Demand Responsive Transportation Service Problem with Time Windows

Most countries have high unemployment levels of which Ghana is not an exception (www.ask.com). Most of these unemployed people, especially women engage themselves in wholesale and retail trading of fruits and vegetables. In Ghana, locally produced fruits are of high demand (www.myjoyonline.com/bussiness/2014/january-3rd), but its non-availability results in people patronizing imported fruits. Watermelon business in Bantama market, Kumasi-Ghana, was chosen as a case study. The study focused on an entrepreneur handling the purchasing and transportation of the fruits from source to the market instead of wholesalers. A mathematical model was used to estimate the number of vehicles needed to serve the requests of the wholesalers thereby minimizing cost of transportation with no option of non-availability in the market. In pursuit of the objectives, primary data was collected from the general public and wholesalers. The result showed that three (3) vehicles can be used to serve the twenty (20) wholesalers at Bantama market in Kumasi.