Using the Genetic Algorithm for the Optimization of Dynamic School Bus Routing Problem-Figure 5. Crossover process

In the selection mechanism, the individuals passed down from the previous generation occasionally cannot produce a better individual. In that case, the compatibility of the individuals might worsen, while producing the exact opposite is what is expected. To avoid this, the elitism operator is used and it is ensured that the best individual of the previous generation is passed down to the next generation, even though the current population is diminishing on an overall basis as a result of the production operators (Goldberg, 1989). In the current study, the consecutive selection method and elitism selection were preferred. For this aim, after calculating the compatibility function, the population was ranked according to the population function values (total route length). In case the crossover possibility is realized, the number of individuals to select will be determined according to the parameter related to the crossover size. To ensure a high level of variability in the generation, it is suggested that this possibility is taken as 50% and 95% (Goldberg, 1989). The crossover process allows the production of a new individual using the genes taken from two individuals, based on the selected crossover method. In this study, a single point crossover method was selected. During the crossing over, limitations that were previously mentioned regarding the formation of a new initial population were taken into consideration. The identified initial or final point was fixed and kept out of the context of crossing over. An example of crossover can be seen in Figure 5.https://www.edusoft.ro/brain/index.php/brain/article/view/803/90