Exploring First-Mile Solutions For North American Suburbia: A Case Study Of Markham, Canada

Abstract

We explore Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solutions for the first mile commuting in Markham, a Toronto suburb. The focus is on connecting commuters to the regional train service, called GO train. The aim of this study is to develop a detailed scenario analysis using different types of MaaS solutions that can complement existing public transport. Various use cases of demand responsive vehicles are explored in terms of individual capacity and fleet-size. It is assumed that the existing car-based trips to the train stations would be replaced by such demand responsive vehicles. Two scenarios which involve Quasi-MaaS and extensive MaaS are developed and compared. We used wait-time, travel time, demand served, and cost as the indicators to evaluate various options. Additionally, cases of Quasi-MaaS and extensive MaaS are created. Our study considers ride-sharing with rider capacity of up to 7 simultaneous passengers per vehicle. The software applies to different fleet sizes and vehicle types (4seated and 7-seated vehicles) and coordinates 1865 trip requests within the morning peak from 7 am to 10 am.

Bürstlein III

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract ........................................................................................................................ II Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... III List of Tables ............................................................................................................. IV List of Equations ..........................................................................................................V List of Figures ............................................................................................................ VI