Proceedings of the 2011 Industrial Engineering Research Conference T. Doolen and E. Van Aken, eds. Application of VRP Heuristics for Transportation of Cancer Patients Elias Olivares-Benitez, Carlos Arturo Vega Lebrun, Angelica Maria Tenahua Cadena UPAEP University Puebla, Mexico Ana Laura Tavares de Alba, Jessica Romo Martinez Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, Mexico Abstract This work shows the service of students of Tecnologico de Monterrey for the NGO “Juntos por el Camino de la Esperanza, A.C.” based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The organization provides psychological and legal support for the patients of terminal cancer treatment, and their families. The problem was to route the available vehicles to pick up and return back the patients and their families from their homes to the facilities of the organization. The students solved the problem using the Savings Method. Later, a further analysis was done using the Generalized Assignment Heuristic and the Spacefilling Curves Method to solve the problem and to determine if any improvement was possible. The comparison of the implementation of these methods is reported. This work shows the application of well known heuristics in the area of operations research to help an organization of the community to solve an operational problem and to increase its impact in the society. Keywords Vehicle routing problem, Community-based problem, Savings Method, Generalized Assignment Heuristic, Spacefilling Curves Method 1. Introduction Tecnologico de Monterrey is a university system in Mexico that is developing competences in the students in ethics and citizenship. It has created an institute to perform activities of service and education for the community where a campus exists. Therefore, it has established strong connections with NGO’s to improve the effectiveness of the actions. As part of the involvement of the students with this institute and the strategy, this university has promoted the use of service-based learning in its courses. Teaching a course of Logistics, a final project was proposed to the students to implement the methods and algorithms learned in class to a community-based problem. One of the projects completed by the students was done for an NGO named “Juntos por el Camino de la Esperanza, A.C.”, based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. “Juntos en el Camino de la Esperanza, A.C.” is a non-for profit, civic association that provides of psychological, religious, material and medical support to patients of terminal cancer treatment and their families. The association began operations in 1995 and now has 54 collaborators. The staff is integrated by cancer specialists, nurses, psychologists, visitors, instructors, lawyers and religious ministers. The economic support for the patients includes a weekly stipend and food each two weeks. The association has a small inventory of drugs and the support of a cancer specialist, although the main medical treatment is provided by the public hospitals. This association has some vehicles and a number of people to be picked up from their homes to its facilities. At the end of the sessions, the people are returned back to their homes. The management of the association does not have a formal method to determine the routes of the vehicles, and these are designed according to the experience of the