Modeling the Interactions of Costs, Price, Choice, and Performance for Shared Mobility Systems with Subscription Service Possibilities

Research Lead: R. Jayakrishnan

UC Campus(es): UC Irvine

Problem Statement: There are now a number of new and innovative mobility solutions beyond private vehicle ownership and public transit, such as rideshare, carshare, bikeshare, autonomous vehicles, transit, and micro-transit. While the new shared and/or autonomous mobility systems are generally considered ‘greener’ choices, their ultimate impacts are still unknown. Vehicle usage could become more efficient, but the overall number of vehicle miles travelled (VMT) could grow. Public agencies are already concerned by increased VMT from new ride-hailing services and reductions in transit usage which may be due to vehicle-sharing operations not being properly priced. Thus, establishing proper cost models is important for developing effective policies for reducing VMT.

Project Description: This research project will provide a modeling-based decision-making platform to help develop policies to attain California’s goal of equitable and environmentally sustainable transportation. One solution could be MaaS (mobility as a service) systems which employ concepts such as time-shared usage and subscription services. The research project will explore the potential for such systems to increase vehicle-sharing efficiency by examining the interaction between various system costs and optimal pricing choices for consumers.

Status: In Progress

Budget: $115,873