United States Department of Transportation
i
Enhancing Equity and Access in Dockless Micromobility Services: Case Study, Performance Metrics and Rebalancing Model
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2021-09-30
[PDF-1.79 MB]
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Edition:Final Research Report (January 2020 – September 2021)
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Abstract:A case study of the Mayagüez dockless e-scooter service (MDES) is presented. The objectives of the case study were to i) explore the characteristics of MDES users and nonusers, ii) examine the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristic of the study area and observed trip levels, iii) propose spatial access indicators and apply them in the MDES service area, and iv) discuss the equity in spatial access and the congestion reduction potential of MDES. This analysis provides insights on a micromobility system that operates in a congested, auto-centric city with limited public transportation alternatives. Among other things, the study found that the main users of the system were university students and more likely to be young and male, and that MDES potentially reduced auto trips. Also, a spatial equity analysis suggests differences in access to MDES vehicles. In addition, this project proposes an optimization-based approach to generate dockless micromobility vehicle rebalancing plans that reflect equity concerns. In the proposed method, target vehicle distributions are identified such that the predicted efficiency and equity performance of the system is maximized. Then a pickup and delivery problem is applied that balance efficiency and equity objectives when searching for the optimal spatial distribution of the vehicle fleet. The application of this two-step methodology is illustrated through numerical experiments.
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