Agent-based simulation of vehicle-sharing systems

Abstract

Agent-based simulation is a powerful tool that allows emulating the complex behaviour of individuals within a system in order to assess its global performance. In this context, this paper develops a modular agent-based simulation framework for being applied to vehicle-sharing systems. The modular structure of the simulator implies that each sub-system is treated separately, so that each module can be replaced or modified without affecting the others. In this way, the simulator can be used to analyse specific problems such as the optimal location of stations, the design of repositioning strategies, or different vehicle usage policies, by focusing only on the relevant module. The simulation framework proposed has been implemented and tested in the analysis of two different systems: a station-based bike-sharing system and a mixed (i.e., station-based and free-floating) car-sharing initiative. The paper shows some of the results obtained from such implementations as an example of its possible applications.