SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF DEMAND AND FLEET SIZE EFFECTS ON TAXICAB SERVICE RATES.

Abstract

Research directed at understanding the dynamic interaction between demand, service rate, and policy alternatives in a typical urban taxi system is described. The general nature of such systems is discussed, and a SLAM II simulation model of the system introduced. A series of experiments with the model indicate counter-intuitive behavior, including that customer waiting time is relatively insensitive to changes in demand but highly sensitive to changes in the number of taxi cabs.