Evaluating an innovative sub-leasing type of the round-trip carsharing

Abstract

This paper introduces a sub-leasing type of round-trip carsharing to enhance its efficiency for both customers and companies. This innovative type of carsharing provides new temporary stations and allows customers to access both vehicles in the company's stations and vehicles already reserved but parked and unused in other locations. The evaluation is performed using simulation with available demand datasets. Results show that the proposed model significantly increases the acceptance rate of the reservations, enhances the availability and accessibility of the company's vehicles, and reduces the needed fleet size. Hence, it provides many benefits for both companies and customers. Sensitivity analyses quantify the expected improvement by assuming a higher acceptable walking distance for customers and by increasing the flexibility of the customers’ reservation time.

Keywords:

• Carsharing
• round-trip
• sensitivity
• simulation
• spatial and temporal flexibility
• sub-lease

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Fabio Mereu, Giuseppe Serrau, and Riccardo Scasseddu from Playcar for the support. A special thank you to Italo Meloni, scientific coordinator of the Spiral Project.

Notes

1 Numbers in parentheses are for 750 m of acceptable walking distance.

2 Numbers in parentheses are for 750 m of acceptable walking distance.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been realized in the Spiral Project, funded by POR FESR Sardegna 2014–2020, Strategy 2 “Creating work opportunities by promoting competitiveness between agencies” and supported by Regione Autonoma Sardegna (RAS), Sardegna Ricerche, CIREM (University of Cagliari) and Playcar. This work was partially supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), within the Smart Cities framework (Project Netergit, ID: PON04a200490).