Towards Sustainable Liveable City: Management Operations of Shared Autonomous Cargo-Bike Fleets

Imen Haj Salah,Tom Assmann,Malte Kania,Vasu Dev Mukku

doi:10.3390/futuretransp1030027

Abstract

Finding a sustainable mobility solution for the future is one of the most competitive challenges in the logistics and mobility sector at present. Policymakers, researchers, and companies are working intensively to provide novel options that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. While autonomous car-sharing services have been introduced as a very promising solution, an innovative alternative is arising: the use of self-driving bikes. Shared autonomous cargo-bike fleets are likely to increase the livability and sustainability of the city, as the use of cargo-bikes in an on-demand mobility service can replace the use of cars for short-distance trips and enhance connectivity to public transportation. However, more research is needed to develop this new concept. In this paper, we investigate different rebalancing strategies for an on-demand, shared-use, self-driving cargo-bikes service (OSABS). We simulate a case study of the system in the inner city of Magdeburg using AnyLogic. The simulation model allows us to evaluate the impact of rebalancing on service level, idle mileage, and energy consumption. We conclude that the best proactive rebalancing strategy for our case study is to relocate bikes only between neighboring regions. We also acknowledge the importance of bike relocation to improve service efficiency and reduce fleet size.

Highlights

The move towards sustainable and livable cities has become urgent and is needed to ensure a better future for the generation
In order to understand the insights of the OSABS, we developed an agent-based simulation model using Anylogic based on our conceptual model presented in [54]
As the main KPI is the service level, we evaluate the average hourly service level for the different strategies (Figure 7)

Summary

Introduction

The move towards sustainable and livable cities has become urgent and is needed to ensure a better future for the generation. The research has introduced the use of shared autonomous cars to reduce resources, energy consumption, and urban parking space [1,2]. The overarching promise is to provide the user with an on-demand, door-to-door trip enabling a new level of individual mobility. This idea is challenged by some recent studies demonstrating that such mobility services increase the mileage traveled in urban agglomerations and subsequently increase congestion and energy consumption [3,4]. Fleets of autonomous cars, which are neither in private use nor in shared operation, would contribute to the sustainability or livability of a city. As Millard-Ball [5] points out, autonomous cars could even foster a move backwards in the direction of car-friendly cities, with strong street separations between cars and active modes of transport

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