Shared vehicles are a key part of any future intelligent and clean transport system, as they can allow for the sharing and potentially more efficient use of transport resources and fuel. Shared mobility has been gaining attention in the private and public sectors as a possible strategy for taming auto ownership, vehicle miles/kilometers traveled, and emissions. Serving as a source of information on how best to shape shared vehicle systems of the future, this book contributes knowledge on key facets of shared mobility. It includes shared vehicle systems as well as shared automated vehicle systems. Themes covered in the book include policy and regulatory frameworks, planning, design, technology, demand and supply models, algorithms, operations, management, economic factors, business models, social equity, environmental impacts, and pandemic effects. Shared Mobility and Automated Vehicles: Responding to socio-technical changes and pandemics comprehensively and systematically covers this important topic for an audience of researchers in academia and research institutes involved with intelligent transport systems and urban mobility. The book is also a valuable resource for public policy analysts, planners, system designers, system level technology developers, consultants, and students.
Inspec keywords: traffic engineering computing; intelligent transportation systems; socio-economic effects; electric vehicles; mobile robots; transportation; road vehicles; epidemics
Other keywords: pandemics; intelligent transportation systems; electric vehicles; road traffic control; socio-technical changes; automated vehicle; mobile robots; public transport; traffic engineering computing; transportation; road vehicles; socio-economic effects
Subjects: Mobile robots; Traffic engineering computing; Public administration; Road-traffic system control; Transportation; General and management topics; General electrical engineering topics; Education and training
Socio-economic and technology forecasts suggest that shared mobility will play a growing role in society due to increased consumer demand and the need for more equitable and environmentally sustainable transportation options. Changes in lifestyle and societal trends are fostering on-demand shared modes as an alternative to private mobility, although demand for transportation network company (TNC) services and pooled rides has been dampened due to COVID-19 and virus transmission concerns. Sustainability goals, along with reduced battery costs, are steering transportation toward an electric-drive future. Furthermore, automated vehicles (AVs) designed for on-demand shared mobility systems are predicted to become more mainstream over the coming decade(s). Affordable shared mobility services have the potential to strengthen the position of high-capacity public transit operations by providing an integrated, curb-to-curb transportation system. This book aims to advance knowledge of shared mobility systems, particularly those that provide on-demand services that employ automation and electric vehicle (EV) technologies. It also aims to serve as a resource to help shape future shared mobility systems that maximize societal and environmental benefits, including social equity.
In the coming decades, converging innovations and technologies are likely to play a transformative role in transportation. In particular, the commodification of transportation coupled with vehicle automation will likely result in fundamental changes to cities by altering the built environment, costs, commute patterns, and modal choice. Naturally, vehicle automation will not inherently solve today's transportation challenges. To solve these challenges, the convergence of these mobility innovations requires thoughtful planning and public policies that balance societal goals with commercial interests. To harness and maximize the social and environmental benefits of these innovations, we need to prepare for this transition.
This chapter examines the policy implications of shared automated vehicles (SAVs). It discusses the current state of automated vehicle (AV) and SAV policy in the United States (U.S.) and assesses possible future technology deployment and adoption scenarios. The discussion explores a variety of topics related to SAVs and recommends policy approaches regarding these topics. The authors examine shared mobility policies and developments to compare and contrast possible SAV approaches. The policy topics covered in this chapter include: (1) passenger safety; (2) data sharing; (3) mitigating for externalities, such as congestion, vehicle miles/ kilometres travelled (VMT/VKT), and emissions; (4) labour implications; (5) SAV ownership and business model considerations; (6) public transit and SAVs; and (7) policy options for federal, state, and local governments. The chapter also includes a four-phase transition framework for policymakers to consider the shift to privately owned AVs and SAVs. It is important to note that shifting travel behaviour toward pooling can be challenging due to a number of factors, such as personal safety, convenience, increased travel times, and personal preference. Further, there has been heightened concern about vehicle sharing due to the global pandemic and virus transmission. While the future of SAVs and policy approaches are uncertain, policies should be considered to effectively manage SAVs moving forward.
Shared mobility systems are expected to respond to socio-technical changes and pandemics. Given the future transportation market and other uncertainties, the resilience of designs in addressing multiple goals is a valued attribute. Previous chapters 2 and 3 of this book provide details of a possible seismic shift in transportation and the associated challenges posed by the policy and regulatory environment, including concerns about sharing rides with strangers and social/racial equity. There is of course the additional requirement to meet health requirements in the post-pandemic operating environment. This chapter covers the subject of concept-level design and associated high-level architecture for shared mobility systems of the future. Most shared mobility systems are complex in terms of components, including their interactions and interfaces with the socio-economic and physical environment. Well-studied concept level designs of these systems are necessary for viewing the entire system, identifying the main components that would play a role in the service demand and supply interaction, and ensuring that interfaces with the overall urban system and the environment do not cause adverse effects. The high-level architectures defined at the concept design level lead to details on system planning, design, operations, maintenance, and management. Chapters 5-17 cover key elements of these subjects, and the final chapter (Chapter 18) is focused on future directions, including uncertainty and the need to prioritize social and environmental benefits in an evolving marketplace through dynamic policy and planning processes. Links to detailed coverage of these subjects are noted throughout this chapter.
In this chapter, we provide an overview of the ways in which shared mobility can impact planning and policy making. First, we review shared mobility policies related to the curb and public rights-of-way management. In Section 5.2, the relationship between shared mobility and developer zoning regulations is discussed. In Section 5.3, we explore shared mobility and the planning process. In Section 5.4, we review the role of shared mobility and the built environment, including examples of how shared mobility can be employed in the sub-urban context. In Section 5.5, we discuss the importance of stakeholder and public involvement in the shared mobility planning process. Finally, in Section 5.6, we conclude the chapter with planning considerations for cities and public agencies in an automated future.
Access to transportation is integral to enhancing opportunities for employment, education, health care, and recreation. SAVs will not fundamentally solve today's transportation challenges. To solve them, AVs require thoughtful planning and public policies that balance societal goals with commercial interests. To harness and maximize the social and environmental benefits of highly automated vehicles, we need to prepare for a multiphase transition toward highly automated vehicles today. If driver-less vehicles are thoughtfully implemented with access and social/racial equity in mind, automation could expand access to resources for users of all ages, genders, races, abilities, and incomes. However, public agencies will need to actively pursue policies to ensure that driverless vehicles do not reinforce existing disparities in access and mobility. Identifying and understanding the various transportation equity challenges related to driverless vehicles is the first step to help ensure equitable service, accessibility, and affordable transportation for all and to prevent discrimination and correct mobility injustices. In the future, it will be critical that policymakers ensure equitable SAV access for all neighbourhoods and users, including access options for people with disabilities and digitally impoverished and underbanked communities. The public and private sectors, along with key stakeholders (e.g., nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and foundations) can partner to help over-come these challenges by understanding these issues and implementing tailored strategies to overcome each challenge through intentional inclusion.
In this chapter, we consider the potential for a more integrated transportation system that merges access to services offered across modes in order to effectively bridge the gap between the three demands of capacity, directness, and distance, and that combines the respective advantages of AVs and transit. Our examination specifically considers whether the advent of AV technology-particularly shared automated vehicles (SAVs)-can be used as a lever to enhance transit systems, not only by improving their efficiency but also by filling the major gap that has limited transit's success in attracting riders, especially in the United States: directness. Thus the fundamental motivation for our text is an effort to understand whether and how the transportation system can maintain the capacity benefits of transit (and thus its congestion-relieving and sustainable characteristics) while improving services to more people.
An advanced form of shared mobility service can be offered by accessing on-demand, with a cell phone App, nonautomated electric vehicles located at park and charge stations in an urban area. Another version of this service is the offer of the free-floating vehicle that can be accessed at a site other than a park and charge station. These multistation and free-floating vehicle sharing services require the customer to drive the vehicle. The ride-hailing service using electric vehicles driven by the transportation network company drivers can be enhanced with access to fast chargers and infrastructure support provided by urban governments for pick-up and drop-off tasks. These shared mobility services have the potential to meet the objectives of Mobility as a Service (MaaS). This chapter covers the design of systems using nonautomated electric vehicles for providing shared mobility services safely and efficiently. Design requirements are defined and measures to meet these are advanced. The level of service requirement of the traveller and the efficiency objective of the supplier of service guide the designs within the urban travel context. Application of intelligent transportation system and advanced communication technologies play a role in system design.
In this chapter, we review the state of the practice in shared automated mobility (SAM) as well as SEAM across the globe and emphasize some key features of automated and electric vehicles that play a role in how shared mobility systems operate. In the context of shared mobility, we detail the system level design for SAM and SEAM, followed by a specific case study using microscopic traffic simulation. Lastly, we discuss the potential challenges and opportunities of the deployment of SAM and SEAM systems.
Recent advances in communication technologies and automated vehicles have opened doors for alternative mobility systems (e.g., app-based taxis, app-based carpool, demand-responsive transit, peer-to-peer ridesharing, carsharing, and shared automated vehicles/shuttles). These new mobility modes have attracted the attention of researchers, public agencies, and private sector companies. Among other potential applications, these can serve as candidates for shared mobility modes that can complement public transportation. An example is the first/last-mile transportation need in low-density urban areas where implementation of high-frequency buses is not feasible. There is also the potential to substitute a new version of shared mobility mode as a substitute for fixed transit in low-density urban areas. In this study, we investigate the effects of ride-sharing service on travel demand and welfare, as it complements public transportation, thus addressing the first/last mile problem. Given that field studies are costly and may be impossible to implement, we developed modeling and simulation tools for analyzing different scenarios. Two types of management and vehicle types are investigated: crowdsourced human-driven vehicles (HDVs) (e.g. Uber and Lyft) and centrally operated shared automated vehicles (SAVs). The influence of fare discount on demand and mode shift is also investigated. A case study of Oakville road network in Ontario, Canada is conducted using real data. The results show that ride-sharing with commuters who live in the study area has the potential of increasing ridership by 76% and decreasing wait time by 47% if centrally operated shared automated vehicles are used and 50% fare discount is offered for the use of shared first mile/last mile mobility service.
We examine how the introduction of shared connected and automated vehicles (SCAVs) as a new mobility mode could affect travel demand, welfare, as well as traffic congestion in the network. To do so, we adapted an agent-based day-to-day travel adjustment process supported by a SCAV fleet dispatching system, which is implemented on an in-house traffic microsimulator.
For successfully meeting the service expectations of shared mobility users in various market niches, the supply of service has to be defined that is dynamically in balance with demand. The demand and supply interaction is to be modeled by treating the stochastic nature of demand as well as uncertainties on the supply side, including those in the traffic environment. Efficiency consideration requires that while meeting the service criteria, the supply of service is optimized. The demand and supply balance can be examined within the simulation and optimization methodological frameworks. This chapter addresses matching demand with the supply of shared mobility enabled by electric automated vehicles. The shared automated vehicle (SAV) system provides mobility on demand (MOD) service to customers in an urban transportation environment. The origin-destination service is demanded in the form of variable party size that reflects the market being served. The supply system consists of electric vehicles and a number of stations are used for battery charging and parking. For the customer, the methodology enables the study of the probability of accessing the vehicle with the required seats. The methodology can be used to estimate the probability of charger availability when needed. For the use of the SAV system operator, a method is defined for directing an automated vehicle with state of charge (SOC) deficiency to the optimal location for charging taking into account uncertain traffic congestion states.
Operations and management of a shared automated vehicle (SAV) fleet involve multiple stakeholders. On the one side, fleet operators want to maximize profits by minimizing costs and increasing the user base. On the other side, the city managers and the government need to ensure that overall transportation demands are met in an equitable and environmentally sustainable manner. Further, customer needs also put specific constraints on the overall operation. In this chapter, we have analyzed the fundamentals for operationalizing new functionalities in a shared automated vehicle fleet. Most anticipated operational changes due to vehicle automation are incremental and designed to increase the cost-effectiveness of the new mobility solution being marketed. Although academics and futurists propose many utopic solutions with an SAV fleet, the path for integrating these solutions in practical operation splits in two ways: by reducing the average cost of new services or, by subsiding the operations to optimize some societal objectives.
In this chapter, we have looked at the typological contexts and high-level spatial implications of automated vehicles as well as other emerging mobility scenarios. In addition, we looked at a key determinant that could have a major impact upon the fleet size required to serve a given population, and why this matters, when applied to spatial criteria impacting street design, parking, and land use. Additionally, we have seen that new mobility programs in smaller cities are leading the way in integrating TNC/ride-sharing into a structured transit environment in such a way that traditional single-occupant car users are willing to switch to transit or shared rides when the program is tailored to their needs. In next chapter, we will examine current precedents under development and studies into street design, parking, and the future of retail. Finally, we will summarize both chapters and draw some conclusions that inform our moving forward.
In this chapter, we will be examining precedents which include current projects under development as well as studies into the potential impacts on street design and on-street parking. In addition, we will be looking at the potential impacts of e-commerce on the future of retail as well as the potential impacts of an AV future on building design. Finally, we will summarize both chapters and draw some conclusions that inform our next steps.
The shared automated vehicle (SAV) system is expected to meet the requirements of stakeholders for acceptance as a key mode of mobility. Although societal values go beyond economic factors, economic feasibility is a major consideration for investors who will require an acceptable rate-of-return. Stakeholders, their roles, and interest in economic factors provide the starting point for assessing the feasibility of the SAV system to serve customers. Analysis of business models leads to details on economic factors involved in implementing a new mobility system. This chapter covers concepts, methods, and applications for providing answers to the economic feasibility question. Building blocks for business models are quantified, including estimates of costs and revenue for fleets consisting of vehicles of various sizes. Observations are drawn on the economic feasibility of the SAV system from after tax rate-of-return analysis of business models.
This chapter reviews findings from shared mobility studies including ride-sharing (carpooling and vanpooling), carsharing, (bikesharing and scooter sharing), and TNCs. We conclude with a discussion of shared automated vehicles (SAVs) and their potential impacts.
Converging innovations-including the sharing economy, digitization, autonomy, and electrification - are key building blocks of future mobility systems. These innovations are continuously impacted by socio-demographic and mobility trends, along with other disruptive forces. In this chapter, we discuss eight focus areas (central to this book) for optimizing the public good and guiding this convergence: (1) advanced, safe, secure, and efficient shared mobility; (2) policy and regulations; (3) social equity and justice; (4) environmental and financial sustainability; (5) transportation system and land use planning; (6) system design, operations, and management; (7) implementation, urban development, and other impacts; and (8) measures to adapt to long-term pandemic impacts. We recognize that automated vehicle (AV) adoption will be gradual, following a phased evolution over the next decade or longer. We also acknowledge that COVID-19's impacts on innovative mobility services will require adaptive measures over the short- and longer-term. Innovations and unexpected disruptions will continue into the future. As such, we will need to revisit research, policies, and approaches to optimize the social and environmental benefits of autonomy, shared mobility, electrification, digitization, and other emerging technologies and services.