Glossary
Savings algorithm
The savings algorithm (Clarke and Wright, 1964) builds vehicle routes by repeatedly joining the pair of stops whose combination saves the most distance compared with serving each from the depot alone.
Last updated By Porch Route
It starts with one out-and-back trip per stop, calculates the saving from merging every pair, and merges greedily from the largest saving down while the constraints allow. It is fast and produces good starting routes, which is why it remains the classic construction step before a local-search improvement.
In Porch Route the savings algorithm constructs the routes across the fleet, and 2-opt and Or-opt local search then improve them. The word “savings” in the plan's summary refers to something else — the miles and time saved against the baseline — so the two are worth telling apart.
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