scholarly journals A City-Wide Crowdsourcing Delivery System with Reinforcement Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Yi Ding ◽  
Baoshen Guo ◽  
Lin Zheng ◽  
Mingming Lu ◽  
Desheng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Ubiquitous Computing ◽  
Delivery System ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Time Estimation ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Delivery Time ◽  
Delivery Services ◽  
The Impact

The revolution of online shopping in recent years demands corresponding evolution in delivery services in urban areas. To cater to this trend, delivery by the crowd has become an alternative to the traditional delivery services thanks to the advances in ubiquitous computing. Notably, some studies use public transportation for crowdsourcing delivery, given its low-cost delivery network with millions of passengers as potential couriers. However, multiple practical impact factors are not considered in existing public-transport-based crowdsourcing delivery studies due to a lack of data and limited ubiquitous computing infrastructures in the past. In this work, we design a crowdsourcing delivery system based on public transport, considering the practical factors of time constraints, multi-hop delivery, and profits. To incorporate the impact factors, we build a reinforcement learning model to learn the optimal order dispatching strategies from massive passenger data and package data. The order dispatching problem is formulated as a sequential decision making problem for the packages routing, i.e., select the next station for the package. A delivery time estimation module is designed to accelerate the training process and provide statistical delivery time guarantee. Three months of real-world public transportation data and one month of package delivery data from an on-demand delivery platform in Shenzhen are used in the evaluation. Compared with existing crowdsourcing delivery algorithms and widely used baselines, we achieve a 40% increase in profit rates and a 29% increase in delivery rates. Comparison with other reinforcement learning algorithms shows that we can improve the profit rate and the delivery rate by 9% and 8% by using time estimation in action filtering. We share the data used in the project to the community for other researchers to validate our results and conduct further research.1 [1].

scholarly journals Behavior of Traffic Congestion and Public Transport in Eight Large Cities in Latin America during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4703
Author(s):  
Renato Andara ◽  
Jesús Ortego-Osa ◽  
Melva Inés Gómez-Caicedo ◽  
Rodrigo Ramírez-Pisco ◽  
Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Johns Hopkins Hospital ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Public Data ◽  
The Impact

This comparative study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on motorized mobility in eight large cities of five Latin American countries. Public institutions and private organizations have made public data available for a better understanding of the contagion process of the pandemic, its impact, and the effectiveness of the implemented health control measures. In this research, data from the IDB Invest Dashboard were used for traffic congestion as well as data from the Moovit© public transport platform. For the daily cases of COVID-19 contagion, those published by Johns Hopkins Hospital University were used. The analysis period corresponds from 9 March to 30 September 2020, approximately seven months. For each city, a descriptive statistical analysis of the loss and subsequent recovery of motorized mobility was carried out, evaluated in terms of traffic congestion and urban transport through the corresponding regression models. The recovery of traffic congestion occurs earlier and faster than that of urban transport since the latter depends on the control measures imposed in each city. Public transportation does not appear to have been a determining factor in the spread of the pandemic in Latin American cities.

scholarly journals BUCHAREST PUBLIC TRANSPORT: CHALLENGES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (S.I.2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreea Daniela TUDOR
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
To Come ◽  
Main Barrier ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic had and it’s still having a big impact on mobility since the end of 2018, when it started. Public transportation was already facing issues in all the big metropolitan cities where many people are in the same space at the same time. If we add the COVID-19 consequences and rules, public transit is the main barrier for community members to go back to their daily routines being safe and comfortable. This paper presents the changes in the public transport sector since COVID-19 started and aims to explore the consequences and possible alternatives to mitigate the impact of the pandemic crisis. As research method I decided to analyze and summarize numerous primary sources along with the public transport operators’ official websites. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used by doing a comprehensive research in ProQuest Central, Coronavirus Research Database, Elsevier ScienceDirect and Web of Science. The results suggest that reduction of mobility has been the first measure to slow the growth of the worldwide COVID-19 cases. However, the transport limitations don’t have the same impact for all modes of transport, public transport having one of the most considerable decline so far. In Bucharest, the public transport operators have imposed safety measures such as mask wearing, periodic cleaning, transparency and access to the information. Those aspects are important, but sometimes not sufficient to fight against the pandemic. What this research does is to come and complete the set of safety measures focusing on mitigating the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and increase the safety of the people while using public transport vehicles.

scholarly journals Rationalizing Urban Transportation using Smart Card Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11S) ◽  
pp. 507-515
Keyword(s):  
Smart Card ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Smart Card Data ◽  
The Impact

The urban population in 2014 accounted for 54% of the total global population, up from 34% in 1960, and continues to grow. The global urban population is expected to grow approximately 1.84%, 1.63% and 1.44% between 2015 and 2020, 2020 and 2025, and 2025 and 2030 respectively. This growing population puts pressure on government not only to accommodate the current and potential citizens but also provide them facilities and services for a better living standard. Providing a sustainable growing environment for the citizens is the biggest challenge for the government. As the populations increase, complexity network of transportation, water and sanitation, emergency services, etc. will increase many folds. SMART CITY Mission is being implemented to resolve this issue. As the cities turn smart, so should the transportation facilities. India on June 2018 had only 20 cities with populations of over 500,000 have organized public transport systems, pointing to the large gap to be bridged in their journey to turn smart. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of smart card data from public transport for improving the predictions and planning of public transport usage and congestions. The mobile apps like M-Indicator, Google Maps don’t interlink, do not have a real time tracking of vehicles, fare distribution, congestion-based route mapping for public transportation. These factors are addressed in the paper with its advantages and disadvantages. This paper also talks about how information from smart card is to be extracted, how Big Data is to be managed and finally come to a smart, sustainable Urban Transit System. This paper also brings into light the data security issues and measures to curb those issues. This paper proposes and emphasizes on a single smart card for all modes of public transport

scholarly journals A comparative study of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) at Yogyakarta Railway Station

2018 ◽  
Vol 181 ◽  
pp. 02001
Author(s):  
Okkie Putriani ◽  
Ibnu Fauzi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Transit Oriented Development ◽  
Railway Station ◽  
The Public ◽  
Bus Stop ◽  
Alternative Location ◽  
Bus Stops ◽  
The Impact

Optimizing the public transport and synergizing the land use can reduce the impact of urban development by attracting the development around the transit station. This situation encourages the accessibility of public transportation by creating conditions between passenger expectations realted to the concept Transit Oriented Development (TOD) between land use, mobility, and environment. This study was conducted by TOD with the area located in the center of local wisdom by cultural city, Yogyakarta Railway Station. The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative location where bus stops or Trans Jogja shelters are more easily accessible by users of rail services and facilitate the model’s transfer. The method of this research is descriptive quantitative. It explains the trans it function, needs and condition of Trans Jogja as the existing public transport and the accessibility of the bus stops. The conclusion is the recommendation for the bus stop location can be relocate near the dropout East and South area of the Railway Station

scholarly journals Introducing a Navigation Algorithm for Reducing the Spread of Diseases in Public Transport Networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Klinker ◽  
Mohamed Hechem Selmi ◽  
Mariana Avezum ◽  
Stephan Jonas
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Planning Problem ◽  
Navigation Algorithm ◽  
Urban Public Transport ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Reducing passenger flow through highly frequented bottlenecks in public transportation networks is a well-known urban planning problem. This issue has become even more relevant since the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the necessity for minimum distances between passengers. We propose an approach that allows to dynamically navigate passengers around dangerously crowded stations to better distribute the passenger load across an entire urban public transport network. This is achieved through the introduction of new constraints into routing requests, that enable the avoidance of specific nodes in a network. These requests consider walks, bikes, metros, subways, trams and buses as possible modes of transportation. An implementation of the approach is provided in cooperation with the Munich Travel Corporation (MVG) for the city of Munich, to simulate the effects on a real city’s urban traffic flow. Among other factors, the impact on the travel time was simulated given that the two major exchange points in the network were to be avoided. With an increase from 26.5 to 26.8 minutes on the average travel time, the simulation suggests that the time penalty might be worth the safety benefits.

scholarly journals User Preferences for Bus Map Design: Evidence from a Map Usability Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Mohd Shahmy Mohd Said ◽  
David Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
User Preferences ◽  
Modal Shift ◽  
Map Design ◽  
Bus Service ◽  
Mode Of Transport ◽  
Bus Services ◽  
The Impact

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> This study represents the final stage of an investigation into understanding the variation in bus map design and the impact of map design preferences in public transportation information portrayal, with a particular focus on Malaysia. In many cities, bus services represent an important facet of easing traffic congestion and reducing pollution. However, with the entrenched car culture in many countries, persuading people to change their mode of transport is a major challenge. To promote this modal shift, people need to know what services are available and where (and when) they go. Bus service maps provide an invaluable element of providing suitable public transport information, but are often overlooked by transport planners, and are under-researched by cartographers. There are various approaches to the design of bus maps, but it is always an issue for the authorities to understand which designs are preferred by the public and which perform best in conveying the required information. A total of 100 Malaysians completed six journey-planning tasks using two network bus maps, which were different in designs. The two bus map designs involved in this study are based on previous map analysis research.</p><p>The study found that majority of respondents were competent as they successfully completed the journey planning task, with more than 80 percent of the tasks being answered correctly. Additional enquiries proved that the effective design used in a bus map can attract more users to use public transportation, thus provide evidence that map availability can play a part in enhancing public transport ridership.</p>

scholarly journals Equity in public transport — a case of Bangalore’s city bus transport

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepak Baindur ◽  
Pooja Rao
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
City Bus ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

In most urban areas, buses are the most heavily used form of public transportation[1] and more so in Indian cities where buses make up for over 90% of public transport ridership[2]. In the selected Indian metro cities, where formal bus based PT systems are operated by public agencies, they are over-reliant on state support to sustain operations as fare box collections are inadequate in spite of having relatively high ridership. The main challenge for all this is to achieve long term financial sustainability of public transport systems while providing good quality and affordable bus services.This paper investigates internal and external factors that led to the steep and recurrent fare increases in the Bangalore city bus services in the period from 2012–2014 which are operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. In order to estimate the impact of the recent bus fare increases that have had on the economically weaker sections of the society dependent on these services, the paper presents the results of a random sampling survey study carried out in a central locality in the city that has a large slum area.The key findings throw light on the various ways in which the low income bus users have adapted to reduce their travel costs through changes in travel behavior, travel pattern and modal shifts. The cost of the behavioral changes through lost opportunities and the cost of the modal shifts of the persons earlier favoring public transportation draw attention to the significance of public transport fare policies. Furthermore, the management and operations of the BMTC agency show scope for improvement which can translate into better revenue generation and consequent reduction in fares.

scholarly journals Associations between Neighborhood Characteristics, Well-Being and Health Vary over the Life Course

Gerontology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Eibich ◽  
Christian Krekel ◽  
Ilja Demuth ◽  
Gert G. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neighborhood Characteristics ◽  
Neighborhood Social Capital ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background: Neighborhood characteristics are important determinants of individual health and well-being. For example, characteristics such as noise and pollution affect health directly, while other characteristics affect health and well-being by either providing resources (e.g. social capital in the neighborhood), which individuals can use to cope with health problems, or limiting the use thereof (e.g. crime). This also suggests that there might be age differentials in the impact of these characteristics, since individuals at different stages of life might need different resources. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on age differentials in associations between well-being, health, and neighborhood characteristics. Objective: This paper studies associations between a wide range of neighborhood characteristics with the health and well-being of residents of the greater Berlin area. In particular, we focus on differences in the effects between younger (aged 20-35) and older (aged 60+) residents. Methods: We used data from the Berlin Aging Study II (312 younger and 993 older residents of the Berlin metropolitan area in Germany). We used survey data on health and well-being, combined these with subjective perceptions of the neighborhood, and geo-referenced indicators on the neighborhood, e.g. amenities (public transport, physicians, and hospitals). Results: The results show that access to public transportation is associated with better outcomes on all measures of health and well-being, and social support is associated with higher life satisfaction and better mental health. There are considerable differences between both age groups: while the associations between access to public transport and health and well-being are similar for both age groups, neighborhood social capital shows stronger associations for older residents. However, the difference is not always statistically significant. Conclusion: Having access to services is associated with better health and well-being regardless of age. Local policy makers should focus on lowering barriers to mobility in order to improve the health and well-being of the population. Since the social capital of a neighborhood is associated with better health and well-being among older residents, investments that increase social capital (e.g. community centers) might be warranted in neighborhoods with higher shares of older residents.

scholarly journals Public transport policy, social engagement and mental health in older age: a quasi-experimental evaluation of free bus passes in England

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 361-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Reinhard ◽  
Emilie Courtin ◽  
Frank J van Lenthe ◽  
Mauricio Avendano
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Older Age ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundSocial engagement and social isolation are key determinants of mental health in older age, yet there is limited evidence on how public policies may contribute to reducing isolation, promoting social engagement and improving mental health among older people. This study examines the impact of the introduction of an age-friendly transportation policy, free bus passes, on the mental health of older people in England.MethodsWe use an instrumental variable (IV) approach that exploits eligibility criteria for free bus passes to estimate the impact of increased public transportation use on depressive symptoms, loneliness, social isolation and social engagement.ResultsEligibility for the free bus travel pass was associated with an 8% (95% CI 6.4% to 9.6%) increase in the use of public transportation among older people. The IV model suggests that using public transport reduces depressive symptoms by 0.952 points (95% CI −1.712 to −0.192) on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. IV models also suggest that using public transport reduces feelings of loneliness (β −0.794, 95% CI −1.528 to −0.061), increases volunteering at least monthly (β 0.237, 95% CI 0.059 to 0.414) and increases having regular contact with children (β 0.480, 95% CI 0.208 to 0.752) and friends (β 0.311, 95% CI 0.109 to 0.513).ConclusionFree bus travel is associated with reductions in depressive symptoms and feelings of loneliness among older people. Transportation policies may increase older people’s social engagement and consequently deliver significant benefits to mental health.

scholarly journals PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN YEREVAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 244-253
Author(s):  
G. S. Chibukhchyan
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The problems of improving the quality of public urban transport services, environmental protection, and public health in large cities and megacities have taken the leading place among the issues on the agenda of public administration bodies, as well as of non-governmental and international organisations.This context determined the study on the significance, modern conditions, problems, and development outlook regarding the urban public transport in Yerevan.Important part of the population of the Republic of Armenia lives in the city of Yerevan. Main economic activity of the Republic, as well as urban and private transport facilities are most concentrated in the capital city. The total number of vehicles circulating in the city on working days exceeds 300 thousand units.Urban public transport of Yerevan plays an important role in ensuring the normal life of residents and guests of the city. At the same time, several serious socio-economic problems are associated with transport, which are aggravating while the economy develops and the volume of cargo, passenger transportation and motorization of the city grows. Such problems, first, include the growth of the number of road traffic accidents, then, serious environmental degradation in the areas adjacent to the highways and in other districts of the city.In recent years, it has become obvious that the solution to those problems goes beyond the competence and responsibility of the city hall or of any single ministry and requires focusing the efforts of the number of government bodies and of the public at large.The objective of the study is to identify the main factors affecting the efficiency and safety of urban public transportation, as well as the impact of road traffic on the environment in Yerevan.Their identification will improve the quality of transport services and transportation safety, as well as reliability of vehicles and of their service properties, reduce their environmental impact, and develop a unified integrated effective and viable system of measures towards a comprehensive and effective solution of transport problems of public urban transport. 

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