Optimization of On-Campus Students’ Travel Utility

Abstract: The Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM), Nigeria has experienced high influx of students’ intake in recent time. However, the university administration has not planned for, or improved the condition of existing transport infrastructure/system to cater for the surge. This study optimise students’ trip utilities using Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique. Objectives of the study were to; identify the available mode choices on the campus, examine factors that affect students’ mode choice, develop a students’ trip utility function and optimize the function using GA technique. An online questionnaire was administered to 364 randomly selected students drawn from three (3) colleges out of Nine (9) in the University with a total population of 4045 students. The instrument examined students’ socio-demographic characteristics and travel behaviours which were used to build the travel utility function, then optimised using GA techniques. Results of the study indicated that; 60.99% of the students were female, 65.38% were aged between 16 – 25 years, and 26% were between 26 – 35 years. Car and bike ownership among students measured 95.05% and 81.32% respectively. Mode share were 26.92%, 12.36%, 22.53%, 6.59% and 31.59% for personal car/bike, buses, bike, tricycle and walking respectively. Mode choice were influenced by safety, affordability, speed, comfort, and accessibility at 6.32%, 21.98%, 21.15%, 21.43% and 29.12% respectively. Statistical performance of the optimised model showed . . . .