Development and evaluation of a one-way car-sharing scheme

How to provide more flexibility to the ever-growing number of car-sharing users? The aim of this project is to investigate the optimum balance between the level of service offered to the users and the total cost for implementing and operating a one-way version of an existing shared-use vehicle system.

This project between VENAP (Auto Bleue) and EPFL will investigate optimization strategies for expanding the new Auto Bleue services around Nice Côte d’Azur and prepare VENAP for a field implementation of a new one-way car-sharing system. A foreseen second phase will evaluate the field test and provide suggestions for improvement.

EPFL’s prior association and experience in other such urban transportation projects and deep research skills will be extremely useful in delivering the accurate results. EPFL will provide a new strategic, planning and operational analysis for the efficient and cost-effective operation of a one-way car sharing system. EPFL will also provide the framework to allow VENAP to see the performance of the system if different locations are chosen. Different performance measures will be investigated related to car utilization, type of users, attraction per station location, different types of costs.

This project, conducted by the Urban Transport Systems Laboratory (LUTS) and the Transportation Center will last about 12 months.

Principal investigator Prof. Nikolas Geroliminis
Project managers Burak Boyaci, Martin Repoux
Sponsor VENAP (Auto Bleue)
Period 2013-2014
Laboratories LUTS, TRACE
External partner 6t – Bureau de Recherche (France)