Dynamic Modelling and Control of On-demand Mobility Markets

Abstract

The ubiquity of smart devices builds the foundation for emerging, fast-growing on-demand mobility companies (e.g. Uber, Lyft, DiDi) that disrupt how people and goods travel in cities. These companies provide an on-demand mobility platform that acts as a two-sided market by matching riders (and goods) with drivers. The conventional models of ride-sourcing systems are based on equilibrium assumptions suitable for strategic decisions. This steady-state approach is not suitable for operational decision-making due to noticeable variation in the state of the system. This denies the market enough time to balance back into equilibrium. This seminar introduces dynamic non-equilibrium models and algorithms for on-demand mobility systems. These models and algorithms challenge the common shortcomings by addressing the market supply as earning-sensitive, independent contractors, and self-scheduling. The models enable investigation into how dynamic wages and fares set by the ride-sourcing service providers affect supply, demand, and states of the market, such as average waiting and search time, especially when drivers can freely choose when to start and finish working.

Speaker

Dr Mohsen Ramezani received the BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering (Control Systems) from the University of Tehran, Iran, in 2008 and 2010 respectively. He then went on to complete his PhD degree in Transportation from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland in 2014. Before joining the University of Sydney as a Lecturer in Transport Engineering in 2016, Dr Ramezani served as a Lecturer at the Institute of Transport Studies at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia from 2015 to 2016. Currently, he holds the position of an Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the School of Civil Engineering, where he is affiliated with TransportLab. His research interests include traffic modelling and control, traffic flow theory, ride-sourcing and ridesharing systems, and automated vehicles.