Using a case study approach, the thesis examines how dynamic ridesharing (DRS) has evolved through time, parallel with changes in information and communication technologies (ICTs). DRS is conceptually framed using a socio-ecological modeling approach, the goal being to develop hypotheses regarding factors likely influencing DRS use. This conceptual work forms the foundation for an empirical study of DRS use. Survey data were used in descriptive analysis and logistic regression modeling organized to identify who uses DRS and how. The study reveals that gender may be a central concept to understanding why and how DRS is used by certain segments of population more than others. With regard to technology, it is found that although technical competencies were enabling, in terms of facilitating rideshares, gender and perhaps related mobility constraints, emerged as a larger issues. The findings also caution against relying solely on technological advancement for the success of ridesharing programs.

Using a case study approach, the thesis examines how dynamic ridesharing (DRS) has evolved through time, parallel with changes in information and communication technologies (ICTs). DRS is conceptually framed using a socio-ecological modeling approach, the goal being to develop hypotheses regarding factors likely influencing DRS use. This conceptual work forms the foundation for an empirical study of DRS use. Survey data were used in descriptive analysis and logistic regression modeling organized to identify who uses DRS and how. The study reveals that gender may be a central concept to understanding why and how DRS is used by certain segments of population more than others. With regard to technology, it is found that although technical competencies were enabling, in terms of facilitating rideshares, gender and perhaps related mobility constraints, emerged as a larger issues. The findings also caution against relying solely on technological advancement for the success of ridesharing programs.

Collaborative consumption is the culture of sharing instead of ownership in consumer behaviours. Transportation services such as ridesharing, carsharing, and bikesharing have recently adopted collaborative business models. Such services require real-time management of the available fleets to increase revenues and reduce costs. This thesis proposes two dynamic models for real-time management of carsharing and ridesharing services. In ridesharing, an assignment problem is solved to match drivers with passengers. The model is expanded to include multi-passenger and multi-driver matches. In carsharing, vehicles are relocated between parking stations to service the users. Results of the two models are compared to benchmark models which provide lower-bound solutions.

Collaborative consumption is the culture of sharing instead of ownership in consumer behaviours. Transportation services such as ridesharing, carsharing, and bikesharing have recently adopted collaborative business models. Such services require real-time management of the available fleets to increase revenues and reduce costs. This thesis proposes two dynamic models for real-time management of carsharing and ridesharing services. In ridesharing, an assignment problem is solved to match drivers with passengers. The model is expanded to include multi-passenger and multi-driver matches. In carsharing, vehicles are relocated between parking stations to service the users. Results of the two models are compared to benchmark models which provide lower-bound solutions.

Thesis (M.C.E.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Ardeshir Faghri, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

Ride-share systems, which aim to bring together travelers with similar itineraries and time schedules, may provide significant societal and environmental benefits by reducing the number of cars used for personal travel and improving the utilization of available seat capacity. Effective and efficient optimization technology that matches drivers and riders in real-time is one of the necessary components for a successful ride-share system. The research conducted in this dissertation formally defines dynamic or real-time ride-sharing, identifies optimization problems for finding best sets of ride-share matches in a number of operational scenarios, develops approaches for solving ride-share optimization problems, and tests the concepts via a simulation study of work trips in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The first chapter introduces the motivation of the ride-sharing problem and briefly defines the dynamic ride-sharing system. In Chapter 2, we systematically outline the optimization challenges that arise when developing technology to support ride-sharing and survey the related operations research models in academic literature. In Chapter 3, we develop optimization-based approaches for finding ride-share matches in a standard problem setting, with the goal of minimizing the total system-wide vehicle miles incurred by system users. To assess the merits of our methods we present a simulation study based on 2008 travel demand data from metropolitan Atlanta. The simulation results indicate that the use of sophisticated optimization methods instead of simple greedy matching rules substantially improves the performance of ride-sharing systems. Furthermore, even with relatively low participation rates, it appears that sustainable populations of dynamic ride-sharing participants may be possible even in relatively sprawling urban areas with many employment centers. In Chapter 4, we consider a more sophisticated ride-share setting where participants may be unlikely to accept ride-share matches if they are not stable. Generically, a set of matches between riders and drivers is defined as stable if no rider and driver, currently matched to others, would prefer to be matched together. This notion of stability is similar to that of the stable marriage problem. We develop notions of stable ride-share matching in a variety of settings, and develop approaches for finding stable (or nearly-stable) solutions. Computational results are used to compare system performance under various levels of matching stability. A system with unstable matching assignments is simulated over two months in which participants are likely to reject the system's assignment if a private arrangement between individuals could bring better benefits. The simulation results indicate that the total savings generated by a ride-sharing system deteriorate with unstable matching assignments and that enforcing stability constraints in matching models is beneficial. In Chapter 5, we consider another set of more sophisticated ride-share matching settings where participants are not assumed to accept each match to which they are assigned. In such settings, it may be useful to present users with a menu of possible ride-share matches from which they can choose. We develop models and solution approaches to jointly present multiple options to participants based on a complete bipartite graph structure. This research could serve as a building block for future work on the dynamic ride-sharing problem.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 256-262). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

The Online Transportation Option System (OTOS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that addresses many of the limitations associated with traditional dynamic ridematching applications. The main improvements are in the areas of trip scheduling and match searching. OTOS is unique in its ability to accept trips with schedules that can not be expressed in terms of a regular weekly trip. OTOS also distinguishes itself in its use of spatial analysis techniques to locate matches. Specifically, the use of a shortest path solver enables the ridematching algorithm to perform a search along the path of a users trip, in addition to the customary radial search around the endpoints. The shortest path solver is also used to calculate the driving distance between the user and a match. This provides a more accurate measurement than the straight-line distance used by other algorithms, especially in the presence of barriers.

No description available.

Ridesharing in the light of private and public law Abstract The diploma thesis deals with the legal regulation of ridesharing in the Czech Republic. For the purposes of thesis, ridesharing is defined as any carriage of several natural persons within one car. The thesis analyzes and evaluates the legal aspects of the most common forms of ridesharing, namely carpooling characterized by non-commercial sharing of empty seats in a car and commercial carriage of persons represented by a taxi service. The legal issue of transport applications and carriage of persons, which is realized through them, is also addressed. In order to fulfill the aim of the thesis, it was necessary to analyze pieces of legislation both of public and private law. The first part shows the different usage and meaning of term ridesharing as well as traditional forms of ridesharing. For easier orientation, the relevant legal regulation concerning road passenger transport is also presented. The second part is dedicated to carpooling. The possible legal relationship between persons who participate in carpooling is analyzed in detail. Emphasis is placed on possible contracts which passengers can enter into, especially the contract for the carriage of a person and the mandate contract. The thesis highlights the differences in the rights and...