Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services

This study focuses on the transitioning period of operating mixed fleets of both automated and human-driven vehicles for public transit services. The type of service investigated here is flexible, including elements of both fixed route and on-demand systems. The operation of the mixed fleet is optim...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Charalampos Sipetas, Claudio Roncoli, Miloš Mladenović
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-03-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223000386
_version_ 1797860334754594816
author Charalampos Sipetas
Claudio Roncoli
Miloš Mladenović
author_facet Charalampos Sipetas
Claudio Roncoli
Miloš Mladenović
author_sort Charalampos Sipetas
collection DOAJ
description This study focuses on the transitioning period of operating mixed fleets of both automated and human-driven vehicles for public transit services. The type of service investigated here is flexible, including elements of both fixed route and on-demand systems. The operation of the mixed fleet is optimized with analytical methods leading to models for optimal service headway and stop spacing for the two types of vehicles. Analytical models for optimal passenger capacity per vehicle and required fleet size for each type of vehicles are also derived. Four operational strategies are considered, referring to whether the two types of vehicles operate jointly or independently in terms of optimal service headway and stop spacing within the mixed fleet. Numerical analyses indicate that automated vehicles operate optimally with less frequent vehicle dispatches and more fixed stop locations compared to human-driven vehicles. They also require greater fleet size and similar passenger capacity per vehicle. The four operational strategies perform similarly in terms of total generalized costs for the input values considered here. However, sensitivity analyses showed that the operational characteristics of the two types of vehicles in a mixed fleet and the performance of the four operational strategies depend significantly on the percentage of total demand that each type of vehicle serves, as well as on the automated vehicles’ speed and in-vehicle travel time cost for users. The mixed fleets represent the transitioning period towards transit fleets of automated vehicles only and it is shown to be the costliest period for both users and operators.
first_indexed 2024-04-09T21:44:12Z
format Article
id doaj.art-23237aa0a0c0432aad668d307ac63894
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2590-1982
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T21:44:12Z
publishDate 2023-03-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
spelling doaj.art-23237aa0a0c0432aad668d307ac638942023-03-25T05:15:18ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822023-03-0118100791Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line servicesCharalampos Sipetas0Claudio Roncoli1Miloš Mladenović2Corresponding author.; Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, Otakaari 4, Espoo 02150, FinlandDepartment of Built Environment, Aalto University, Otakaari 4, Espoo 02150, FinlandDepartment of Built Environment, Aalto University, Otakaari 4, Espoo 02150, FinlandThis study focuses on the transitioning period of operating mixed fleets of both automated and human-driven vehicles for public transit services. The type of service investigated here is flexible, including elements of both fixed route and on-demand systems. The operation of the mixed fleet is optimized with analytical methods leading to models for optimal service headway and stop spacing for the two types of vehicles. Analytical models for optimal passenger capacity per vehicle and required fleet size for each type of vehicles are also derived. Four operational strategies are considered, referring to whether the two types of vehicles operate jointly or independently in terms of optimal service headway and stop spacing within the mixed fleet. Numerical analyses indicate that automated vehicles operate optimally with less frequent vehicle dispatches and more fixed stop locations compared to human-driven vehicles. They also require greater fleet size and similar passenger capacity per vehicle. The four operational strategies perform similarly in terms of total generalized costs for the input values considered here. However, sensitivity analyses showed that the operational characteristics of the two types of vehicles in a mixed fleet and the performance of the four operational strategies depend significantly on the percentage of total demand that each type of vehicle serves, as well as on the automated vehicles’ speed and in-vehicle travel time cost for users. The mixed fleets represent the transitioning period towards transit fleets of automated vehicles only and it is shown to be the costliest period for both users and operators.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223000386Public transitFlexible transitAutomated vehiclesOptimized operationDecision-making
spellingShingle Charalampos Sipetas
Claudio Roncoli
Miloš Mladenović
Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Public transit
Flexible transit
Automated vehicles
Optimized operation
Decision-making
title Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services
title_full Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services
title_fullStr Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services
title_full_unstemmed Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services
title_short Mixed fleets of automated and human-driven vehicles in public transport systems: An evaluation of feeder line services
title_sort mixed fleets of automated and human driven vehicles in public transport systems an evaluation of feeder line services
topic Public transit
Flexible transit
Automated vehicles
Optimized operation
Decision-making
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198223000386
work_keys_str_mv AT charalampossipetas mixedfleetsofautomatedandhumandrivenvehiclesinpublictransportsystemsanevaluationoffeederlineservices
AT claudioroncoli mixedfleetsofautomatedandhumandrivenvehiclesinpublictransportsystemsanevaluationoffeederlineservices
AT milosmladenovic mixedfleetsofautomatedandhumandrivenvehiclesinpublictransportsystemsanevaluationoffeederlineservices