C2SMART Deputy Director Joseph Chow presents a seminar as part of the LSGI Distinguished Lecture Series at Hong Kong Polytechnic University on November 23, 2018. The seminar series is organized by the university’s Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics. Professor Chow’s lecture is entitled “Evaluation of Mobility-as-a-Service Alternatives.”

Abstract:

Recent advances in technology have brought about a renaissance in new mobility paradigms along with their own sets of growing pains, whether carsharing, microtransit, or shared autonomous vehicle fleets. Tackling these emerging mobility technologies is underscored by the need to evaluate complex systems that not only concern selfish traveler behavior but also the actions of an ecosystem of mobility operators – what we call Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). I discuss recent advances from our lab to address this research need. The roles of public agencies, operators, and travelers are cast within a two-sided market framework to better understand the types of exchanges imposed between different agents. An MaaS alternative consists of: 1) network infrastructure provided by the public agency, 2) operating policies controlled by the ecosystem of operators, and 3) cost allocation mechanisms determined by operators and/or the public agencies. To evaluate such alternatives, I present an assignment game model structure in which equilibrium is achieved through stable matching. The flexibility of the model structure is explored with examples to determine flow assignment and cost allocation for route design, shared ride operating policy, dynamic flexible transit routes, and last mile feeders for multi-jurisdictional settings. The opportunity to apply this model to risk pooling contract design for disaster planning is also briefly discussed.