Title: Taxi carpooling model and carpooling effects simulation

Authors: Wei Zhang; Ruichun He; Qiang Xiao; Changxi Ma

Addresses: School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China ' School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China ' School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China ' School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

Abstract: This paper builds models of two passengers and multiple passengers sharing a taxi. Advantages and effects of taxi carpooling mode are analysed by simulation. The influences of payment ratio and carpool ratio on taxi carpooling effects are analysed. Relevant conclusions are obtained. Simulation results show that taxi carpooling mode can improve driver income, decrease passenger payment and increase passenger capacity obviously. Payment ratio and carpooling ratio have great influences on carpooling effects. Driver income and passenger capacity increase with increase of carpooling ratio. Change of payment ratio influences driver income and passenger payment simultaneously. The increase of carpooling ratio can help to develop carpooling advantages better. Appropriate payment ratio is the key to obtain good carpooling effects. When ρ is larger, appropriate θ can be found to ensure win-win for drivers and passengers, and improve taxi passenger capacity; when ρ is so small that no existing θ can ensure these effects, it needs to increase the number of taxis. These conclusions have a certain guiding significance to formulating taxi policy.

Keywords: urban traffic; carpooling effects; modelling; simulation; payment ratio; carpooling ratio; taxi; supply-demand ratio.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPM.2017.085543

International Journal of Simulation and Process Modelling, 2017 Vol.12 No.3/4, pp.338 - 346

Received: 26 Sep 2016
Accepted: 16 Nov 2016
Published online: 30 Jul 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article