Free-floating vehicle-sharing [FF_VS]

This model describes a rental transport system in which users can pick-up and leave vehicles anywhere in the network environment. Indigo Wheel is an example of this system for bike vehicles.

Model description

Users

Users travel from their origin to destination using the vehicle-sharing system, based on the behaviour described in the following flowchart. All users have access to all available vehicle locations. Users access to information at origin location and vehicle location. Information is therefore not available during a walk or a ride. They can easily choose the nearest vehicle. However, the chosen vehicle might be taken during the walk to the vehicle location by another user. The vehicle is therefore not available and the user have to locate a new vehicle.

A vehicle is parked at the nearest network node to the destination. And this node must be accessible by the vehicle, i.e. a car can’t be parked on a pedestrian path.

Vehicles

Vehicles don’t have an autonomous behaviour: they are only used by the clients for their rides and are idle in the environment otherwise. They allow agents to use a different part of the network and travel a different speed.

Model implementation

Simulation model

Simulation model: starling_sim.models.FF_VS.model.Model
Agent population: DictPopulation
Environment: Environment
Topology: OSMNetwork
Parameters: SimulationParameters
Dynamic input: starling_sim.models.FF_VS.input.Input
Output factory: starling_sim.models.FF_VS.output.Output

Agent types and classes

This table provides the agent_type values to put in the input files for the agents of the model and their respective classes.

**FF_VS agents**
Agent	agent_type	class
Users	user	`starling_sim.models.SB_VS.user.User`
Vehicles	vehicle	`Vehicle`