A General Framework to Evaluate Different Rebalancing Operations Strategies in One-Way Car Sharing Systems

Car sharing systems (CSSs) are one of the environmentally beneficial solutions in urban transportation. However, the operators still struggle to make these systems profitable. One of the main contributors in operational cost is rebalancing operations. Therefore, it is important to identify strategies that are tailored according to the needs of the considered system. To overcome this challenge, this work proposes a simulation-optimization framework that compares different rebalancing operations strategies in one-way station-based car sharing systems in terms of cost and level of service. The simulation module utilizes the Multi-Agent Transport Simulation Toolkit (MATSim) whilst the rebalancing operations are determined in the optimization module. The framework allows us to explore the different uncertainties that can occur in the system, such as fluctuations in trip demand thanks to the MATSim. The results of the framework help the operator to better analyze the system and the best rebalancing strategy under different scenarios.