Abstract: Taking the public transportation system of Dali City as the research subject, this study addresses issues such as prolonged
waiting times and route congestion caused by the surge in passenger flow during tourist peak seasons. By integrating graph theory and genetic algorithms, the research conducts an optimization study on bus routes. First, a network topology structure is constructed with bus stops as nodes and comprehensive travel costs as edge weights. Subsequently, a multi-objective optimization model is established with the goals of minimizing passenger waiting time and operational costs. The genetic algorithm is employed to solve this model, yielding an optimized bus scheduling scheme. MATLAB simulations are then conducted for verification and comparative analysis. The results demonstrate that the optimized scheme effectively enhances bus operational efficiency, providing theoretical support and practical reference for the  optimization of public transportation systems in tourist cities.

Key words: graph theory, genetic algorithm, bus routes in Dali City, route optimization