Assessing Equity in Carsharing Systems: The case of Munich, Germany

Abstract

This paper shows an application of a multi-agent transport simulation to evaluate equity effects of the introduction of a carsharing system. Using vehicles, members, and planning data of Oply, a carsharing service that operated in Munich until March 2020, we analyze the evolution of the distribution of costs and benefits among the inhabitants of this city. By explicitly introducing the income as an active part of the utility calculation we evaluate how offering a new mode of transport impacts the score of the agents. Two scenarios are employed to assess equity in economic terms and accessibility terms. Two different outcomes are expected: firstly, as a high pricing service, carsharing will favor high-income agents, thus skewing benefits towards them; secondly, we show that the granularity of this agent-based simulator makes it a handy tool when conducting policy evaluations on the introduction of a carsharing system.