Dynamic Shared Bicycle Repositioning with Flexible Time Horizon
T.W.K. Bruinink (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Sh Sharif Azadeh – Mentor (TU Delft - Transport, Mobility and Logistics)
Y. Maknoon – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Transport and Logistics)
MB Duinkerken – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Transport Engineering and Logistics)
Rubén Artime Torres – Mentor (Nommon)
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Abstract
Shared bicycle systems have become an important element of sustainable urban mobility, helping to reduce emissions and congestion while improving first- and last-mile connectivity. However, these systems often suffer from imbalances between bicycle supply and demand, especially during peak hours, reducing user satisfaction and system reliability.
This thesis addresses these challenges by proposing a dynamic, time-adaptive repositioning strategy for continuously operating shared bicycle systems. The strategy integrates station selection, bicycle quantity decisions, and routing. It adapts the planning horizon based on the time of day using shorter routes during peak periods and longer routes during off-peak hours and at night. User satisfaction is captured through a no-service penalty, while operational efficiency is ensured through time-dependent constraints on route duration.
The model is further extended to account for mixed bicycle fleets and applies vehicle-aware repositioning to improve coordination and reduce computational complexity.
Real-world case studies in Zaragoza and Valladolid show that the dynamic strategy significantly outperforms both static and no-repositioning methods. In Zaragoza, it enabled approximately 400 additional satisfied trips per day, while in Valladolid it achieved exceeding a satisfaction level of 95% despite a high demand for electric bicycles. The dynamic approach also proved robust to a 50% increase in demand for both systems, with only minimal reductions in satisfaction levels.
In summary, this thesis demonstrates that a time-adaptive and integrated repositioning strategy can greatly enhance service levels and user satisfaction in shared bicycle systems. The approach supports broader adoption and strengthens the role of shared bicycles in sustainable urban transportation. Future research could build on these findings by targeting bottlenecks with customized strategies, managing broken bicycles, which reduce dock availability, and accounting for solar-powered stations, without a recharge option, where low battery bicycles occupy dock space.