A literature review of mobility services: definitions,modelling state-of-the-art,and key considerations for a conceptual modelling framework

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review focused on the supply side of mobility services, providing relevant insights at the conceptual, operational, and modelling levels. Definitions are first drawn from the Mobility as a Service paradigm due to its predominance in the literature. This is followed by an assessment of the operational features of a range of mobility services, including carsharing, bikesharing, ridehailing, and demand responsive transit. To conclude the review, the state-of-the-art in modelling approaches for mobility services is reported, at different levels of complexity and integration. Three of the most important findings and arguments from this paper suggest that a high degree of generality exists for operational features of mobility services; that it is essential to make a distinction between Mobility as a Service and a mobility service in isolation; along with the argument that human agency should be carefully considered in modelling efforts, both for user agent and driver agent decision-making processes. Finally, key considerations are proposed for the future development of a conceptual framework for modelling the supply side of mobility services, which would have a generic service provider model as its core component.     

European passenger rail reforms: A comparative assessment of the emerging models

This paper provides a comprehensive framework for analysing and comparing the various institutional models and regulatory arrangements that have recently emerged from the restructuring of European passenger rail industries. The framework identifies seven key dimensions that can be used to describe these models and arrangements. It shows how these dimensions are connected with one another in a complex web of interactions. Empirical material gathered on the passenger rail industries of five EU Member States, i.e. Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, and Sweden is used, as well as extrapolation to highlight the costs and benefits (incentive properties) associated with alternative arrangements and contract features and to show how certain dimensions can be traded-off against one another to optimize the industry's performance.     

An examination of the determinants of day-to-day variability in individuals' urban travel behavior

Day-to-day variability in individuals' travel behavior (intrapersonal variability) has been recognized in conceptual discussions, yet the analysis and modeling of urban travel are typically based on a single day record of each individual's travel. This paper develops and examines hypotheses regarding the determinants of intrapersonal variability in urban travel behavior.Two general hypotheses are formulated to describe the effects of motivations for travel and related behavior and of travel and related constraints on intrapersonal variability in weekday urban travel behavior. Specific hypotheses concerning the effect of various sociodemographic characteristics on intrapersonal variability are derived from these general hypotheses. These specific hypotheses are tested empirically in the context of daily trip frequency using a five-day record of travel in Reading, England.The empirical result support the two general hypotheses. First, individuals who have fewer economic and role-related constraints have higher levels of intrapersonal variability in their daily trip frequency. Second, individuals who fulfil personal and household needs that do not require daily participation in out-of-home activities have higher levels of intrapersonal variability in their daily trip frequency.     

A computerized household activity scheduling survey

Household activity scheduling is widely regarded as the underlying mechanism through which people respond to emerging travel demand management policies. Despite this, very little fundamental research has been conducted into the underlying scheduling process to improve our understanding and ability forecast travel. The experimental survey approach presented in this paper attempts to fill this gap. At the core of the survey is a Computerized Household Activity Scheduling (CHASE) software program. The program is unique in that it runs for a week long period during which time all adult household members login daily to record their scheduling decisions as they occur over time. An up-front interview is used to define a household's activity agenda and mode availability. A sample of 41 households (66 adults and 14 children) was used to assess the performance of the survey. Analysis focuses on times to completion, daily scheduling steps, activity-travel patterns, and scheduling time horizons. Overall, the results show that the computer-based survey design was successful in gathering an array of information on the underlying process, while minimizing the burden on respondents. The survey was also capable of tracing traditionally observed activity-travel outcomes over a multi-day period with minimal fatigue effects. The paper concludes with a detailed discussion on future survey design, including issues of instrument bias, use of the Internet, and improved tracing of spatial behaviour. Future use of the survey methodology to enhance activity-travel diary surveys and stated responses experiments is also discussed. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Horsepower Reserve Formulation of Driveability for a Vehicle Fitted With a Continuously Variable Transmission

Summary A systematic methodology is developed for choosing the optimum ratio trajectory of a continuously variable transmission in a passenger vehicle. The optimum CVT ratio schedule is formulated as a constrained optimization problem with maximum fuel economy as the objective function and driveability concerns and physical limitations included as the constraints. The key notion to achieving good driveability is the introduction and definition of a horsepower reserve function that creates a consistent and desirable vehicle response under different driving conditions. Simulation results compare the optimized schedule's performance with several other possible ratio schedules, including the minimum brake specific fuel consumption map. Results from the optimized schedule indicate only a mild tradeoff between driveability and fuel economy relative to the other ratio schedules. The ratio optimization problem formulation and solution provide a novel and unique approach for systematically addressing driveability and fuel economy considerations associated with a continuously variable transmission.     

Economic and commercial considerations affecting the maritime transportation of tropical produce

This paper discusses the pattern of sea transport and loading in the ECAP and ESCAP areas, particularly the bulk trades in such commodities as sawn hardwood, plywood and rubber. The effects of port development and organization are examined, especially the difficulties of instituting bulk services and containerization in an area with a fragmented pattern of trade.     

Optimisation of active suspension control inputs for improved vehicle handling performance

Active suspension is commonly considered under the framework of vertical vehicle dynamics control aimed at improvements in ride comfort. This paper uses a collocation-type control variable optimisation tool to investigate to which extent the fully active suspension (FAS) application can be broaden to the task of vehicle handling/cornering control. The optimisation approach is firstly applied to solely FAS actuator configurations and three types of double lane-change manoeuvres. The obtained optimisation results are used to gain insights into different control mechanisms that are used by FAS to improve the handling performance in terms of path following error reduction. For the same manoeuvres the FAS performance is compared with the performance of different active steering and active differential actuators. The optimisation study is finally extended to combined FAS and active front- and/or rear-steering configurations to investigate if they can use their complementary control authorities (over the vertical and lateral vehicle dynamics, respectively) to further improve the handling performance.     

Forecasting bus ridership using a “Blended Approach”

Transportation - As sources of “Big Data” continue to grow, transportation planners and researchers seek to utilize these new resources. Given the current dependency on traditional...     

Longitudinal analysis of activity generation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

Transportation - This paper presents a longitudinal analysis of activity generation behaviour in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) between 1996 and 2016 for various activity types: work,...     

Travelers’ compliance with social routing advice: evidence from SP and RP experiments

Transportation - This study examines to what extent travel information can be used to direct travelers to system-optimal routes that may be sub-optimal for them personally, but contribute to...