Large-Scale Multimodal Transit Package Optimization: The Case of Hong Kong

Abstract

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) allows travelers to access multiple mobility services through an integrated platform providing a seamless multimodal transport system. In this paper, we evaluate the financial feasibility of mobility packages for the city of Hong Kong. We formulate a revenue and social welfare maximization problem with a specific focus on transit packages. We incorporate demand elasticity in the modeling framework and capture the changes in travel demand, transport system travel time, social welfare and transit service operators’ profitability caused by the implementation of transit package in an activity-based traffic model. A gradientbased optimization framework is developed to solve the proposed optimization problems. Numerical experiments on the multimodal network of Hong Kong Island for both government and commercially owned transit packages indicate that transit package implementation can reduce total system travel time and increase social welfare. Moreover, transit package can induce travelers to reduce auto trips and increase transit trips.