Personal Vehicles Research Articles

Robust Workforce Management with Crowdsourced Delivery

Revolutionize Workforce Management of Crowdsourced Delivery Platforms The surge in online shopping is driving e-retailers to revamp their logistics for efficient, cost-effective deliveries. Many are embracing crowdsourced delivery, where independent couriers use personal vehicles for swift shipments. Major players like Amazon and Walmart have pioneered this shift in delivery methods. To tackle uncertainties in this model, platforms are blending ad hoc couriers with prehired couriers. This hybrid approach ensures reliability in customer service while managing costs effectively. However, balancing this mix poses challenges, as future demands are still being determined. This study proposes a robust satisficing framework to optimize workforce management in delivery platforms. This innovative method aims to enhance cost-effectiveness and service quality by addressing uncertainties in ad hoc couriers’ availability and behavior. It offers a strategic tool for platforms to navigate workforce resources efficiently amidst fluctuating demands and cost constraints.

Accident Prevention System for Cars, Buses, Trucks

Driver drowsiness is a significant factor in road accidents, contributing to a large number of crashes annually. To enhance road safety, the development of a Drivers Drowsiness Detection System is essential. This system builds to detect early signs of lazyness in drivers and provide timely alerts to prevent accidents. The proposed system uses to track key indicators of drowsiness, such as eye closure, head position, yawning, and blink rate. By utilizing a camera-based real-time monitoring system, it continuously analyzes the driver’s facial expressions. The system employs cadcade algorithms to distinguish a featurebased object detection algorithm to detect objects from images between alert and drowsy states based on collected data. When drowsiness is detected, the system triggers alerts like audio warnings, seat vibrations, or even vehicle slowing mechanisms, depending on the integration. This technology has the potential to significantly reduce the number of road accidents related to driver fatigue and could be applied in both personal vehicles and commercial fleets. The implementation of such systems represents a critical step toward improving road safety and decreasing driver-related incidents. Nowadays it is very challenging to stay active all the time due to busy schedules. Falling asleep while driving can lead to serious consequences, accidents, and even death. This situation is much more common and therefore it is very important to solve this problem. So, to solve this problem, we developed a sleep alarm system for drivers. This system alerts the user when he falls asleep at the wheel, thus the main concern is preventing accidents and saving lives. This system is useful for long- distance travelers and late-night drivers.

Eco-Sustainability in Hospital Pharmacy: A Pilot Survey on 'Going Green'.

Purpose: Between 2009 and 2015, the Canadian health care system was estimated to be responsible for 4.6% of national carbon emissions. Determine awareness of and describe eco-initiatives that the department of pharmacy can implement to aim to reduce the carbon footprint in hospital pharmacy in an effort to 'go green'. Methods: In a quality improvement initiative, pharmacy employees (i.e. pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) completed a cross-sectional survey designed to gauge willingness to 'go green' at work, to identify actionable areas of waste, and to assess commuting practices. Results: A total of 15 respondents completed the survey conducted March 14th -April 7th, 2022. Most respondents (73%) were willing to engage in more sustainable practices at work. The main barriers to implementing green practices at work were 'too time consuming' (20%), 'adds too much complexity' (20%), and 'cost' (16%). For commuting, 60% indicated the primary mode of transportation as 'personal vehicle', where 'subsidized transit' and was listed as the greatest incentive that could encourage a greener commute. The three largest areas of waste cited were 'single use plastic' (36%), 'limited of awareness of green practices' (15%), and 'lights left on in empty rooms' (12%). Conclusions: Pharmacy staff shared willingness to engage in more sustainable 'go green' practices but raised challenges to do so. With the knowledge that Canada has the second most climate intensive health system, there is a need for future research to describe how hospital pharmacies can contribute strategically to 'go green', advancing with implementing low carbon sustainable pharmacy practices.

Social Disadvantage and Transportation Insecurity in Clubfoot Clinic.

This study aims to evaluate the association of missing clubfoot clinic visits with transportation barriers and measures of socioeconomic status including the child opportunity index (COI). An 11-question survey was administered to caregivers of patients with clubfoot seen at a single pediatric tertiary hospital between August 2020 and September 2023. A chart review was conducted to obtain zip codes used to determine COI 2.0 scores. The impact of race/ethnicity, income, persons per household, COI, and transportation methods on missing at least one clinic visit was analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistics. The transportation survey was completed by a total of 99 caregivers. The median travel time to the clinic was 45 minutes (IQR: 33, range: 1 to 180). Most participants reported use of a personal car (108/128, 83%), and 72% took time off work to attend the appointment. Those with lower COI had longer travel time (P=0.02) and were less likely to use personal cars (P=0.05). Missed clubfoot clinic visits were more common for families reliant on transportation other than a personal vehicle (P=0.01) and those with annual income under $30,000 (P=0.02). Transportation insecurity was associated with greater social disadvantage as indicated by COI and more missed clinic visits. Level III.

What does it take for rural-urban commuters to switch from driving to carpooling?

This study aims at identifying the potential ways to increase the willingness to carpool, particularly in rural–urban travel settings, where there is no/minimal public transit service (due to low population density) and purchasing a personal vehicle poses a significant financial burden for many households. To do so, we used time flexibility, defined as the tolerance for increased commute time (which can happen because of re-routing and picking up others when carpooling), as a proxy to willingness to carpool. Using structural equation modeling and survey responses from about 1000 workers and college students living in a rural county in Central Pennsylvania, we analyzed the sociodemographic, attitudinal, and situational factors that can lead to higher time flexibility when carpooling. We also investigated whether people’s time flexibility changes when they are offered monetary incentives (in terms of travel costs reimbursement). The results indicated that being a driving fan and seeking privacy when traveling reduces time flexibility, while being conscientious about environment and health leads to higher time flexibility. Moreover, females, people who had inconvenient past carpool experiences, and those living closer (within 20 min of driving) to their workplace/college showed lower time flexibility. On the other hand, people with lower income and higher driving costs were willing to tolerate longer commute times if reimbursed for a portion of their travel costs. We also found that if there is no initial level of willingness to carpool, reimbursement offers cannot do much to sway people’s decisions.

From flames to lab: A robust non-destructive sampling method for evaluating PAH exposure in firefighters’ personal protection equipment

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds with high carcinogenic potential, produced during incomplete combustion. Certain professions, such as firefighting, expose workers to significant levels of PAHs during their operations, making it essential to investigate sampling protocols to evaluate their exposure in the work environment.This study presents a non-destructive and cost-effective sampling method for monitoring PAHs in firefighters’ personal protective equipment (PPE) and intervention vehicles. Sampling was conducted using three isopropanol wipes per collection zone, with comprehensive validation trials ensuring the method’s effectivenes. The method was tested under both natural contamination and spiking scenarios, showing similar results in both protocols.Analysis of contaminated PPE revealed significant PAH contamination in specific zones, such as gloves, lower back sleeves, and knees, due to direct exposure to flames and smoke during firefighting, with the highest concentrations in the outer and moisture layers. The cleaning efficacy of PPE was also evaluated employing specific washing machines, showing substantial reductions in PAH levels of approximately 76%. Additionally, non-targeted analysis detected organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) and furans, suggesting broader utility for environmental monitoring. This comprehensive approach improves the accessibility of chemical exposure studies in high-risk professions, contributing to better protective measures and occupational health and safety.

PELATIHAN PERAWATAN TRANSMISI MOTOR MATIC UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PERFORMA MOTOR DI DESA SUKAMUKTI

This service activity aims to train the community so that people can be more aware or given awareness about the maintenance of their personal vehicles, so that they are more independent in maintaining their motorbikes. Because many people only use their vehicles and don't think about maintenance, this will become a complex problem because over time, the vehicle's performance will decrease, and at any time this can have fatal consequences for the driver himself. From this problem, a solution was found by creating a motorbike maintenance training program to educate and introduce the procedures for maintaining motorbikes, especially in the automatic motorbike transmission section. The result of this activity is that residents understand more about the parts in automatic motorbike transmissions, how to maintain them, can practice the correct maintenance methods, and the dangers that arise if spare parts in automatic motorbike transmissions are not properly maintained.

Rural travel burdens in the United States: Unmet need and travel costs

Transportation accessibility, or the ease of reaching valued destinations, is a critical determinant of a person's ability to satisfy their essential needs. A lack of accessibility can result in travel burdens such as high transportation costs or unmet needs and adversely affect well-being. Prior research establishes the inverse relationship between travel burdens and access to transportation options such as public transit and proximity to destinations as well as a person's resources, including their income and access to a personal vehicle. Although travel behavior is understood to differ across rural versus urban contexts, little is known about the nature of travel burdens in rural communities. Using the 2017 National Household Travel Survey, this study quantifies and compares travel burdens in rural versus nonrural communities in the United States. In each context, we quantify and compare i) the magnitude of travel burdens, ii) who experiences travel burdens, and iii) the individual and environmental factors that are associated with travel burdens. We find higher rates of burdensome travel outcomes among rural residents. People who live in rural areas are more likely to report burdensome travel costs and unmet travel needs due to a lack of transportation options compared to people living in nonrural areas, and these differences are exacerbated for people without car access. Dispersed rural contexts are unique in that they exhibit a combination of higher rates of financial burden and unmet need relative to urban contexts. Within rural areas, financial burdens and unmet need are less prevalent for those who live in a small town when compared with those living in more dispersed areas, which suggests that even a small concentration of services and opportunities may facilitate greater access. Collectively, our results highlight the need for research that attends to context-specific needs and strategies to address travel burdens in rural communities.

Covid-19 Led Vulnerability of Vegetable Production and Marketing: Insights from Marginal Farmers of Odisha

The global economic crisis due to COVID 19 pandemic has revealed how the supply chain of agricultural marketing has been devastated in general and vegetable farming in particular. So, this paper tried to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerability of vegetable farmers in Odisha. To execute the study, data were collected from vegetable growers through a direct personal interview method. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and a multi-variable regression model to evaluate the vulnerability of farmers as well as to identify the factors affecting the extent of vulnerability. Survey findings indicate that 71 per cent of farmers were able to sell 60-80 per cent of their harvested product in the market and the rest products were wasted. The prime reasons for the losses are lockdown, lack of buyers in the markets and fear of coronavirus spreading among consumers as well as producers. The empirical study is evident that significant factors such as production quantum, land cultivated, and having personal vehicle have negative impact on the vulnerability extent of farmers. The study got its originality, as it considers marginal farmers with both rented and owned forms of land holdings.

Flight test for the noise source modeling of the optionally piloted personal air vehicle

An acoustic flight test is carried out in order to obtain the noise hemisphere of the optionally piloted personal air vehicle (OPPAV). The OPPAV is one-seater, research urban air mobility (UAM) being developed by Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Noise radiated from the aircraft is measured using a microphone array consisting of a total of 78 microphones. Flight logs such as the aircraft position, velocity, and attitude are recorded synchronously with the acoustic signals. Measured acoustic signals are dedopplerized and divided into a number of segments. Noise source model for the OPPAV flight is constructed using these segments. The noise source model will be used for the assessment of noise annoyance during urban flight of the UAMs.

Анализ состояния дорожно-транспортного травматизма, связанный со средствами индивидуальной мобильности в Хабаровском крае

This scientific article analyzes the situation related to road accidents occurring with personal vehicles in the Khabarovsk Territory. The analysis found that the main factors influencing the level of road accidents are speeding, violation of traffic rules and improper behavior of drivers. Most accidents occur with the participation of motorcycles, scooters and bicycles, which indicates insufficient road culture of the owners of such vehicles Purpose: to analyze the state of road traffic injuries associated with personal mobility devices in the Khabarovsk Territory. Methods: statistical analysis of data on road accidents in the Khabarovsk Territory for 2022. Results: dased on the results obtained, specific measures were proposed aimed at reducing the number of road accidents in the Khabarovsk Territory. One of the main directions of work is conducting educational work among the population about the need to comply with traffic rules and responsible behavior on the roads. Also important is the improvement of road infrastructure and the creation of safe conditions for the movement of pedestrians and cyclists. Practical importance: in general, the results of this study can be recommended to government agencies and road safety specialists when developing programs to reduce road accidents in the Khabarovsk Territory.

Exploring intercity travel decision-making in a developing country: Insights from COVID-19 impacts in Iran

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on intercity travel mode choices in Mazandaran province, Iran, addressing critical gaps in understanding how pandemics affect travel behavior in developing countries. The research focuses on how socio-economic factors, perceived health risks, and travel time influence individuals’ choice of transportation modes during the pandemic. Using a stated preference survey method with 669 participants, the study assessed how concerns about virus transmission and adherence to health protocols shape travel decisions. Discrete choice modeling was employed to predict travel mode shares between public transport and personal vehicles. The findings reveal that COVID-19 risk perception, socio-economic factors, and travel time significantly impact travel behavior. Specifically, heightened perceived risk of infection resulted in a 25% reduction in public transportation use, with individuals increasingly opting for personal vehicles. Additionally, strict adherence to health protocols, such as mask-wearing and vehicle cleaning, improved safety perception, leading to a 40% increase in confidence in public transport. The study also found that socio-economic factors like age, income, and education significantly shaped travel preferences. These insights provide valuable guidance for public health policymakers and transportation authorities to enhance the safety and management of intercity travel during ongoing and future pandemics.

Optimal solution for PV integrated with smart grid connected fast charging EV station: A case study for Jaipur

Current research study investigates the optimal solution for integrating photovoltaic (PV) solar panels with a smart grid-connected fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) station in Jaipur, India, using HOMER software for simulation. The study aims to develop a cost-effective and sustainable charging infrastructure specifically designed for e-rickshaws and personal vehicles, targeting reduced electricity costs. The findings demonstrate that a hybrid Solar and Grid-integrated EV charging station significantly lowers operational costs while promoting renewable energy adoption. The optimized Solar + grid system, compared to a traditional grid-only model, achieves substantial savings, with an average annual energy bill reduction of ₹26,17,806. Despite an initial capital expenditure of ₹50,22,895, the system's financial viability is affirmed by a rapid payback period of 1.9 years (simple) or 2.1 years (discounted) and an impressive internal rate of return (IRR) of 51.3%. Over a 25-year project lifespan, the system is projected to generate total savings of ₹6,54,45,150. The analysis considers various financial metrics, including monthly and annual energy costs, demand charges, and fixed charges, providing a comprehensive overview of the economic benefits. The results underline the importance of incorporating solar power into EV charging stations to reduce overall energy expenses and enhance long-term sustainability. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers, energy managers, and stakeholders, highlighting the economic and environmental advantages of solar-integrated charging solutions in urban settings.

Attribute annotation and bias evaluation in visual datasets for autonomous driving

This paper addresses the often overlooked issue of fairness in the autonomous driving domain, particularly in vision-based perception and prediction systems, which play a pivotal role in the overall functioning of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). We focus our analysis on biases present in some of the most commonly used visual datasets for training person and vehicle detection systems. We introduce an annotation methodology and a specialised annotation tool, both designed to annotate protected attributes of agents in visual datasets. We validate our methodology through an inter-rater agreement analysis and provide the distribution of attributes across all datasets. These include annotations for the attributes age, sex, skin tone, group, and means of transport for more than 90K people, as well as vehicle type, colour, and car type for over 50K vehicles. Generally, diversity is very low for most attributes, with some groups, such as children, wheelchair users, or personal mobility vehicle users, being extremely underrepresented in the analysed datasets. The study contributes significantly to efforts to consider fairness in the evaluation of perception and prediction systems for AVs. This paper follows reproducibility principles. The annotation tool, scripts and the annotated attributes can be accessed publicly at https://github.com/ec-jrc/humaint_annotator.

Vienna road crashes: a multivariate approach to understanding driver-related risks

Road safety is worldwide researched field where crashes play a causal role and injuries are counted as outcomes. Approaches and techniques are diverse, but with same goal—contribute to safer road environment for everyone included. Drivers of personal vehicles are the most protected traffic group due to protection provided by vehicle and mandatory safety belt in comparison to pedestrians as the most venerable participants. Also, this group of drivers is characterized by the high presence of very young drivers whose psychological characteristics place them in a vulnerable risky subgroup. According to the original data of the traffic police on crashes of personal car drivers in the town of Vienna, since 2010 they have had the highest number of crashes in 2012 and after slow decrease is recorded. Still high in total number of crashes involving only drivers of personal vehicles from a traffic safety point of view this still represents an extremely worrying problem that has not received proper social attention. In response to knowledge gaps, this research is essential to address leading characterizations in crashes with aim to answer what is trend in crash occurrence during 2010–2020 inside Vienna municipality, and what is predicted trend. Is there significant and distinctive difference based on gender and age with conditions under which crashes are occurring influencing different injury degree. Multiple regression undoubtedly points fields for action in statistically based findings providing the most important answer to this research: why there are so many injuries and what is leading cause of them. Answering this question contributes toward higher safety environment for all participants.

A time-driven simulation–optimization framework for the dynamic heterogeneous order-courier assignment problem for instant deliveries

In recent years, instant delivery services have become very popular for transporting meals to urban areas, with an extensive range of products now available to order. The platforms that offer these services rely on crowdsourced couriers who utilize their personal vehicles, resulting in heterogeneous fleets. Furthermore, the competition among companies to retain both customers and couriers is very intense, which underscores the importance of developing superior decision support systems. These systems must generate real-time assignments that meet the expectations of service providers, customers, and couriers. In this study, we designed a time-driven simulation–optimization framework that addresses the dynamic heterogeneous order-courier assignment problem and incorporates order-vehicle restrictions. The framework efficiently manages real-time order arrivals, courier movements, and positional updates while considering dynamic factors such as traffic congestion and regional speed limits for various vehicle types. Extensive testing using literature instances demonstrated the framework’s ability to satisfactorily address the defined problem. Additionally, the time-driven simulation–optimization framework was applied to a realistic case study, resulting in an approximately 4.5% reduction in the total delivery times (from the submission of the order until the delivery to the client) for all orders when compared to the original assignment.

Assessment and Modelling of Walk Trips in Akure, Nigeria

The study examined and modeled the walking behavior patterns of residents in Akure, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling approach was used to collect relevant data for assessing and modeling the walking trip patterns. The questionnaires were administered to 300 participants between May to November 2019 (6 months) across three primary residential neighborhoods in the city; high-density, medium-density, and low-density areas. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software and subsequently modeled using multi-variable regression techniques. The study found that 48.7% of the sampled population preferred to walk, and 49.7% perceived walking as an alternative to motorized trips. Significant differences were observed in the socioeconomic characteristics of residents, such as age and income, across the residential zones (F = 54.731, p<0.001; F = 68.278, p<0.001). The key factors that greatly influenced decision of respondents to walk included socioeconomic factors, such as income, personal car ownership, educational qualifications, and employment status, with age and sex being the least significant socioeconomic determinants. Generally, the factors that motivated respondents to choose walking as a travel mode included its relative affordability, the lack of personal vehicles, awareness of health benefits, safety and security concerns, avoidance of motorized traffic congestion, and favorable weather conditions. The findings of this study have important implications for transportation planning. The paper recommends the need to incorporate non-motorized spaces and walkways into various levels of urban planning and implementation to foster a more walkable environment and encourage active transportation in the city.

Environmental Impacts of Transportation Network Company (TNC)/Ride-Hailing Services: Evaluating Net Vehicle Miles Traveled and Greenhouse Gas Emission Impacts within San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Using Survey and Activity Data

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) play a prominent role in mobility within cities across the globe. However, their activity has impacts on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study quantifies the change in personal vehicle ownership and total miles driven by TNC drivers in three metropolitan areas: San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and Washington, D.C. The data sources for this analysis comprise two surveys, one for TNC passengers (N = 8630) and one for TNC drivers (N = 5034), in addition to data provided by the TNC operators Uber and Lyft. The passenger survey was deployed within the three metropolitan areas in July and August 2016, while the driver survey was deployed from October to November 2016. The TNC operator data corresponded with these time frames and informed the distance driven by vehicles, passenger frequency of use, and fleet level fuel economies. The data from these sources were analyzed to estimate the impact of TNCs on travel behavior, personal vehicle ownership and associated VMT changes, as well as the VMT of TNCs, including app-off driving. These impacts were scaled to the population level and collectively evaluated to determine the net impacts of TNCs on VMT and GHG emissions using fuel economy factors. The results showed that the presence of TNCs led to a net increase of 234 and 242 miles per passenger per year, respectively, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, while yielding a net decrease of 83 miles per passenger per year in Washington, D.C. A sensitivity analysis evaluating net VMT change resulting from vehicle activity and key behavioral impacts revealed the conditions under which TNCs can contribute to transportation sustainability goals.

Getting Around the Community: Qualitatively Exploring the Transportation Experiences of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Transportation is a necessity in adult life. Qualitative literature regarding the usability of transportation to travel freely within the community (e.g., school, work, leisure activities) is widely circulated; however, information regarding transportation needs and barriers specifically faced by individuals with an intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is limited. This study discusses the accessibility and usability of transportation avenues for individuals with IDD. Young adults with IDD ( n = 9) explored their transportation experiences of accessing specialized public transportation (paratransit), ride-share, and personal vehicles independently. Researchers used a multiple-case study design to analyze interviews, observations, and document reviews. Results indicated the importance of teaching, maintaining, and generalizing transportation skills. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Analysis of Regulation of Costs for Operating Buses in a Transport Company

The problem of increasing passenger traffic remains acute for municipal public transport. The value of this indicator is determined by the interest of citizens in this way of making their trips and determines the feasibility of the carrier’s operation. The authors conducted a study of the problems of public transport services in large- and medium-sized cities, which found that the population’s interest in public urban passenger transport has generally been significantly lost. More than 40% of the city population refuses to travel on public transport, half of the population has questions about the reliability of tariff formation, and the same number of people are not satisfied with the regular route network and schedule. City residents increasingly prefer personal vehicles or taxis for their trips, which negatively affects the revenue side of carriers, as well as the level of social comfort and the quality of life of citizens. Efforts to reduce the operating costs of the carrier are aimed at correcting the current situation with urban transport so that tariffs for transportation are more acceptable for passengers. The formation of tariffs for passenger transportation for transport companies is an urgent and complex task. It is necessary to formulate the tariff in such a way as to cover your own transportation costs in the near future and, at the same time, not exceed the psychological threshold for passengers so as not to cause their negative reaction. In addition, since the transportation of passengers by urban public transport is regulated by the authorities, it is also necessary to provide an economic justification for transportation tariffs. This is difficult in the absence of substantiated indicators of consumption rates of material resources in the transport process. To solve this problem, it is necessary to carefully analyze the current costs of operating the bus fleet, as well as forecast costs for future periods. At different periods, researchers have proposed various approaches for planning the cost of operating a bus fleet. The approach we propose is to use standardization of the consumption of material resources, considering the individual operating conditions of the bus fleet and the influence of various factors.