Sustainability Evaluation of Ridesharing In A Multi-Modal Transportation System: A Network Equilibrium Approach

Abstract

Transportation system sustainability is important in the transportation planning process. Recently, the emergence of ridesharing has reshaped people’s travel choice behavior. However, it is unclear that ridesharing can contribute to sustainable transportation, particularly in cities with a multi-modal transportation system. Two questions need us to answer: (1) how the ridesharing service affects the choice-making of travellers in a multi-modal transportation system, and (2) whether ridesharing is a sustainable alternative mode to transit. To answer these two questions, a network equilibrium approach with ridesharing option is developed. For network performance assessment, emission and total travel cost indicators are adopted to evaluate the transportation system sustainability. Numerical analysis is provided to demonstrate the features of the proposed model. The results show that we cannot simply determine that ridesharing is more or less sustainable than transit for general cases as they strongly depend on the spatial distribution of driver and passenger travel demand.