Multimodal Mobility Research Articles

Optimal routing of multimodal mobility systems with ride‐sharing

AbstractMultimodal transportation systems are a combination of more environmentally friendly shared transport modes including public transport, ride‐sharing, shuttle‐sharing, or even completely carbon‐free modes such as cycling to better meet customer needs. Multimodal mobility solutions are expected to contribute in mitigating traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and to result in savings in costs. They are also expected to improve access to transportation, more specifically for those in rural or low‐populated communities (i.e., difficult to serve by public transportation only). Motivated by its benefits, in this study, we consider the combination of the ride‐sharing and public transportation services and formulate a mixed integer programming model for the multimodal transportation planning problem. We propose a heuristic approach (i.e., angle‐based clustering [AC] algorithm) and compare its efficiency with the exact solution for different settings. We find that the AC algorithm works well in both small and large settings. We further show that the multimodal transportation system with ride‐sharing can yield significant benefits on travel distances and travel times.

An equality-based model for bike-sharing stations location in bicycle-public transport multimodal mobility

Abstract Bike-sharing systems can be implemented to complete the coverage of public transport networks which could be insufficient to serve an entire urban area. Some methodologies that maximise coverage or accessibility are suggested in the literature. In this paper, we propose a bike-sharing stations location model that includes not only these issues but also equality aspects. The model aims to minimise inequalities in bicycle-public transport mobility among observed population groups trying to maintain specified levels of accessibility and coverage at the same time. We evaluated the performance of the model on a test network and carried out a sensitivity analysis according to the available budget. The results showed that maximising accessibility or coverage alone, without considering equality, may lead to an unequal distribution of accessibility among the population, producing discrimination between different groups. The outcomes of the application revealed the significance of the model in evaluating equality in the network design phase for achieving not only a satisfactory bike-sharing system and public transport multimodal accessibility of each zone but also a high equality measure among the considered population groups. Budget availability also played an essential role since a minimum budget value is needed to achieve higher levels of equality. The proposed approach could serve transport and public authorities as a decision support system in planning future investment as well as promoting multimodal mobility because it links bike-sharing stations with stops/stations of the public transport lines networks.

How does an open system bus rapid transit (BRT) facilitate inter and intra-modal mobility? A visual analytic analysis of Brisbane, Australia

This paper explores the multimodal mobility impact of implementing BRT as an open system with mixed services and transfers or as a closed system with separate BRT services. In large multimodal public transport networks, interchanges or transfers for passengers are inevitable. A zone-based fare system ensures there is no financial penalty for interchange thus minimising the interchange penalty. In Brisbane, South East Queensland, Australia, the zone-based fare system does not penalise transfers within the same zone but charges a full fare for an inter-zone transfer within a single journey. The open system BRT in Brisbane, Australia is used as a case study with a sensitivity analysis on transfer rates to understand how open system operation has facilitated multimodal mobility between conventional bus and BRT services. Web-based simulation maps compare a closed BRT scenario with the open BRT system in operation. The coverage and volume of passengers are significantly reduced in the closed system scenario, especially for routes inbound to the Central Business District (CBD), since far fewer passengers in suburban areas would have direct BRT services. In Brisbane's current open system, there are fewer opportunities for multimodal trips because buses travel on and off the BRT infrastructure. This analysis can help urban transport agencies to optimise their BRT operations and provide better public transport services.

Exploring Individual Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Mobility as a Service

This paper discusses demand and willingness to pay for mobility as a service (MaaS) plans. Given the rising popularity of the MaaS concept, research exploring preferences and demand for such services is valuable to researchers and policy makers as well as other involved stakeholders and mobility operators. This research investigates individual preferences for MaaS utilizing data collected via questionnaire surveys from Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. The surveys collected socio-demographic data and data in relation to individuals’ attitudes and typical mode use patterns, while stated preference data were also obtained by designing menu-based stated preference experiments where the respondents were able to create their ideal MaaS plan. A hybrid choice model is developed to explore user choices toward MaaS, while distributed willingness to pay values are estimated. A latent variable that captures the latent predisposition of people toward using multiple modes of transport is constructed. The results indicate that individuals who are more prone to using multimodal mobility options are willing to pay more for being offered both traditional and emerging mobility services as part of a monthly MaaS plan. Considering that the implementation of MaaS is still at an immature phase, while research efforts in relation to the demand for MaaS are limited, the results of this paper provide significant insights into individuals’ preferences toward MaaS and the heterogeneity between different user segments, and could be exploited to formulate valuable plans and contribute to the successful implementation of MaaS.

The importance of consumer motives for green mobility: A multi-modal perspective

While most consumers agree that adopting more sustainable mobility behaviors should be a priority, this attitude often fails to translate into actual behavior. We argue that this is because sustainable mobility products do not sufficiently satisfy consumer mobility motives. To investigate this issue from a multi-modal perspective, we first synthesized previous research into a general measure of superordinate consumer motives in the mobility domain. We then conducted a representative survey experiment in which potential mobility consumers (N = 504) reported their mobility motives and their purchase intentions for a diverse set of mobility products including electric vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, efficient fuel cars, electric bikes, annual public transport tickets and sport utility vehicles. In line with our expectations, mobility motives substantially contributed to explaining all purchase intentions on top of demographic variables and prior ownership. While environmental motives were the most important predictor, also status, financial, independence, safety and hedonic motives contributed substantially to the prediction of mobility purchase intentions. We discuss the importance of consumer motives as a basis for marketing and policy measures, to effectively promote sustainable mobility alternatives during the rise of multi-modal mobility.

Car-sharing intention analysis in Japan by comparing the utility of car ownership for car-owners and non-car owners

Car sharing (CS) service has grown as one of the components of multimodal mobility in urban transport and it is expected to lead to a reduction in personal car ownership, thereby mitigating urban congestion and parking demand. It also provides last-mile mobility to complement public transport. Against this backdrop, a lot of studies have been conducted to make clear the effectiveness of CS services. However, most of the previous studies were surveys aimed at current CS users, and only a few studies have evaluated whether general car owners and non-owners might become members of CS services in the future.In this study, a survey was conducted among 1000 car owners in Japan as to whether CS services would induce them to stop owning a car. At the time of the survey, the respondents’ current annual cost of owning a car was automatically displayed by calculating the amount from previous answers about their attributes. With this questionnaire method, it is presumed that respondents answered with a stronger awareness of the high cost of car ownership, so their responses might have reflected a consideration of the economic benefits of CS services. The results showed that 74% of car owners answered that they would not stop owning a car no matter how inexpensive CS services were and even if there was no risk of vehicle unavailability. The percentage was almost the same in every range of household income, and 40% said the reason was familiarity with and attachment to a car and 54% cited convenience in emergencies. These results suggest that in order to spread CS services for further reducing personal car ownership, emotional incentives are required to compensate for certain disadvantages of CS services, e.g., the lack of excitement derived from car ownership, potential non-availability in emergencies, and so on.A survey was also conducted among 1000 non-car owners in order to analyze and compare the utility of car ownership. The results showed that the perceived utility of car ownership was 2–10 times greater for owners than for non-owners. CS service providers and urban transport policymakers should be aware of this value when designing businesses and policies. Consideration should also be given to the various objectives of CS services such as between aiming to reducing car ownership and aiming to improve urban transport for non-car owners. Further research is required to optimize CS services for efficient urban transport design.

Extracting the Multimodal Fingerprint of Urban Transportation Networks

Urban mobility increasingly relies on multimodality, combining the use of bicycle paths, streets, and rail networks. These different modes of transportation are well described by multiplex networks. Here we propose the overlap census method which extracts a multimodal profile from a city’s multiplex transportation network. We apply this method to 15 cities, identify clusters of cities with similar profiles, and link this feature to the level of sustainable mobility of each cluster. Our work highlights the importance of evaluating all the transportation systems of a city together to adequately identify and compare its potential for sustainable, multimodal mobility.

Policy implementation of multi-modal (shared) mobility: review of a supply-demand value proposition canvas

ABSTRACT Urban mobility options have increased in recent years, assisted by the widespread availability of smart device software apps, geo-positioning technology, and convenient electronic financial transactions. Multi-modal shared mobility consists of public transit systems and shared mobilities that support first/last mile travel, denoting the capability of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), and to stimulate additional non-private car travel demand. This paper reviews the supply and demand sides of implementation of multi-modal shared mobility. It found that an abundance of shared modes of car, bike, and e-scooter that are linked to public transport, can improve transport accessibility to meet specific public preferences, reduce social inequality, and minimise dilemmas from the demand side. This study introduces government policy innovations and other supporting system to improve the implementation of multi-modal shared mobility. Government policies play a key role in supporting shared mobility and technology development. However, governments do not have much information about new products such as shared mobility, which creates difficulties in subsidising multi-modal shared mobility services and potentially leads to policy failures around shared mobility schemes. This study suggests that policy entrepreneurship in collaboration with other partners, policy innovation, and the notions of merit goods and second-best policymaking can enable policy initiatives towards multi-modal shared mobility and provide supporting arguments if policies encounter failures. Implementing multi-modal shared mobility requires a collaborative partnership for a paradigm shift: service providers and government must jointly set a merit-based business model, with the support of organisations to achieve improved infrastructure provision, and smart technology applications. The findings will assist the community, business providers and government policymakers to promote multi-modal shared mobility as a pathway towards more efficient, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsive mobility solutions.

Ekspertska ocena mera za redukciju zagušenja u gradovima

Traffic congestion is defined as mutual obstruction of traffic by vehicles due to the existing relation between the speed of vehicles and the flow in conditions of exceeding the capacity of the infrastructure. The paper presents an analysis of local experts survey on the role of non-motorized and motorized ways of travel to reduce congestion, as well as a comparison with the assessments given by foreign experts. The performance and the impact of different modes of transport (motorized and non-motorized) on congestion in urban conditions were assessed. The impact of the mode of transport on congestion was assessed using measures that are usually implemented in cities. Possibilities for improving multimodal mobility with an emphasis on walking and cycling have also been identified, as the most perspective ways due to the relatively low costs of implementation and the potential to affect the modal distribution.

Assessing multimodal mobility trends using heterogeneous data sources: a case study for supporting sustainable policy goals within the region of Algarve

This paper is built around a research project developed with the support of the Regional Planning Authority of the Algarve Region in Portugal which assessed mobility patterns covering all modes of transport using heterogeneous data sources (time-series data). Data mining techniques helped to identify limitations in some data sets. The econometric analysis showed that integrated autoregressive models and moving averages for series with seasonality were successful in the prediction of passenger flows using time-series data gathered by the regional authority from transport operators and other entities.Results from the analysis are useful to support a strategy to reverse current trends on continued car growth (along with public transport decrease) and to devise policy measures to enable a sustainable mobility path towards decarbonisation and social equity goals until 2030.

Multimodal travel behaviour, walkability indices, and social mobility: how neighbourhood walkability, income and household characteristics guide walking, biking & transit decisions

ABSTRACTRecent research in city planning has measured “walkability” and multi-modalism through quantification of the built environment. Results have shown correlations with increased property values and neighbourhood stabilisation as well as a lack of spatial distribution of accessible resources based on socio-economic class. Some studies suggest that improvements in these measures can be made, particularly with regard to commute mode diversity. This study tests and scrutinises the association between a walkability index and multimodal travel behaviour – controlling for both built environment and socio-demographic attributes of agents in investigating stated non-vehicular transportation modes. It finds that walkability indexes are connected to multimodal behaviours broadly; whether it be those who walking, bicycling, and or taking transit. It also finds that distance is a significantly associated with transit behaviour in walkable neighbourhoods, but the probability of walking or cycling is tied more to the built environment factors, age, household income and size. These results suggest that cities might benefit from policy efforts that not only continue to address issues of spatial equity but that they might consider policies that promote income mobility to encourage sustainable travel.

Sustentabilidad y transporte desde un enfoque de jerarquización para la ciudad de Mexicali, Baja California

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo general examinar los principios de sustentabilidad en el sistema de transporte de la ciudad de Mexicali, Baja California, desde un enfoque de jerarquización.El transporte como actividad debería conllevar el desarrollo de sistemas sostenibles, incluidos energía eficiente, sistemas multimodales de transportación, sistemas de comunicación –en especial del transporte público–, así como combustibles y vehículos limpios (Zhang y Ferrari, 2013, p. 1).Los resultados muestran que en el sistema de transporte de la ciudad no están integrados los principios de sustentabilidad: accesibilidad, movilidad, planeación urbana, redes, entre otros.

Bringing the efficiency of electricity market mechanisms to multimodal mobility across congested transportation systems

Abstract A central challenge facing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is mispricing of its a core input: the use of scarce road space. A transparent real-time market for road use is essential for MaaS to reach its full potential. We focus on how network-wide, real-time markets for road use support MaaS, and how such markets can be developed. In our proposed network-management scheme, roadway tolls (for entire trips – from origin to destination) are determined in a two-stage market hosted by an independent system operator or “ISO”. Service providers purchase the product (the right to use a series of road segments at a reasonably specific time of day) in the day-ahead market. In real-time, the market becomes physical and operates under the principle of open access: road capacity cannot be withheld in real time and its use is determined by users’ decisions, guided by prices and suggested routings. Real-time road-use prices are computed using clearing prices that balance real-time supply and demand. Those with pre-paid slots can be paid to delay their travel, to create space for high bidders during periods of suddenly low capacity or unexpectedly high demand. Such policies and programs can avoid excessive congestion, provide reliable travel times, and keep traffic moving, especially as automation makes car and truck travel easier. Such policies are critical in helping cities and regions avoid gridlock. They ensure that travelers internalize congestion externalities, while enabling MaaS and other transport providers to deliver higher-quality mobility service for all travelers. Thoughtful marriage of week-ahead, day-ahead and real-time road pricing for travelers on congested networks can deliver efficient transportation systems that save time and energy, while providing signals for optimal infrastructure investment.

Questioning mobility as a service: Unanticipated implications for society and governance

In this paper we focus on the development of a new service model for accessing transport, namely Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and present one of the first critical analyses of the rhetoric surrounding the concept. One central assumption of one prevalent MaaS conceptualization is that transport services are bundled into service packages for monthly payment, as in the telecommunication or media service sectors. Various other forms of MaaS are being developed but all tend to offer door-to-door multi-modal mobility services, brokered via digital platforms connecting users and service operators. By drawing on literature concerned with socio-technical transitions, we address two multi-layered questions. First, to what extent can the MaaS promises (to citizens and cities) be delivered, and what are the unanticipated societal implications that could arise from a wholesale adoption of MaaS in relation to key issues such as wellbeing, emissions and social inclusion? Second, what are de facto challenges for urban governance if the packaged services model of MaaS is widely adopted, and what are the recommended responses? To address these questions, we begin by considering the evolution of intelligent transport systems that underpin the current vision of MaaS and highlight how the new business model could provide a mechanism to make MaaS truly disruptive. We then identify a set of plausible unanticipated societal effects that have implications for urban planning and transport governance. This is followed by a critical assessment of the persuasive rhetoric around MaaS that makes grand promises about efficiency, choice and freedom. Our conclusion is that the range of possible unanticipated consequences carries risks that require public intervention (i.e. steering) for reasons of both efficiency and equity.

Assessment of pedestrian-vehicle interaction on urban roads: a critical review

Walking is being promoted as either a main mode of transportation or as a part of multimodal mobility. However, a rapid growth and development in urban areas has resulted in a drastic increase in human population as well as vehicular population in most of the metropolitans across the globe. Due to this, there is an unavoidable increase in conflicts between vehicular traffic and pedestrians often sharing the same road space. At an undesignated crossing, pedestrians wait for suitable inter-vehicular gap to cross the road. However, in order to reduce the waiting delay, pedestrians often take risk by accepting smaller gaps while crossing the road. It increases the probability of their collision with approaching vehicles. Apart from the frequency of crashes, the crash severity is also vastly governed by traffic flow characteristics. In this regard, it is a common belief that the reduction in speed of approaching vehicles can significantly bring down the severity of pedestrian crashes. On the other hand, vehicular movements also get obstructed due to the pedestrian activities carried out on the carriageway. During pedestrian crossing maneuvers, pedestrians often force the approaching vehicle(s) either to slow down or to change the lane which leads to reduction in the average speed of traffic stream. However, in case of pedestrians walking along the road, vehicles tend to shy away towards the center of carriageway to ensure the safe movements of pedestrians. Hence, pedestrians irrespective of crossing or walking along the road, eventually results in the reduction in speed as well as capacity of the road and sometimes prove to be a promising threat to safety of the road users. Therefore, in order to delve into the phenomena of pedestrian-vehicle interaction, one should need to study the mutual influences of pedestrian and vehicular movements on each other. In this background, this paper puts forward a detailed literature review on the assessment of pedestrian-vehicle interaction on urban roads. Findings of the paper are specific and infer the behaviors of both pedestrians and vehicles while sharing the same road space.

Implementing a two-step decision-aid tool for the assessment of new mobility offers in a spatial framework

In this article we seek to elaborate various sustainable mobility scenarios depending on heterogeneous geographical contexts. We use a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) to assess 50 mobility offers, relying on an original two-step assessment method. In a first step, we use the diviz decision-aid tool to obtain a global score for every offer, on the basis of 18 criteria that cover the three domains of sustainable development: economics, environment, society. In a second step, we use the MICMAC decision-aid tool to build relationships of influence and dependency between the 18 criteria. For each type of territory, we state what could be a development scenario for the future of mobility. Ultimately, an innovative hybrid mobility solution relies on the strengths and levers of the offers that were assessed, in response to the mobility scenario. We identify relevant solutions for dense and low-dense areas: in particular, carpooling offers reach particular efficiency in low-dense areas, combined with walking practices. Such combinations should be assisted by reliable multimodal mobility applications.

Ridesplitting is shaping young people’s travel behavior: Evidence from comparative survey via ride-sourcing platform

To better understand the young people’s ridesplitting behavior characteristics and behavioral impacts on the emerging ride-sourcing platform, we present a survey-based comparison of DiDi Hitch and DiDi Express Pool that provide ridesplitting services in Hangzhou, China. Hitch is a social carpooling platform that helps commuters share rides. Express Pool is a mobility network providing pooled rides as the ridesplitting option of Express. In this paper, we explore why ridesplitting is popular, which mode is the primary, and how ridesplitting affects young people’s travel behavior. A total of 607 investigated responses were collected via the DiDi ride-sourcing platform. Based on the survey data, a variety of behavioral aspects were analyzed, including the trip purpose, temporal and spatial characteristics of trips, travel time/cost variation, and modal shift frequency. Behavioral impacts on modal shift were further analyzed in a binary logit framework. The findings show that Hitch and Express Pool have both similarities and differences. Hitch is intended for long trips, while Express Pool is mainly intended for short trips as a supplement of multimodal mobility. It also provides evidence for ridesplitting user identification and the market share loss of bus and taxi. Some suggestions are raised for discussions in future research.

A reward-based instrument for promoting multimodality

Reward-based instruments have the potential to encourage individuals’ shift towards multimodal mobility options, thus contributing to a more sustainable and resilient transport environment. This paper aims to investigate the effects of reward-based instruments on promoting emerging mobility schemes and active transport, through real-world demonstrations in two European cities. Specifically, a route planning mobile application which tracks users’ travel patterns was used to integrate a reward program offering points to incentivize people towards sustainable multimodal choices, including public transport, cycling and walking. In addition, a web-based questionnaire survey was conducted, and a discrete choice model was developed to model individuals’ multimodal choice in the presence of different reward types, including monetary rewards, points and the provision of added value services. Overall, our findings indicate that reward-based instruments can contribute to the promotion of sustainable and emerging transport services. In particular, participants spent more time in public transport usage and walking during the reward-based period. Our results indicate that rewards could increase individuals’ time spent in public transport usage and walking by about 21 min and 14 min per day respectively. Furthermore, it is found that public transport users were mostly motivated by rewards, while car users and walkers were not motivated towards cycling. Finally, the results indicate that Birmingham’s users were more motivated than Vienna’s participants, as public transport usage increased by about 209 min per week in Birmingham vs. 74 min per week in Vienna. Similar patterns of increase in the cities were observed for walking, while some population groups in Vienna were found insensitive to the prospect of earning rewards for using sustainable transport modes.

Using Personas in the Design Process. Towards the Development of Green Product Personality for In-Car User Interfaces

AbstractThe desire to combine advanced user-friendly interfaces with a product personality communicating environmental friendliness to customers poses new challenges for car interior designers, as little research has been carried out in this field to date. In this paper, the creation of three personas aimed at defining key German car users with pro-environmental behaviour is presented. After collecting ethnographic data of potential drivers through literature review, information about generation and Euro car segment led to the definition of three key user groups. The resulting personas were applied to determine the most important interaction points in car interior. Finally, present design cues of eco-friendly product personality developed in the field of automotive design were explored. Our work presents three strategic directions for the design development of future in-car user interfaces named as a) foster multimodal mobility; b) emphasize the interlinkage economy - sustainable driving; and c) highlight new technological developments. The presented results are meant as an impulse for developers to fit the needs of green customers and drivers when designing user-friendly HMI components.

Software defined vehicular networks: A comprehensive review

SummaryThe recent breakthroughs in the automobile industries and telecommunication technologies along with the exceptional multimodal mobility services brought focus on intelligent transportation system (ITS), of which vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) gain much more attention. The distinctive features of software‐defined networking (SDN) leverages the vehicular networks by its state of the centralized art having a comprehensive view of the network. Its potential to bring the flexibility, programmability and other extensive advancements to vehicular networks has set the stage for a novel networking paradigm termed as software‐defined vehicular networks (SDVNs). Many researchers have demonstrated the SDN‐based VANETs with the various configuration of the SDN components in VANET architecture. However, a compilation of the work on the SDN‐based VANET system as a whole, incorporating its architecture, use‐cases, and opportunities, is still inadequate. We start with the summary of the recent studies that exist on the SDVNs, followed by the comprehensive explanation of its components. Next, we present the taxonomy of SDVN based on the architecture modes, protocols, access technologies, and opportunities with trending technologies. Finally, we highlight the challenges, open research issues, and future research directions.