Priority dispatch strategies optimize taxi sharing for premium users
Evaluating Priority Dispatch for Premium Membership in On-demand Taxi-sharing
Multiagent SystemsArtificial Intelligence
Summary
This paper looks at how giving special treatment to premium members affects taxi-sharing services. The authors tested two ways to prioritize premium users: by shortening their pickup deadlines and by using dedicated vehicles for them. They ran simulations under different demand patterns and found the best priority method depends on conditions and how many premium users there are. Switching between methods depending on the situation can help make premium users happier without making things worse for regular users.
What this means in practice
- •For taxi fleet operators: Design dynamic dispatch systems that improve service levels for premium users while balancing overall ride-sharing efficiency.
- •For urban transportation planners: Evaluate how priority mechanisms impact taxi-sharing under various demand scenarios to optimize urban mobility strategies.
Authors
Nozomi Yamamoto, Hiroki Sakaji, Itsuki Noda
Abstract
In this paper, we analyze the dispatch-level feasibility of introducing premium membership into an on-demand taxi-sharing service using a sequential optimal insertion method. We propose two dispatch-level methods: deadline shortening for premium users, and deadline shortening with dedicated premium vehicles. We compare them with a baseline dispatch method through SUMO-based simulations under three demand scenarios: steady uniform demand, time-varying demand with a peak period, and urban-focused demand with concentrated peak traffic. Our results show that the suitable priority mechanism depends on operating conditions and premium ratio, suggesting that condition-dependent method switching may provide premium benefits while keeping non-premium-user burden smaller for overall optimization.