Bus Arrival Time Prediction Based on the Optimized Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network Model With the Improved Whale Algorithm

Accurate prediction of bus arrival time is essential to achieve efficient bus dispatch and improve bus trip sharing rate. This article proposes using the improved whale optimization algorithm–long short-term memory (IWOA–LSTM) model to predict bus arrival times and improving the whale algorithm by optimizing the hyperparameters of the LSTM model, so that the advantages and disadvantages of the whale algorithm and the LSTM model can complement each other, thus enhancing the robustness of the model. Initially, the bus arrival process and its associated influencing factors are analyzed, with certain factors being quantified to serve as input features for the prediction model. After processing the GPS data of the No. 220 bus in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China, the proposed prediction model is analyzed and validated using an example and compared with other prediction models. The results show that the IWOA–LSTM prediction model has the best-fitting effect between the predicted values and actual values in all time periods. Its MAPE, RMSE, and MAE have been reduced by at least 9.47%, 12.77%, and 8.93%, respectively, and the overall R² has been improved by at least 10.65%. These results indicate that the model has the best predictive performance.