Operating costs in microtransit can be alleviated with coordinated transfers. We (Zhexi Jesse Fu) developed a new model and algorithm to route passengers with transfers that can be generated at any location in the network. For grids up to 200×200 nodes with 100 vehicles and 300 requests, we show that over 50% of vehicle routes can be further improved by synchronized en-route transfers with vehicle travel distances reduced by up to 20%. This improvement potential reduces under less dense settings. The algorithm would also enable modular automated vehicles to determine en-route transfer points.

This work was funded by C2SMART (US DOT #69A3551747124) and NSF CMMI-2022967. The paper can be accessed here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1366554521003203