Common Routing Tasks

The following sections explain how to do some common tasks related to solving vehicle routing problems.

Search limits

Vehicle routing problems with many locations can take a long time to solve. For such problems, it is a good idea to set a search limit, which terminates the search after a specified length of time or number of solutions returned.

Time limits

The examples below show how to set a time limit of 30 seconds for a search.

Python

search_parameters = pywrapcp.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters()
search_parameters.time_limit.seconds = 30

C++

RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters = DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
searchParameters.mutable_time_limit()->set_seconds(30);

Java

Add the following `import` at the beginning of the program:

import com.google.protobuf.Duration;

Then set the search parameters as follows:

RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
        main.defaultRoutingSearchParameters()
            .toBuilder()
            .setTimeLimit(Duration.newBuilder().setSeconds(30).build())
            .build();

C#

Add the following line at the beginning of the program:

using Google.Protobuf.WellKnownTypes; // Duration

Then set the search parameters as follows:

RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
  operations_research_constraint_solver.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
searchParameters.TimeLimit = new Duration { Seconds = 10 };

See Changing the search strategy for an example that sets a time limit.

Solution limits

The examples below show how to set a solution limit of 100 for a search.

Python

search_parameters = pywrapcp.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters()
search_parameters.solution_limit = 100

C++

RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters = DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
searchParameters.set_solution_limit(100);

Java

RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
        main.defaultRoutingSearchParameters()
            .toBuilder()
            .setSolutionLimit(100)
            .build();

C#

RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
  operations_research_constraint_solver.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
searchParameters.SolutionLimit(100);

Setting initial routes for a search

For some problems, you might want to specify a set of initial routes for a VRP, rather than letting the solver find an initial solution — for example, if you have already found a good solution to a problem, and want to use it as a starting point to solve a modified problem.

To create the initial routes do the following steps:

1. Define an array containing the initial routes.
2. Create the initial solution using the method ReadAssignmentFromRoutes.

The following code defines the initial routes in the data.

Note: The initial routes do not include the depot.

Python

    data["initial_routes"] = [
        # fmt: off
      [8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11],
      [3, 4, 9, 10],
      [15, 1],
      [7, 5, 2, 6],
        # fmt: on
    ]

C++

  const std::vector<std::vector<int64_t>> initial_routes{
      {8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11},
      {3, 4, 9, 10},
      {15, 1},
      {7, 5, 2, 6},
  };

Java

    public final long[][] initialRoutes = {
        {8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11},
        {3, 4, 9, 10},
        {15, 1},
        {7, 5, 2, 6},
    };

C#

        public long[][] InitialRoutes = {
            new long[] { 8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11 },
            new long[] { 3, 4, 9, 10 },
            new long[] { 15, 1 },
            new long[] { 7, 5, 2, 6 },
        };

The following code creates the initial solution from the routes and then performs a search starting at the initial solution.

The program displays both the initial solution, and the solution found by the search.

Python

    initial_solution = routing.ReadAssignmentFromRoutes(data["initial_routes"], True)
    print("Initial solution:")
    print_solution(data, manager, routing, initial_solution)

C++

  const Assignment* initial_solution =
      routing.ReadAssignmentFromRoutes(data.initial_routes, true);
  // Print initial solution on console.
  LOG(INFO) << "Initial solution: ";
  PrintSolution(data, manager, routing, *initial_solution);

Java

    Assignment initialSolution = routing.readAssignmentFromRoutes(data.initialRoutes, true);
    logger.info("Initial solution:");
    printSolution(data, routing, manager, initialSolution);

C#

        Assignment initialSolution = routing.ReadAssignmentFromRoutes(data.InitialRoutes, true);
        // Print initial solution on console.
        Console.WriteLine("Initial solution:");
        PrintSolution(data, routing, manager, initialSolution);

When you add this code to the previous VRP program and run the program, it displays the following output:

Initial solution:
Route for vehicle 0:
 0 ->  8 ->  16 ->  14 ->  13 ->  12 ->  11 -> 0
Distance of the route: 2168m

Route for vehicle 1:
 0 ->  3 ->  4 ->  9 ->  10 -> 0
Distance of the route: 2464m

Route for vehicle 2:
 0 ->  15 ->  1 -> 0
Distance of the route: 2192m

Route for vehicle 3:
 0 ->  7 ->  5 ->  2 ->  6 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1780m

Maximum of the route distances: 2464m

Solution after search:

Route for vehicle 0:
 0 ->  9 ->  10 ->  16 ->  14 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1552m

Route for vehicle 1:
 0 ->  12 ->  11 ->  15 ->  13 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1552

Route for vehicle 2:
 0 ->  3 ->  4 ->  1 ->  7 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1552

Route for vehicle 3:
 0 ->  5 ->  2 ->  6 ->  8 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1552

Maximum of the route distances: 1552

Here are the complete programs that set initial routes.

Python

"""Vehicles Routing Problem (VRP)."""

from ortools.constraint_solver import routing_enums_pb2
from ortools.constraint_solver import pywrapcp


def create_data_model():
    """Stores the data for the problem."""
    data = {}
    data["distance_matrix"] = [
        # fmt: off
      [0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468, 776, 662],
      [548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674, 1016, 868, 1210],
      [776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130, 788, 1552, 754],
      [696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822, 1164, 560, 1358],
      [582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708, 1050, 674, 1244],
      [274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514, 1050, 708],
      [502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514, 1278, 480],
      [194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662, 742, 856],
      [308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320, 1084, 514],
      [194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274, 810, 468],
      [536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730, 388, 1152, 354],
      [502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308, 650, 274, 844],
      [388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536, 388, 730],
      [354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342, 422, 536],
      [468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342, 0, 764, 194],
      [776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388, 422, 764, 0, 798],
      [662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536, 194, 798, 0],
        # fmt: on
    ]
    data["initial_routes"] = [
        # fmt: off
      [8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11],
      [3, 4, 9, 10],
      [15, 1],
      [7, 5, 2, 6],
        # fmt: on
    ]
    data["num_vehicles"] = 4
    data["depot"] = 0
    return data


def print_solution(data, manager, routing, solution):
    """Prints solution on console."""
    print(f"Objective: {solution.ObjectiveValue()}")
    max_route_distance = 0
    for vehicle_id in range(data["num_vehicles"]):
        index = routing.Start(vehicle_id)
        plan_output = f"Route for vehicle {vehicle_id}:\n"
        route_distance = 0
        while not routing.IsEnd(index):
            plan_output += f" {manager.IndexToNode(index)} -> "
            previous_index = index
            index = solution.Value(routing.NextVar(index))
            route_distance += routing.GetArcCostForVehicle(
                previous_index, index, vehicle_id
            )
        plan_output += f"{manager.IndexToNode(index)}\n"
        plan_output += f"Distance of the route: {route_distance}m\n"
        print(plan_output)
        max_route_distance = max(route_distance, max_route_distance)
    print(f"Maximum of the route distances: {max_route_distance}m")



def main():
    """Solve the CVRP problem."""
    # Instantiate the data problem.
    data = create_data_model()

    # Create the routing index manager.
    manager = pywrapcp.RoutingIndexManager(
        len(data["distance_matrix"]), data["num_vehicles"], data["depot"]
    )

    # Create Routing Model.
    routing = pywrapcp.RoutingModel(manager)

    # Create and register a transit callback.
    def distance_callback(from_index, to_index):
        """Returns the distance between the two nodes."""
        # Convert from routing variable Index to distance matrix NodeIndex.
        from_node = manager.IndexToNode(from_index)
        to_node = manager.IndexToNode(to_index)
        return data["distance_matrix"][from_node][to_node]

    transit_callback_index = routing.RegisterTransitCallback(distance_callback)

    # Define cost of each arc.
    routing.SetArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transit_callback_index)

    # Add Distance constraint.
    dimension_name = "Distance"
    routing.AddDimension(
        transit_callback_index,
        0,  # no slack
        3000,  # vehicle maximum travel distance
        True,  # start cumul to zero
        dimension_name,
    )
    distance_dimension = routing.GetDimensionOrDie(dimension_name)
    distance_dimension.SetGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100)

    # Close model with the custom search parameters.
    search_parameters = pywrapcp.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters()
    search_parameters.first_solution_strategy = (
        routing_enums_pb2.FirstSolutionStrategy.PATH_CHEAPEST_ARC
    )
    search_parameters.local_search_metaheuristic = (
        routing_enums_pb2.LocalSearchMetaheuristic.GUIDED_LOCAL_SEARCH
    )
    search_parameters.time_limit.FromSeconds(5)
    # When an initial solution is given for search, the model will be closed with
    # the default search parameters unless it is explicitly closed with the custom
    # search parameters.
    routing.CloseModelWithParameters(search_parameters)

    # Get initial solution from routes after closing the model.
    initial_solution = routing.ReadAssignmentFromRoutes(data["initial_routes"], True)
    print("Initial solution:")
    print_solution(data, manager, routing, initial_solution)

    # Solve the problem.
    solution = routing.SolveFromAssignmentWithParameters(
        initial_solution, search_parameters
    )

    # Print solution on console.
    if solution:
        print("Solution after search:")
        print_solution(data, manager, routing, solution)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

C++

#include <algorithm>
#include <cstdint>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <sstream>
#include <vector>

#include "google/protobuf/duration.pb.h"
#include "ortools/base/logging.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/constraint_solver.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing_enums.pb.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing_index_manager.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing_parameters.h"

namespace operations_research {
struct DataModel {
  const std::vector<std::vector<int64_t>> distance_matrix{
      {0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468,
       776, 662},
      {548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674,
       1016, 868, 1210},
      {776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130,
       788, 1552, 754},
      {696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822,
       1164, 560, 1358},
      {582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708,
       1050, 674, 1244},
      {274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514,
       1050, 708},
      {502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514,
       1278, 480},
      {194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662,
       742, 856},
      {308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320,
       1084, 514},
      {194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274,
       810, 468},
      {536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730,
       388, 1152, 354},
      {502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308,
       650, 274, 844},
      {388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536,
       388, 730},
      {354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342,
       422, 536},
      {468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342,
       0, 764, 194},
      {776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388,
       422, 764, 0, 798},
      {662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536,
       194, 798, 0},
  };
  const std::vector<std::vector<int64_t>> initial_routes{
      {8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11},
      {3, 4, 9, 10},
      {15, 1},
      {7, 5, 2, 6},
  };
  const int num_vehicles = 4;
  const RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex depot{0};
};

//! @brief Print the solution.
//! @param[in] data Data of the problem.
//! @param[in] manager Index manager used.
//! @param[in] routing Routing solver used.
//! @param[in] solution Solution found by the solver.
void PrintSolution(const DataModel& data, const RoutingIndexManager& manager,
                   const RoutingModel& routing, const Assignment& solution) {
  LOG(INFO) << "Objective: " << solution.ObjectiveValue();
  int64_t max_route_distance{0};
  for (int vehicle_id = 0; vehicle_id < data.num_vehicles; ++vehicle_id) {
    int64_t index = routing.Start(vehicle_id);
    LOG(INFO) << "Route for Vehicle " << vehicle_id << ":";
    int64_t route_distance{0};
    std::stringstream route;
    while (!routing.IsEnd(index)) {
      route << manager.IndexToNode(index).value() << " -> ";
      const int64_t previous_index = index;
      index = solution.Value(routing.NextVar(index));
      route_distance += routing.GetArcCostForVehicle(previous_index, index,
                                                     int64_t{vehicle_id});
    }
    LOG(INFO) << route.str() << manager.IndexToNode(index).value();
    LOG(INFO) << "Distance of the route: " << route_distance << "m";
    max_route_distance = std::max(route_distance, max_route_distance);
  }
  LOG(INFO) << "Maximum of the route distances: " << max_route_distance << "m";
  LOG(INFO) << "";
  LOG(INFO) << "Problem solved in " << routing.solver()->wall_time() << "ms";
}

void VrpInitialRoutes() {
  // Instantiate the data problem.
  DataModel data;

  // Create Routing Index Manager
  RoutingIndexManager manager(data.distance_matrix.size(), data.num_vehicles,
                              data.depot);

  // Create Routing Model.
  RoutingModel routing(manager);

  // Create and register a transit callback.
  const int transit_callback_index = routing.RegisterTransitCallback(
      [&data, &manager](const int64_t from_index,
                        const int64_t to_index) -> int64_t {
        // Convert from routing variable Index to distance matrix NodeIndex.
        const int from_node = manager.IndexToNode(from_index).value();
        const int to_node = manager.IndexToNode(to_index).value();
        return data.distance_matrix[from_node][to_node];
      });

  // Define cost of each arc.
  routing.SetArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transit_callback_index);

  // Add Distance constraint.
  routing.AddDimension(transit_callback_index, 0, 3000,
                       true,  // start cumul to zero
                       "Distance");
  routing.GetMutableDimension("Distance")->SetGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100);

  // Close model with the custom search parameters
  RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters = DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
  searchParameters.set_first_solution_strategy(
      FirstSolutionStrategy::PATH_CHEAPEST_ARC);
  searchParameters.set_local_search_metaheuristic(
      LocalSearchMetaheuristic::GUIDED_LOCAL_SEARCH);
  searchParameters.mutable_time_limit()->set_seconds(5);
  // When an initial solution is given for search, the model will be closed with
  // the default search parameters unless it is explicitly closed with the
  // custom search parameters.
  routing.CloseModelWithParameters(searchParameters);

  // Get initial solution from routes after closing the model.
  const Assignment* initial_solution =
      routing.ReadAssignmentFromRoutes(data.initial_routes, true);
  // Print initial solution on console.
  LOG(INFO) << "Initial solution: ";
  PrintSolution(data, manager, routing, *initial_solution);

  // Solve from initial solution.
  const Assignment* solution = routing.SolveFromAssignmentWithParameters(
      initial_solution, searchParameters);

  // Print solution on console.
  LOG(INFO) << "";
  LOG(INFO) << "Solution from search: ";
  PrintSolution(data, manager, routing, *solution);
}
}  // namespace operations_research

int main(int /*argc*/, char* /*argv*/[]) {
  operations_research::VrpInitialRoutes();
  return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

Java

package com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.samples;
import com.google.ortools.Loader;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.Assignment;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingDimension;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingIndexManager;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingModel;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingSearchParameters;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.main;
import java.util.logging.Logger;

/** Minimal VRP. */
public class VrpInitialRoutes {
  private static final Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(VrpInitialRoutes.class.getName());

  static class DataModel {
    public final long[][] distanceMatrix = {
        {0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468, 776, 662},
        {548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674, 1016, 868, 1210},
        {776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130, 788, 1552, 754},
        {696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822, 1164, 560, 1358},
        {582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708, 1050, 674, 1244},
        {274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514, 1050, 708},
        {502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514, 1278, 480},
        {194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662, 742, 856},
        {308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320, 1084, 514},
        {194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274, 810, 468},
        {536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730, 388, 1152, 354},
        {502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308, 650, 274, 844},
        {388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536, 388, 730},
        {354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342, 422, 536},
        {468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342, 0, 764, 194},
        {776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388, 422, 764, 0, 798},
        {662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536, 194, 798, 0},
    };
    public final long[][] initialRoutes = {
        {8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11},
        {3, 4, 9, 10},
        {15, 1},
        {7, 5, 2, 6},
    };
    public final int vehicleNumber = 4;
    public final int depot = 0;
  }

  /// @brief Print the solution.
  static void printSolution(
      DataModel data, RoutingModel routing, RoutingIndexManager manager, Assignment solution) {
    // Solution cost.
    logger.info("Objective : " + solution.objectiveValue());
    // Inspect solution.
    long maxRouteDistance = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < data.vehicleNumber; ++i) {
      long index = routing.start(i);
      logger.info("Route for Vehicle " + i + ":");
      long routeDistance = 0;
      String route = "";
      while (!routing.isEnd(index)) {
        route += manager.indexToNode(index) + " -> ";
        long previousIndex = index;
        index = solution.value(routing.nextVar(index));
        routeDistance += routing.getArcCostForVehicle(previousIndex, index, i);
      }
      logger.info(route + manager.indexToNode(index));
      logger.info("Distance of the route: " + routeDistance + "m");
      maxRouteDistance = Math.max(routeDistance, maxRouteDistance);
    }
    logger.info("Maximum of the route distances: " + maxRouteDistance + "m");
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    Loader.loadNativeLibraries();
    // Instantiate the data problem.
    final DataModel data = new DataModel();

    // Create Routing Index Manager
    RoutingIndexManager manager =
        new RoutingIndexManager(data.distanceMatrix.length, data.vehicleNumber, data.depot);

    // Create Routing Model.
    RoutingModel routing = new RoutingModel(manager);

    // Create and register a transit callback.
    final int transitCallbackIndex =
        routing.registerTransitCallback((long fromIndex, long toIndex) -> {
          // Convert from routing variable Index to user NodeIndex.
          int fromNode = manager.indexToNode(fromIndex);
          int toNode = manager.indexToNode(toIndex);
          return data.distanceMatrix[fromNode][toNode];
        });

    // Define cost of each arc.
    routing.setArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transitCallbackIndex);

    // Add Distance constraint.
    routing.addDimension(transitCallbackIndex, 0, 3000,
        true, // start cumul to zero
        "Distance");
    RoutingDimension distanceDimension = routing.getMutableDimension("Distance");
    distanceDimension.setGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100);

    Assignment initialSolution = routing.readAssignmentFromRoutes(data.initialRoutes, true);
    logger.info("Initial solution:");
    printSolution(data, routing, manager, initialSolution);

    // Setting first solution heuristic.
    RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters = main.defaultRoutingSearchParameters();

    // Solve the problem.
    Assignment solution = routing.solveFromAssignmentWithParameters(
        initialSolution, searchParameters);

    // Print solution on console.
    logger.info("Solution after search:");
    printSolution(data, routing, manager, solution);
  }
}

C#

// Copyright 2010-2024 Google LLC
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Google.OrTools.ConstraintSolver;

/// <summary>
///   VRP with initial routes.
/// </summary>
public class InitialRoutes
{
    class DataModel
    {
        public long[,] DistanceMatrix = {
            { 0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468, 776, 662 },
            { 548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674, 1016, 868, 1210 },
            { 776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130, 788, 1552, 754 },
            { 696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822, 1164, 560, 1358 },
            { 582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708, 1050, 674, 1244 },
            { 274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514, 1050, 708 },
            { 502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514, 1278, 480 },
            { 194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662, 742, 856 },
            { 308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320, 1084, 514 },
            { 194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274, 810, 468 },
            { 536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730, 388, 1152, 354 },
            { 502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308, 650, 274, 844 },
            { 388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536, 388, 730 },
            { 354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342, 422, 536 },
            { 468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342, 0, 764, 194 },
            { 776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388, 422, 764, 0, 798 },
            { 662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536, 194, 798, 0 },
        };
        public long[][] InitialRoutes = {
            new long[] { 8, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11 },
            new long[] { 3, 4, 9, 10 },
            new long[] { 15, 1 },
            new long[] { 7, 5, 2, 6 },
        };
        public int VehicleNumber = 4;
        public int Depot = 0;
    };

    /// <summary>
    ///   Print the solution.
    /// </summary>
    static void PrintSolution(in DataModel data, in RoutingModel routing, in RoutingIndexManager manager,
                              in Assignment solution)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Objective {solution.ObjectiveValue()}:");

        // Inspect solution.
        long maxRouteDistance = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < data.VehicleNumber; ++i)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Route for Vehicle {0}:", i);
            long routeDistance = 0;
            var index = routing.Start(i);
            while (routing.IsEnd(index) == false)
            {
                Console.Write("{0} -> ", manager.IndexToNode((int)index));
                var previousIndex = index;
                index = solution.Value(routing.NextVar(index));
                routeDistance += routing.GetArcCostForVehicle(previousIndex, index, 0);
            }
            Console.WriteLine("{0}", manager.IndexToNode((int)index));
            Console.WriteLine("Distance of the route: {0}", routeDistance);
            maxRouteDistance = Math.Max(routeDistance, maxRouteDistance);
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Maximum distance of the routes: {0}", maxRouteDistance);
    }

    public static void Main(String[] args)
    {
        // Instantiate the data problem.
        DataModel data = new DataModel();

        // Create Routing Index Manager
        RoutingIndexManager manager =
            new RoutingIndexManager(data.DistanceMatrix.GetLength(0), data.VehicleNumber, data.Depot);

        // Create Routing Model.
        RoutingModel routing = new RoutingModel(manager);

        // Create and register a transit callback.
        int transitCallbackIndex = routing.RegisterTransitCallback((long fromIndex, long toIndex) =>
                                                                   {
                                                                       // Convert from routing variable Index to
                                                                       // distance matrix NodeIndex.
                                                                       var fromNode = manager.IndexToNode(fromIndex);
                                                                       var toNode = manager.IndexToNode(toIndex);
                                                                       return data.DistanceMatrix[fromNode, toNode];
                                                                   });

        // Define cost of each arc.
        routing.SetArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transitCallbackIndex);

        // Add Distance constraint.
        routing.AddDimension(transitCallbackIndex, 0, 3000,
                             true, // start cumul to zero
                             "Distance");
        RoutingDimension distanceDimension = routing.GetMutableDimension("Distance");
        distanceDimension.SetGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100);

        // Get initial solution from routes.
        Assignment initialSolution = routing.ReadAssignmentFromRoutes(data.InitialRoutes, true);
        // Print initial solution on console.
        Console.WriteLine("Initial solution:");
        PrintSolution(data, routing, manager, initialSolution);

        // Setting first solution heuristic.
        RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
            operations_research_constraint_solver.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();

        // Solve the problem.
        Assignment solution = routing.SolveFromAssignmentWithParameters(
            initialSolution, searchParameters);

        // Print solution on console.
        Console.WriteLine("Solution after search:");
        PrintSolution(data, routing, manager, solution);
    }
}

Setting start and end locations for routes

So far, we have assumed that all vehicles start and end at a single location, the depot. You can also set possibly different start and end locations for each vehicle in the problem. To do so, pass two vectors, containing the indices of the start and end locations, as inputs to the RoutingModel method in the main function. Here's how to create the start and end vectors in the data section of the program:

Python

    data["starts"] = [1, 2, 15, 16]
    data["ends"] = [0, 0, 0, 0]

C++

  const std::vector<RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex> starts{
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{1},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{2},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{15},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{16},
  };
  const std::vector<RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex> ends{
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
  };

Java

    public final int[] starts = {1, 2, 15, 16};
    public final int[] ends = {0, 0, 0, 0};

C#

        public int[] Starts = { 1, 2, 15, 16 };
        public int[] Ends = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };

Here are the complete programs that set the start and end locations this way.

Python

"""Simple Vehicles Routing Problem."""

from ortools.constraint_solver import routing_enums_pb2
from ortools.constraint_solver import pywrapcp


def create_data_model():
    """Stores the data for the problem."""
    data = {}
    data["distance_matrix"] = [
        # fmt: off
      [0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468, 776, 662],
      [548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674, 1016, 868, 1210],
      [776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130, 788, 1552, 754],
      [696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822, 1164, 560, 1358],
      [582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708, 1050, 674, 1244],
      [274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514, 1050, 708],
      [502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514, 1278, 480],
      [194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662, 742, 856],
      [308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320, 1084, 514],
      [194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274, 810, 468],
      [536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730, 388, 1152, 354],
      [502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308, 650, 274, 844],
      [388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536, 388, 730],
      [354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342, 422, 536],
      [468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342, 0, 764, 194],
      [776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388, 422, 764, 0, 798],
      [662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536, 194, 798, 0],
        # fmt: on
    ]
    data["num_vehicles"] = 4
    data["starts"] = [1, 2, 15, 16]
    data["ends"] = [0, 0, 0, 0]
    return data


def print_solution(data, manager, routing, solution):
    """Prints solution on console."""
    print(f"Objective: {solution.ObjectiveValue()}")
    max_route_distance = 0
    for vehicle_id in range(data["num_vehicles"]):
        index = routing.Start(vehicle_id)
        plan_output = f"Route for vehicle {vehicle_id}:\n"
        route_distance = 0
        while not routing.IsEnd(index):
            plan_output += f" {manager.IndexToNode(index)} -> "
            previous_index = index
            index = solution.Value(routing.NextVar(index))
            route_distance += routing.GetArcCostForVehicle(
                previous_index, index, vehicle_id
            )
        plan_output += f"{manager.IndexToNode(index)}\n"
        plan_output += f"Distance of the route: {route_distance}m\n"
        print(plan_output)
        max_route_distance = max(route_distance, max_route_distance)
    print(f"Maximum of the route distances: {max_route_distance}m")


def main():
    """Entry point of the program."""
    # Instantiate the data problem.
    data = create_data_model()

    # Create the routing index manager.
    manager = pywrapcp.RoutingIndexManager(
        len(data["distance_matrix"]), data["num_vehicles"], data["starts"], data["ends"]
    )

    # Create Routing Model.
    routing = pywrapcp.RoutingModel(manager)

    # Create and register a transit callback.
    def distance_callback(from_index, to_index):
        """Returns the distance between the two nodes."""
        # Convert from routing variable Index to distance matrix NodeIndex.
        from_node = manager.IndexToNode(from_index)
        to_node = manager.IndexToNode(to_index)
        return data["distance_matrix"][from_node][to_node]

    transit_callback_index = routing.RegisterTransitCallback(distance_callback)

    # Define cost of each arc.
    routing.SetArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transit_callback_index)

    # Add Distance constraint.
    dimension_name = "Distance"
    routing.AddDimension(
        transit_callback_index,
        0,  # no slack
        2000,  # vehicle maximum travel distance
        True,  # start cumul to zero
        dimension_name,
    )
    distance_dimension = routing.GetDimensionOrDie(dimension_name)
    distance_dimension.SetGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100)

    # Setting first solution heuristic.
    search_parameters = pywrapcp.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters()
    search_parameters.first_solution_strategy = (
        routing_enums_pb2.FirstSolutionStrategy.PATH_CHEAPEST_ARC
    )

    # Solve the problem.
    solution = routing.SolveWithParameters(search_parameters)

    # Print solution on console.
    if solution:
        print_solution(data, manager, routing, solution)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

C++

#include <algorithm>
#include <cstdint>
#include <sstream>
#include <vector>

#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing_enums.pb.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing_index_manager.h"
#include "ortools/constraint_solver/routing_parameters.h"

namespace operations_research {
struct DataModel {
  const std::vector<std::vector<int64_t>> distance_matrix{
      {0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468,
       776, 662},
      {548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674,
       1016, 868, 1210},
      {776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130,
       788, 1552, 754},
      {696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822,
       1164, 560, 1358},
      {582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708,
       1050, 674, 1244},
      {274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514,
       1050, 708},
      {502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514,
       1278, 480},
      {194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662,
       742, 856},
      {308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320,
       1084, 514},
      {194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274,
       810, 468},
      {536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730,
       388, 1152, 354},
      {502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308,
       650, 274, 844},
      {388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536,
       388, 730},
      {354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342,
       422, 536},
      {468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342,
       0, 764, 194},
      {776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388,
       422, 764, 0, 798},
      {662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536,
       194, 798, 0},
  };
  const int num_vehicles = 4;
  const std::vector<RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex> starts{
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{1},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{2},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{15},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{16},
  };
  const std::vector<RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex> ends{
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
      RoutingIndexManager::NodeIndex{0},
  };
};

//! @brief Print the solution.
//! @param[in] data Data of the problem.
//! @param[in] manager Index manager used.
//! @param[in] routing Routing solver used.
//! @param[in] solution Solution found by the solver.
void PrintSolution(const DataModel& data, const RoutingIndexManager& manager,
                   const RoutingModel& routing, const Assignment& solution) {
  int64_t max_route_distance{0};
  for (int vehicle_id = 0; vehicle_id < data.num_vehicles; ++vehicle_id) {
    int64_t index = routing.Start(vehicle_id);
    LOG(INFO) << "Route for Vehicle " << vehicle_id << ":";
    int64_t route_distance{0};
    std::stringstream route;
    while (!routing.IsEnd(index)) {
      route << manager.IndexToNode(index).value() << " -> ";
      const int64_t previous_index = index;
      index = solution.Value(routing.NextVar(index));
      route_distance += routing.GetArcCostForVehicle(previous_index, index,
                                                     int64_t{vehicle_id});
    }
    LOG(INFO) << route.str() << manager.IndexToNode(index).value();
    LOG(INFO) << "Distance of the route: " << route_distance << "m";
    max_route_distance = std::max(route_distance, max_route_distance);
  }
  LOG(INFO) << "Maximum of the route distances: " << max_route_distance << "m";
  LOG(INFO) << "";
  LOG(INFO) << "Problem solved in " << routing.solver()->wall_time() << "ms";
}

void VrpStartsEnds() {
  // Instantiate the data problem.
  DataModel data;

  // Create Routing Index Manager
  RoutingIndexManager manager(data.distance_matrix.size(), data.num_vehicles,
                              data.starts, data.ends);

  // Create Routing Model.
  RoutingModel routing(manager);

  // Create and register a transit callback.
  const int transit_callback_index = routing.RegisterTransitCallback(
      [&data, &manager](const int64_t from_index,
                        const int64_t to_index) -> int64_t {
        // Convert from routing variable Index to distance matrix NodeIndex.
        const int from_node = manager.IndexToNode(from_index).value();
        const int to_node = manager.IndexToNode(to_index).value();
        return data.distance_matrix[from_node][to_node];
      });

  // Define cost of each arc.
  routing.SetArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transit_callback_index);

  // Add Distance constraint.
  routing.AddDimension(transit_callback_index, 0, 2000,
                       /*fix_start_cumul_to_zero=*/true, "Distance");
  routing.GetMutableDimension("Distance")->SetGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100);

  // Setting first solution heuristic.
  RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters = DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
  searchParameters.set_first_solution_strategy(
      FirstSolutionStrategy::PATH_CHEAPEST_ARC);

  // Solve the problem.
  const Assignment* solution = routing.SolveWithParameters(searchParameters);

  // Print solution on console.
  PrintSolution(data, manager, routing, *solution);
}
}  // namespace operations_research

int main(int /*argc*/, char* /*argv*/[]) {
  operations_research::VrpStartsEnds();
  return EXIT_SUCCESS;
}

Java

package com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.samples;
import com.google.ortools.Loader;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.Assignment;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.FirstSolutionStrategy;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingDimension;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingIndexManager;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingModel;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.RoutingSearchParameters;
import com.google.ortools.constraintsolver.main;
import java.util.logging.Logger;

/** Minimal VRP.*/
public class VrpStartsEnds {
  private static final Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(VrpStartsEnds.class.getName());

  static class DataModel {
    public final long[][] distanceMatrix = {
        {0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468, 776, 662},
        {548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674, 1016, 868, 1210},
        {776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130, 788, 1552, 754},
        {696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822, 1164, 560, 1358},
        {582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708, 1050, 674, 1244},
        {274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514, 1050, 708},
        {502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514, 1278, 480},
        {194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662, 742, 856},
        {308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320, 1084, 514},
        {194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274, 810, 468},
        {536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730, 388, 1152, 354},
        {502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308, 650, 274, 844},
        {388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536, 388, 730},
        {354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342, 422, 536},
        {468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342, 0, 764, 194},
        {776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388, 422, 764, 0, 798},
        {662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536, 194, 798, 0},
    };
    public final int vehicleNumber = 4;
    public final int[] starts = {1, 2, 15, 16};
    public final int[] ends = {0, 0, 0, 0};
  }

  /// @brief Print the solution.
  static void printSolution(
      DataModel data, RoutingModel routing, RoutingIndexManager manager, Assignment solution) {
    // Solution cost.
    logger.info("Objective : " + solution.objectiveValue());
    // Inspect solution.
    long maxRouteDistance = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < data.vehicleNumber; ++i) {
      long index = routing.start(i);
      logger.info("Route for Vehicle " + i + ":");
      long routeDistance = 0;
      String route = "";
      while (!routing.isEnd(index)) {
        route += manager.indexToNode(index) + " -> ";
        long previousIndex = index;
        index = solution.value(routing.nextVar(index));
        routeDistance += routing.getArcCostForVehicle(previousIndex, index, i);
      }
      logger.info(route + manager.indexToNode(index));
      logger.info("Distance of the route: " + routeDistance + "m");
      maxRouteDistance = Math.max(routeDistance, maxRouteDistance);
    }
    logger.info("Maximum of the route distances: " + maxRouteDistance + "m");
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    Loader.loadNativeLibraries();
    // Instantiate the data problem.
    final DataModel data = new DataModel();

    // Create Routing Index Manager
    RoutingIndexManager manager = new RoutingIndexManager(
        data.distanceMatrix.length, data.vehicleNumber, data.starts, data.ends);

    // Create Routing Model.
    RoutingModel routing = new RoutingModel(manager);

    // Create and register a transit callback.
    final int transitCallbackIndex =
        routing.registerTransitCallback((long fromIndex, long toIndex) -> {
          // Convert from routing variable Index to user NodeIndex.
          int fromNode = manager.indexToNode(fromIndex);
          int toNode = manager.indexToNode(toIndex);
          return data.distanceMatrix[fromNode][toNode];
        });

    // Define cost of each arc.
    routing.setArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transitCallbackIndex);

    // Add Distance constraint.
    routing.addDimension(transitCallbackIndex, 0, 2000,
        true, // start cumul to zero
        "Distance");
    RoutingDimension distanceDimension = routing.getMutableDimension("Distance");
    distanceDimension.setGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100);

    // Setting first solution heuristic.
    RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
        main.defaultRoutingSearchParameters()
            .toBuilder()
            .setFirstSolutionStrategy(FirstSolutionStrategy.Value.PATH_CHEAPEST_ARC)
            .build();

    // Solve the problem.
    Assignment solution = routing.solveWithParameters(searchParameters);

    // Print solution on console.
    printSolution(data, routing, manager, solution);
  }
}

C#

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Google.OrTools.ConstraintSolver;

/// <summary>
///   Minimal TSP using distance matrix.
/// </summary>
public class VrpStartsEnds
{
    class DataModel
    {
        public long[,] DistanceMatrix = {
            { 0, 548, 776, 696, 582, 274, 502, 194, 308, 194, 536, 502, 388, 354, 468, 776, 662 },
            { 548, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674, 1016, 868, 1210 },
            { 776, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164, 1130, 788, 1552, 754 },
            { 696, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822, 1164, 560, 1358 },
            { 582, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708, 1050, 674, 1244 },
            { 274, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628, 514, 1050, 708 },
            { 502, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856, 514, 1278, 480 },
            { 194, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320, 662, 742, 856 },
            { 308, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662, 320, 1084, 514 },
            { 194, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388, 274, 810, 468 },
            { 536, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764, 730, 388, 1152, 354 },
            { 502, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114, 308, 650, 274, 844 },
            { 388, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194, 536, 388, 730 },
            { 354, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0, 342, 422, 536 },
            { 468, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536, 342, 0, 764, 194 },
            { 776, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274, 388, 422, 764, 0, 798 },
            { 662, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730, 536, 194, 798, 0 }
        };
        public int VehicleNumber = 4;
        public int[] Starts = { 1, 2, 15, 16 };
        public int[] Ends = { 0, 0, 0, 0 };
    };

    /// <summary>
    ///   Print the solution.
    /// </summary>
    static void PrintSolution(in DataModel data, in RoutingModel routing, in RoutingIndexManager manager,
                              in Assignment solution)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"Objective {solution.ObjectiveValue()}:");

        // Inspect solution.
        long maxRouteDistance = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < data.VehicleNumber; ++i)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Route for Vehicle {0}:", i);
            long routeDistance = 0;
            var index = routing.Start(i);
            while (routing.IsEnd(index) == false)
            {
                Console.Write("{0} -> ", manager.IndexToNode((int)index));
                var previousIndex = index;
                index = solution.Value(routing.NextVar(index));
                routeDistance += routing.GetArcCostForVehicle(previousIndex, index, 0);
            }
            Console.WriteLine("{0}", manager.IndexToNode((int)index));
            Console.WriteLine("Distance of the route: {0}m", routeDistance);
            maxRouteDistance = Math.Max(routeDistance, maxRouteDistance);
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Maximum distance of the routes: {0}m", maxRouteDistance);
    }

    public static void Main(String[] args)
    {
        // Instantiate the data problem.
        DataModel data = new DataModel();

        // Create Routing Index Manager
        RoutingIndexManager manager =
            new RoutingIndexManager(data.DistanceMatrix.GetLength(0), data.VehicleNumber, data.Starts, data.Ends);

        // Create Routing Model.
        RoutingModel routing = new RoutingModel(manager);

        // Create and register a transit callback.
        int transitCallbackIndex = routing.RegisterTransitCallback((long fromIndex, long toIndex) =>
                                                                   {
                                                                       // Convert from routing variable Index to
                                                                       // distance matrix NodeIndex.
                                                                       var fromNode = manager.IndexToNode(fromIndex);
                                                                       var toNode = manager.IndexToNode(toIndex);
                                                                       return data.DistanceMatrix[fromNode, toNode];
                                                                   });

        // Define cost of each arc.
        routing.SetArcCostEvaluatorOfAllVehicles(transitCallbackIndex);

        // Add Distance constraint.
        routing.AddDimension(transitCallbackIndex, 0, 2000,
                             true, // start cumul to zero
                             "Distance");
        RoutingDimension distanceDimension = routing.GetMutableDimension("Distance");
        distanceDimension.SetGlobalSpanCostCoefficient(100);

        // Setting first solution heuristic.
        RoutingSearchParameters searchParameters =
            operations_research_constraint_solver.DefaultRoutingSearchParameters();
        searchParameters.FirstSolutionStrategy = FirstSolutionStrategy.Types.Value.PathCheapestArc;

        // Solve the problem.
        Assignment solution = routing.SolveWithParameters(searchParameters);

        // Print solution on console.
        PrintSolution(data, routing, manager, solution);
    }
}

When you run program, you get the following output, in which the routes start and end at the specified locations:

Route for vehicle 0:
 1 -> 4 -> 3 -> 7 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1004m

Route for vehicle 1:
 2 -> 6 -> 8 -> 5 -> 0
Distance of the route: 936m

Route for vehicle 2:
 15 -> 11 -> 12 -> 13 -> 0
Distance of the route: 936m

Route for vehicle 3:
 16 -> 14 -> 10 -> 9 -> 0
Distance of the route: 1118m

Total distance of all routes: 3994m

The total distance is shorter than in the previous example because the vehicles are not required to start or end at the depot.

Allowing arbitrary start and end locations

In other versions of the vehicle routing problem, vehicles are allowed to start and end at arbitrary locations. To set up the problem this way, simply modify the distance matrix so that distance from the depot to any other location is 0, by setting the first row and column of the matrix to have all zeros. This turns the depot into a dummy location that has no effect on the optimal routes.

Here's an example in which the distance matrix from the VRP example has been modified to make the distance from the depot to all other nodes 0.

data['distance_matrix'] = [
        [
            0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
        ],
        [
            0, 0, 684, 308, 194, 502, 730, 354, 696, 742, 1084, 594, 480, 674,
            1016, 868, 1210
        ],
        [
            0, 684, 0, 992, 878, 502, 274, 810, 468, 742, 400, 1278, 1164,
            1130, 788, 1552, 754
        ],
        [
            0, 308, 992, 0, 114, 650, 878, 502, 844, 890, 1232, 514, 628, 822,
            1164, 560, 1358
        ],
        [
            0, 194, 878, 114, 0, 536, 764, 388, 730, 776, 1118, 400, 514, 708,
            1050, 674, 1244
        ],
        [
            0, 502, 502, 650, 536, 0, 228, 308, 194, 240, 582, 776, 662, 628,
            514, 1050, 708
        ],
        [
            0, 730, 274, 878, 764, 228, 0, 536, 194, 468, 354, 1004, 890, 856,
            514, 1278, 480
        ],
        [
            0, 354, 810, 502, 388, 308, 536, 0, 342, 388, 730, 468, 354, 320,
            662, 742, 856
        ],
        [
            0, 696, 468, 844, 730, 194, 194, 342, 0, 274, 388, 810, 696, 662,
            0, 1084, 514
        ],
        [
            0, 742, 742, 890, 776, 240, 468, 388, 274, 0, 342, 536, 422, 388,
            0, 810, 468
        ],
        [
            0, 1084, 400, 1232, 1118, 582, 354, 730, 388, 342, 0, 878, 764,
            730, 388, 1152, 354
        ],
        [
            0, 594, 1278, 514, 400, 776, 1004, 468, 810, 536, 878, 0, 114,
            308, 650, 274, 844
        ],
        [
            0, 480, 1164, 628, 514, 662, 890, 354, 696, 422, 764, 114, 0, 194,
            536, 388, 730
        ],
        [
            0, 674, 1130, 822, 708, 628, 856, 320, 662, 388, 730, 308, 194, 0,
            342, 422, 536
        ],
        [
            0, 1016, 788, 1164, 1050, 514, 514, 662, 320, 274, 388, 650, 536,
            342, 0, 764, 194
        ],
        [
            0, 868, 1552, 560, 674, 1050, 1278, 742, 1084, 810, 1152, 274,
            388, 422, 764, 0, 798
        ],
        [
            0, 1210, 754, 1358, 1244, 708, 480, 856, 514, 468, 354, 844, 730,
            536, 194, 798, 0
        ],
    ]

When you run the VRP program with the modified distance matrix (and modify the solution printer to omit the depot) , the program displays the following routes:

Route for vehicle 0:
 5  -> 8 -> 6 -> 2
Distance of the route: 662m

Route for vehicle 1:
 7  -> 1 -> 4 -> 3
Distance of the route: 662m

Route for vehicle 2:
 16  -> 14 -> 13 -> 15
Distance of the route: 958m

Route for vehicle 3:
 10  -> 9 -> 12 -> 11
Distance of the route: 878m
Maximum of the route distances: 958m