasing the total time or distance traveled by all runs.

The batching process can be preceded by the Batch Matching step, if desired.

The batch sort order can influence the quality of the results by putting group trips or high priority trips first, but further refine their sorting by scheduling by sorting under criteria such as:

• Time Period - Which period (for example, 7 AM trips, 8 AM trips etc.) the trip belongs to.
• Travel - Schedule longer trips first because they are typically harder to schedule.
• Peak Period - Schedule trips in time periods that have the most trips first.
• Booking ID - Schedule trips first with lower booking IDs.
• Geography - Batch sort orders take into account the coordinates of the trip relative to other trips.