Empirical Investigation of Dwell Times in Ridepooling Systems

Abstract

While ridepooling has garnered considerable attention in research, there remains a notable gap in understanding the intricacies of the dwelling process, particularly the boarding and alighting of passengers. Existing studies have predominantly focused on dwelling behavior within conventional transportation modes like buses or trams. This study seeks to fill this gap by providing insights into passengers’ boarding and alighting behavior within ridepooling systems and examining the factors influencing dwell time, such as group size and stop location. To achieve this, we collaborated with sprinti, an on-demand ridepooling service in the Hanover region, Germany. We collected data on dwell times and customer characteristics during several shifts in 2022 by employing a ‘silent observer’ approach. The findings reveal an average dwell time of 16.25 s and a median of 13 s. Additionally, the analysis demonstrates that several determinants impact dwell time, such as group size, vehicle type, and the presence of luggage.