Modular dynamic ride-sharing transport systems

Abstract

It is widely recognised that digital technology – and in particular dynamic ride sharing systems (DRS) – is leading to fundamental changes to vehicular transport and in particular, offers the prospect of substantially more cost effective forms of transport. A much anticipated transformational wave is that of autonomous vehicles (AVs) which carry the prospect of considerably cheaper and far more convenient individualised transport. That eventuality when married to DRS in the form of shared AVs (SAVs) — is seen as individualised transport’s ‘killer app’ with the attendant risk of its convenience and low cost drawing clients away from public transport systems.To address this problem digital technology is now enabling hybrid modular transport systems (MTS) designed to act variously as a rapid (bus like) transit system, a feeder role for mass transit systems or, alternatively, a low density urban DRS service.In this article a road based modular DRS (MDRS) is described which is comprised of low capacity (up to 10 people) pods which can be articulated into a single vehicle or dynamically separated into individual transport units. There is, therefore, the potential when the pods are detached, to be used for off-peak low capacity last mile feeder services. When the pods are coupled together in bus length vehicles, they can act as a quasi-rapid transit system or as a feeder to them. Such a modular DRS system (MDRS) is shown to have the potential to reduce congestion through decreasing the size and number of vehicles at particular periods of the urban transport cycle. A further major increase in cost effectiveness is envisaged to be an urban based autonomous MDRS system which captures the key cost and convenience benefits of AVs and SAVs while curbing excess use of individual vehicles and abandonment of public transport.