Enhancing public transport accessibility: Exploring hybrid car sharing systems for improved connectivity

Transportation networks within a region are vital. They link individuals from their starting points to their destinations. Nonetheless, even highly effective transportation systems may not ensure optimal performance, service quality, or fairness for users unless they are extensively interconnected and accessible to as many people as possible. In this context, we present a planning framework for complementing public transit (PT) systems with other cost-effective mobility systems, such as car-sharing (CS) systems, to improve performance in terms of connectivity and accessibility. These metrics are evaluated by using the suitably introduced Connectivity and Accessibility Index (CAI). Specifically, in the present research, we first introduce a novel methodology for assessing the connectivity and accessibility values of existing PT systems. Then, the proposed approach provides an optimization-based design model for a hybrid CS system comprising both one-way (OW) and two-way (TW) models. To evaluate the capabilities of the proposed approach, a real-world case study of the PT system of the city of Trento (Italy) is evaluated.