Ride-hailing, travel behaviour and sustainable mobility: Insights from a social welfare maximisation approach
Event details
| Date | 11.10.2019 |
| Hour | 12:15 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Professor Alejandro Tirachini, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Chile and Visiting Professor,Technische Universität München, Germany |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Abstract
A discussion of the sustainability and travel behaviour impacts of ride-hailing (ridesourcing platforms such as Uber, Didi and Ola) is provided, based on current evidence from both developed and developing countries. The effects of ride-hailing on personal well-being, vehicle-kilometres travelled (VKT) and traffic externalities such as congestion are analysed. Then, a social welfare maximisation problem is developed, in order to determine the optimal number of vehicles and the optimal fare of a ride-hailing service. The solution is compared with the one that maximises private profit only. External costs of traffic are included into the social welfare framework. The optimal solution depends on two colliding forces: (i) users waiting time, that pushes to increase driver supply and (ii) the existence of negative traffic externalities, that pushes to reduce driver supply and increase fares. The problem is numerically solved including scenarios with conventional and automated cars for peak and off-peak traffic conditions.
Bio
Alejandro Tirachini (MSc UChile, PhD USydney) is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Universidad de Chile and Visiting Professor at Technische Universität München, Germany. His main research interests are the planning of public transport systems and the study of emerging mobility technologies. He has made contributions in the areas of optimal design of urban bus lines, estimation of crowding externalities in public transport in multiple cities, multimodal transport pricing, bus operations and congestion modelling, travel time variability modelling and the sustainability of ride-hailing. Apart from the research topic of this talk, currently he is working on analysing the social and traffic effects of a platform (app) for shared rides and the optimal design of automated public transport services in urban areas.
A discussion of the sustainability and travel behaviour impacts of ride-hailing (ridesourcing platforms such as Uber, Didi and Ola) is provided, based on current evidence from both developed and developing countries. The effects of ride-hailing on personal well-being, vehicle-kilometres travelled (VKT) and traffic externalities such as congestion are analysed. Then, a social welfare maximisation problem is developed, in order to determine the optimal number of vehicles and the optimal fare of a ride-hailing service. The solution is compared with the one that maximises private profit only. External costs of traffic are included into the social welfare framework. The optimal solution depends on two colliding forces: (i) users waiting time, that pushes to increase driver supply and (ii) the existence of negative traffic externalities, that pushes to reduce driver supply and increase fares. The problem is numerically solved including scenarios with conventional and automated cars for peak and off-peak traffic conditions.
Bio
Alejandro Tirachini (MSc UChile, PhD USydney) is Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Universidad de Chile and Visiting Professor at Technische Universität München, Germany. His main research interests are the planning of public transport systems and the study of emerging mobility technologies. He has made contributions in the areas of optimal design of urban bus lines, estimation of crowding externalities in public transport in multiple cities, multimodal transport pricing, bus operations and congestion modelling, travel time variability modelling and the sustainability of ride-hailing. Apart from the research topic of this talk, currently he is working on analysing the social and traffic effects of a platform (app) for shared rides and the optimal design of automated public transport services in urban areas.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Profs Brice Lecampion & Alexandre Alahi
Contact
- Prof. Nikolas Geroliminis