The benefits of meeting points in ride-sharing systems
Keywords:
Ride-sharing;
Carpooling;
Sustainable transport;
Integer programming.
Author(s):
Mitja Štiglic, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics;
Niels Agatz, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam School of Management;
Martin Savelsbergh, H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology;
Mirko Gradisar, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics.
Purpose:
We design and implement an algorithm that optimally matches drivers and riders in large-scale ride-sharing systems with meeting points and perform an extensive simulation study to assess the benefits of meeting points in ride-sharing.
Target audience:
Our findings are relevant to ride-share providers, to public authorities that are considering to use dynamic ride-sharing to address road congestion, and to academics in this emerging field of research.
A brief summary:
We investigate the potential benefits of introducing meeting points in a ride-sharing system. With meeting points, riders can be picked up and dropped off either at their origin and destination or at a meeting point that is within a certain distance from their origin or destination. The increased flexibility results in additional feasible matches between drivers and riders, and allows a driver to be matched with multiple riders without increasing the number of stops the driver needs to make. We design and implement an algorithm that optimally matches drivers and riders in large-scale ride-sharing systems with meeting points. We perform an extensive simulation study to assess the benefits of meeting points. The results demonstrate that meeting points can significantly increase the number of matched participants as well as the system-wide driving distance savings in a ride-sharing system.
A ride-sharing system with meeting points allows more and multi-rider matches. An efficient algorithm to optimally match riders and drivers exists. Simulation shows that meeting points improve matching rate and mileage savings.
Providers need to consider stimulating (and rewarding) riders and drivers to increase their flexibility, and integrating ride-sharing systems with other available transportation systems, e.g., bike-sharing systems, so as to ensure that riders can reach meeting points that are further away fast and easy.
JCR 2014 IF: 2.952; SE, SSE; economics ; 19/333 (1); AJG 2015: 4 SNIP 2014 IF: 2.642; SSE; Management Science and Operations Research ; 6/114(1)
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