Transportation research. part c, emerging technologies

Transportation Research, Part A: Policy and Practice

The fast advances in autonomous driving technology prompt the question of suitable operational models for future autonomous vehicles. A key determinant of the viability of such operational models is the competitiveness of their cost structures. Using a comprehensive analysis of the respective cost structures, this research shows that public transportation (in its current form) will only remain economic in situations which allow substantial bundling of demand. In all other cases, shared and pooled vehicles serve the travel demand more efficiently. In contrast to the general opinion, shared fleets may not be the most efficient alternative due to higher efforts for vehicle cleaning. Moreover, a substantial share of vehicles may remain in private possession and use.

Cost-based analysis of autonomous mobility services

In this paper, the authors develop and apply a series of stated preference (SP) experiments to estimate a comprehensive multimodal, multi-stage travel choice model In total, four experiments are designed focusing on particular multimodal (including P+R) and public-transport choices for trips of varying distance A representative national sample (N = 2746) of individuals from the Netherlands participated in the experiments through an online questionnaire The data pooled across experiments are used to estimate the model in a scaled mixed multinomial logit framework In this way, valuations of time, costs and service-quality attributes could be estimated on a relatively high level of detail concerning modes and trip stages The estimation results can be used to specify link costs functions in multimodal network models for network analysis and route planning

Travelers’ Preferences in Multimodal Networks: Design and Results of a Comprehensive Series of Choice Experiments

Shared micromobility services (e-scooters, bikes, e-bikes) have rapidly gained popularity in the past few years, yet little is known about their usage. While most previous studies have analysed single modes, only few comparative studies of two modes exist and none so-far have analysed competition or mode choice at a high spatiotemporal resolution for more than two modes. To this end, we develop a generally applicable methodology to model and analyse shared micromobility competition and mode choice using widely accessible vehicle location data. We apply this methodology to estimate the first comprehensive mode choice models between four different micromobility modes using the largest and densest empirical shared micromobility dataset to-date. Our results suggest that mode choice is nested (dockless and docked) and dominated by distance and time of day. Docked modes are preferred for commuting. Hence, docking infrastructure for currently dockless modes could be vital for bolstering micromobility as an attractive alternative to private cars to tackle urban congestion during rush hours. Furthermore, our results reveal a fundamental relationship between fleet density and usage. A “plateau effect” is observed with decreasing marginal utility gains for increasing fleet densities. City authorities and service providers can leverage this quantitative relationship to develop evidence-based micromobility regulation and optimise their fleet deployment, respectively.

Explaining shared micromobility usage, competition and mode choice by modelling empirical data from Zurich, Switzerland

Australia’s first Mobility as a Service (MaaS) trial commenced in April 2019 in Sydney, running for two years. The objective of the trial is at least twofold – to assess interest in various MaaS subscription plans through bundling public transport, rideshare, car share and car rental with varying financial discounts and monthly subscription fees, in contrast to pay as you go (PAYG); and to assess the extent to which the use of the private car might change following a subscription to a monthly mobility bundle. This paper assesses the second objective by investigating the potential for changes in monthly car use in the presence of a MaaS program. There is no previous research that we are aware of that has tested the relationship between MaaS bundle uptake and private car use. The paper develops a joint discrete-continuous model system to explain the choice between monthly bundles and PAYG, and subsequently, the total monthly car kilometres. Controlling for monthly differences due to other influences such as seasonal travel activity, the findings suggest that the offered bundles do have an encouraging impact on private car use. Within the limits of what was tested under the Sydney MaaS trial, indicative evidence suggests that MaaS has the potential to change travel behaviour in a way aligned with sustainability objectives, although this evidence should not be taken as suggesting that MaaS is a commercially viable mobility strategy.

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Mobility as a service and private car use: evidence from the Sydney MaaS trial

Shared micro-mobility services have rapidly gained popularity yet challenged city administrations to develop adequate policies while scientific insight is largely missing. From a transportation equity perspective, it is particularly important to understand user correlates, as they are the beneficiaries from public investment and reallocation of public space. This paper provides an up-to-date account of shared micro-mobility adoption and user characteristics in Zurich, Switzerland. Our results suggest that shared micro-mobility users tend to be young, university-educated males with full-time employment living in affluent households without children or cars. Shared e-scooter users, in particular, are younger, yet more representative of the general population in terms of education, full-time employment, income and gender than bike-sharing users. This suggests that shared e-scooters may contribute to transportation equity, yet their promotion should be handled with care as life-cycle emissions exceed those of bike-sharing and equity contributions might be skewed as many users are students.

Who uses shared micro-mobility services?: Empirical evidence from Zurich, Switzerland

Mode choice, substitution patterns and environmental impacts of shared and personal micro-mobility

Mobility service bundling has received a lot of attention from researchers and practitioners due to its centrality to Mobility as a Service (MaaS) business models and potential to foster sustainable travel behavior. Stated choice studies have to date been used to explore the willingness to pay for MaaS bundles and their components. Despite an increasing number of academic studies and commercial trials, there is a surprising dearth of research on how to design MaaS bundles in the first place. Comparative learning is further limited as the designs of choice experiments and studied bundles differ widely. What are the underlying design dimensions and how can we separate differences in outcome from differences in design? We address this gap by (1) conducting an extensive literature review on MaaS bundle design and synthesizing ten fundamental design dimensions, (2) extending the Design of Designs literature to develop a framework to systematically relate and compare design, methods and outcome of stated choice studies in general, and (3) applying our framework to MaaS bundle design and developing a research agenda, structuring future endeavors in this field.

Daniel Jan Reck

Papers

Explaining shared micromobility usage, competition and mode choice by modelling empirical data from Zurich, Switzerland

Mobility as a service and private car use: evidence from the Sydney MaaS trial

Who uses shared micro-mobility services?: Empirical evidence from Zurich, Switzerland

Mode choice, substitution patterns and environmental impacts of shared and personal micro-mobility

MaaS bundle design