What Kind of Travellers Are Using Carsharing in Beijing? A Study Based on Selective Ensemble Learning

Wei Luo,Pengpeng Jiao,Zehao Wang,Pengfei Zhao,Yi Wang

doi:10.3390/su14010540

Abstract

As a new urban travel mode, carsharing is significantly different from private cars, buses and other travel modes. Therefore, clarifying the typical characteristics of carsharing, such as individual users’ attributes, travel environment and travel behaviour, is conducive to accurately grasping the development of carsharing. In this study, a selective ensemble learning model is established to analyse typical travel characteristics of carsharing. Firstly, personal characteristics, environmental characteristics and behavioural characteristics were obtained through integrating order data, global positioning system data and station information. Then, based on a consolidated view of carsharing, different types of carsharing travel characteristics were distinguished using selective ensemble learning. Lastly, all kinds of carsharing travel are described in detail. It was identified through this research that carsharing travel can be divided into four kinds: long distance for leisure and entertainment, medium and short distances for business and commuting, a mixed category of medium and short distances for business and residence, and a mixed category of long distance for business and residence. This study can provide a theoretical reference and practical basis for precise planning and design and the scientific operation of carsharing.

Highlights

Academic Editors: Junfeng Jiao, With the development of the Internet and information technology, carsharing has come into being as a green travel mode to alleviate the conflict between limited social transportation resources and people’s ever-growing need for better travel [1,2]
The innovation of this paper compared with previous studies is that we comprehensively considered the travel characteristics of carsharing and adopted a method with a higher classification accuracy
The results showed that carsharing was more attractive to low-income people; it appealed to people who were currently using buses or electric vehicles to get to work or school; and Greeks aged

Summary

Introduction

Academic Editors: Junfeng Jiao, With the development of the Internet and information technology, carsharing has come into being as a green travel mode to alleviate the conflict between limited social transportation resources and people’s ever-growing need for better travel [1,2]. Carsharing, or so-called timeshare rental, is a self-service car rental service model where travellers can rent cars on an hourly or daily basis [3,4]. Compared with private cars and the traditional car rentals, carsharing could improve the utilisation rate of vehicle resources and reduce the empty–loading ratio [5,6]. A majority of carsharing services use electric vehicles, which have a low negative impact on the environment [7,8]

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion