IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/transp/v50y2023i5d10.1007_s11116-022-10301-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing first- and last-mile public transit services leveraging transportation network companies (TNC)

Author

Listed:
  • Rick Grahn

    (Carnegie Mellon University)

  • Sean Qian

    (Carnegie Mellon University
    Carnegie Mellon University)

  • Chris Hendrickson

    (Carnegie Mellon University
    Carnegie Mellon University)

Abstract

First-mile last-mile (FMLM) mobility services that connect riders to public transit can lead to improved transit accessibility and network efficiency if such services are convenient and reliable. However, many current FMLM services are inefficient and costly because they are inflexible (e.g., fixed supply of shuttles) and do not leverage collected data for optimized decision making. At the same time, new forms of shared mobility can provide added flexibility and real-time analytics to FMLM systems when carefully integrated. This study evaluates performance and cost implications of public/private coordination between transit shuttles and transportation network companies (TNC) in the FMLM context. A real-time operations model was developed to simulate daily operations for an existing FMLM system using real-world demand data. Three supply strategies were tested with varying levels of flexibility: (1) Status Quo (two 23-passenger on-demand shuttles), (2) Hybrid (one 23-passenger on-demand shuttle + TNC), and (3) TNC Only (exclusively use TNC services). Results indicated that the added flexibility of the Hybrid service design (using shuttles and TNCs) improved service performance (a 7.7% improvement), reduced daily operating costs (− 6.0%), and improved service reliability (95th percentile travel times decreased by up to 40% during peak periods). In addition, the Hybrid service design was more robust to variations in demand. The Hybrid service was significantly cheaper to operate (− 31.6%) at reduced demand levels (50% of normal), and improved service performance (a 10.2% improvement) when demand levels were increased (150% of normal). These findings emphasize the importance of flexibility in FMLM service designs, especially when demand is sparse and variable.

Suggested Citation

  • Rick Grahn & Sean Qian & Chris Hendrickson, 2023. "Optimizing first- and last-mile public transit services leveraging transportation network companies (TNC)," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 2049-2076, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:transp:v:50:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1007_s11116-022-10301-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11116-022-10301-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11116-022-10301-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11116-022-10301-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Luca Quadrifoglio & Randolph W. Hall & Maged M. Dessouky, 2006. "Performance and Design of Mobility Allowance Shuttle Transit Services: Bounds on the Maximum Longitudinal Velocity," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(3), pages 351-363, August.
    2. Zhao, Jiamin & Dessouky, Maged, 2008. "Service capacity design problems for mobility allowance shuttle transit systems," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 135-146, February.
    3. Chandra, Shailesh & Quadrifoglio, Luca, 2013. "A model for estimating the optimal cycle length of demand responsive feeder transit services," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-16.
    4. Ho, Sin C. & Szeto, W.Y. & Kuo, Yong-Hong & Leung, Janny M.Y. & Petering, Matthew & Tou, Terence W.H., 2018. "A survey of dial-a-ride problems: Literature review and recent developments," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 395-421.
    5. Quadrifoglio, Luca & Li, Xiugang, 2009. "A methodology to derive the critical demand density for designing and operating feeder transit services," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 43(10), pages 922-935, December.
    6. Shaheen, Susan PhD & Chan, Nelson, 2016. "Mobility and the Sharing Economy: Potential to Overcome First- and Last-Mile Public Transit Connections," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt8042k3d7, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    7. Hai Wang, 2019. "Routing and Scheduling for a Last-Mile Transportation System," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(1), pages 131-147, February.
    8. Kim, Myungseob (Edward) & Schonfeld, Paul, 2014. "Integration of conventional and flexible bus services with timed transfers," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 76-97.
    9. Jaw, Jang-Jei & Odoni, Amedeo R. & Psaraftis, Harilaos N. & Wilson, Nigel H. M., 1986. "A heuristic algorithm for the multi-vehicle advance request dial-a-ride problem with time windows," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 243-257, June.
    10. Boeing, Geoff, 2017. "OSMnx: New Methods for Acquiring, Constructing, Analyzing, and Visualizing Complex Street Networks," SocArXiv q86sd, Center for Open Science.
    11. Ma, Tai-Yu & Rasulkhani, Saeid & Chow, Joseph Y.J. & Klein, Sylvain, 2019. "A dynamic ridesharing dispatch and idle vehicle repositioning strategy with integrated transit transfers," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 417-442.
    12. Daganzo, Carlos F., 1984. "Checkpoint dial-a-ride systems," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 18(4-5), pages 315-327.
    13. Wilson, Nigel H. M. & Hendrickson, Chris, 1980. "Performance models of flexibly routed transportation services," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 14(1-2), pages 67-78.
    14. Tang, Jiafu & Yu, Yang & Li, Jia, 2015. "An exact algorithm for the multi-trip vehicle routing and scheduling problem of pickup and delivery of customers to the airport," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 114-132.
    15. Wardman, Mark, 2004. "Public transport values of time," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 363-377, October.
    16. Rick Grahn & Corey D. Harper & Chris Hendrickson & Zhen Qian & H. Scott Matthews, 2020. "Socioeconomic and usage characteristics of transportation network company (TNC) riders," Transportation, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 3047-3067, December.
    17. Ge, Yanbo & Knittel, Christopher R. & MacKenzie, Don & Zoepf, Stephen, 2020. "Racial discrimination in transportation network companies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    18. Alejandro Henao & Wesley E. Marshall, 2019. "The impact of ride-hailing on vehicle miles traveled," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 2173-2194, December.
    19. Zgheib, Najib & Abou-Zeid, Maya & Kaysi, Isam, 2020. "Modeling demand for ridesourcing as feeder for high capacity mass transit systems with an application to the planned Beirut BRT," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 70-91.
    20. Yu, Yao & Machemehl, Randy B. & Xie, Chi, 2015. "Demand-responsive transit circulator service network design," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 160-175.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sangveraphunsiri, Tawit & Cassidy, Michael J. & Daganzo, Carlos F., 2022. "Jitney-lite: a flexible-route feeder service for developing countries," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 1-13.
    2. Badia, Hugo & Jenelius, Erik, 2021. "Design and operation of feeder systems in the era of automated and electric buses," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 146-172.
    3. Rich, Jeppe & Seshadri, Ravi & Jomeh, Ali Jamal & Clausen, Sofus Rasmus, 2023. "Fixed routing or demand-responsive? Agent-based modelling of autonomous first and last mile services in light-rail systems," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    4. Qiu, Feng & Shen, Jinxing & Zhang, Xuechi & An, Chengchuan, 2015. "Demi-flexible operating policies to promote the performance of public transit in low-demand areas," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 215-230.
    5. Itani, Alaa & Klumpenhouwer, Willem & Shalaby, Amer & Hemily, Brendon, 2024. "Guiding principles for integrating on-demand transit into conventional transit networks: A review of literature and practice," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 183-197.
    6. Fielbaum, Andrés & Tirachini, Alejandro & Alonso-Mora, Javier, 2023. "Economies and diseconomies of scale in on-demand ridepooling systems," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 34(C).
    7. Hörcher, Daniel & Tirachini, Alejandro, 2021. "A review of public transport economics," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).
    8. Tang, Xindi & Yang, Jie & Lin, Xi & He, Fang & Si, Jinhua, 2023. "Dynamic operations of an integrated mobility service system of fixed-route transits and flexible electric buses," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. Chandra, Shailesh & Quadrifoglio, Luca, 2013. "A model for estimating the optimal cycle length of demand responsive feeder transit services," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-16.
    10. Xin Li & Wanying Liu & Jingyuan Qiao & Yanhao Li & Jia Hu, 2023. "An Enhanced Semi-Flexible Transit Service with Introducing Meeting Points," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 487-527, September.
    11. Calabrò, Giovanni & Araldo, Andrea & Oh, Simon & Seshadri, Ravi & Inturri, Giuseppe & Ben-Akiva, Moshe, 2023. "Adaptive transit design: Optimizing fixed and demand responsive multi-modal transportation via continuous approximation," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    12. Adam Millard-Ball & Liwei Liu & Whitney Hansen & Drew Cooper & Joe Castiglione, 2023. "Where ridehail drivers go between trips," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 1959-1981, October.
    13. Sumitkumar, Rathor & Al-Sumaiti, Ameena Saad, 2024. "Shared autonomous electric vehicle: Towards social economy of energy and mobility from power-transportation nexus perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    14. Zhang, Zhaolin & Zhai, Guocong & Xie, Kun & Xiao, Feng, 2022. "Exploring the nonlinear effects of ridesharing on public transit usage: A case study of San Diego," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    15. Nicole Ronald & Russell Thompson & Stephan Winter, 2015. "Simulating Demand-responsive Transportation: A Review of Agent-based Approaches," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(4), pages 404-421, July.
    16. Ellegood, William A. & Campbell, James F. & North, Jeremy, 2015. "Continuous approximation models for mixed load school bus routing," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 182-198.
    17. Dikas, G. & Minis, I., 2014. "Scheduled paratransit transport systems," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 18-34.
    18. Sohani Liyanage & Hussein Dia & Gordon Duncan & Rusul Abduljabbar, 2024. "Evaluation of the Impacts of On-Demand Bus Services Using Traffic Simulation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-37, September.
    19. G. Dikas & I. Minis, 2018. "Scheduled Paratransit Transport Enhanced by Accessible Taxis," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(5), pages 1122-1140, October.
    20. Ansari, Sina & Başdere, Mehmet & Li, Xiaopeng & Ouyang, Yanfeng & Smilowitz, Karen, 2018. "Advancements in continuous approximation models for logistics and transportation systems: 1996–2016," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 229-252.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:transp:v:50:y:2023:i:5:d:10.1007_s11116-022-10301-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.