A bi-level framework for heterogeneous fleet sizing of ride-hailing services considering an approximated mixed equilibrium between automated and non-automated traffic

Fan, Q.; van Essen, J.T.; Correia, Gonçalo

doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2024.01.017

A bi-level framework for heterogeneous fleet sizing of ride-hailing services considering an approximated mixed equilibrium between automated and non-automated traffic

Title

A bi-level framework for heterogeneous fleet sizing of ride-hailing services considering an approximated mixed equilibrium between automated and non-automated traffic

Author

Fan, Q. (TU Delft Discrete Mathematics and Optimization; TU Delft Transport and Planning)
van Essen, J.T. (TU Delft Discrete Mathematics and Optimization)
Correia, Gonçalo (TU Delft Transport and Planning)

Date

2024

Abstract

Ride-hailing companies will face the emergence and gradual expansion of AVs-only zones in urban areas where only automated vehicles (AVs) are allowed to circulate. When owning a mixed fleet (automated and conventional taxis), a ride-hailing company has to determine the optimal fleet size as a function of the gradually expanding coverage of AVs-only zones while taking into account interactions with privately-owned human-driven vehicles. To model this problem, we propose a bi-level framework in which the lower level captures the mixed routing behaviour of the vehicles and the endogenous traffic congestion, and the upper level determines fleet sizes to maximise profit. A parallel genetic algorithm is introduced to solve this bi-level framework, which is embedded with a tailored algorithm for solving the lower-level model. Numerical experiments are conducted on instances based on a small network and the network of the city of Delft, The Netherlands, to demonstrate the performance of the proposed solution method and investigate the impacts of AVs-only zones on traffic and ride-hailing operations. Results indicate that the fleet size of automated taxis increases nonlinearly with the expansion of the AVs-only zone while that of conventional taxis decreases as demand shifts from human-driven vehicles to automated taxis. The fleet size decision depends heavily on the fleet's cost structure, the location and the distribution of parking depots. Furthermore, the existence of an AVs-only zone leads to detours for human-driven vehicles in the early stages, but it will bring major benefits by reducing congestion as its size increases.

Subject

Routing
Fleet sizing
Approximated mixed equilibrium
AVs-only zone
e-hailing services

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:68cbed6b-cf92-413a-8454-bc2c95ec30e2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2024.01.017

ISSN

0377-2217

Source

European Journal of Operational Research, 315 (3), 879-898

Part of collection

Institutional Repository