Modeling car passenger trips in mobiTopp

Abstract

The transport mode car passenger accounts for a substantial share of the modal split. Travel demand models, however, often contain only a simplistic representation of this mode. Modeling car passenger trips realistically is complex, since the availability of this mode option depends on the presence of a car driver. Indeed an agent-based travel demand model is a solid foundation for a more realistic implementation of the car passenger mode. The paper describes the former implementation of the car passenger mode in the agent-based travel demand model mobiTopp and the weaknesses of this approach. It discusses different situations where car passenger trips occur, namely joint activities and ridesharing, and outlines a simple but flexible concept for the implementation of ridesharing. It describes the changes to mobiTopp that where necessary to implement the ridesharing concept and the experiences made with this new car passenger model.