Constructing Intelligence in Point-to-Point Mobility Systems

Abstract

Mobility on Demand (MoD) systems allow users to pick-up and drop-off vehicles (bikes, automobiles) ubiquitously in networks of parking stations. Asymmetric trip patterns cause imbalanced fleet allocation decreasing level of service. Current redistribution policies are complex to plan and typically cost more than the usage revenues of the system. This paper discusses a new operation model based on a double auction market where cost-minimizing users are both buyers and sellers of trip rights while profit-maximizing stations are competing auctioneers that trade them. Thus, trips are priced relatively to the inventory needs of origin and destination stations, causing some trips to be more expensive while other trips to pay back.