Challenging human driver taxis with shared autonomous vehicles: a case study of Chicago

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Abstract
When autonomous vehicles (AVs) are fully functional, they will compete with existing mainstays in the transportation system. Sharing AVs can mitigate the inefficient use of privately-owned AVs (e.g., empty-vehicle miles), and to improve the productivity of AVs (i.e., less time parked than personal vehicles). Further, sharing AVs will enable people to travel without vehicle ownership costs and responsibilities. In this regard, taxi travelers will likely be the first users of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). This study investigates the trips made by taxi users in Chicago and develops an agent-based modeling framework to simulate a fleet of SAVs operating in the network, competing with human driver taxis. Results show that SAVs may attract more users than conventional taxis because of reduced driver-associated costs (driver not required in SAV services). The results provide insights to both private and public sectors who seek to implement SAVs to challenge or eventually replace existing taxis.