Shared Autonomous Taxi Networks: An Analysis of Transportation Demand in NJ and a 21st Century Solution for Congestion

Abstract

As the most mobile people in the world, Americans rely on automobiles for the majority of their personal travel. Over the past six decades, as private automobiles have become more affordable and more universal among American families, cars’ previously uncounted costs have come to the forefront of the modern transportation debate, with some activists calling for an end to cars. This thesis presents five transit criteria that a transportation system must satisfy if it hopes to dethrone the individually owned and operated car as king of the road. They are: 1) a solution to the congestion problem, 2) safety improvements over conventional manually operated cars, 3) a lesser impact on the environment, 4) economic feasibility, and 5) comfort and convenience to rival the automobile. Given recent advancements in the field of vehicle autonomy, a potential solution to the car’s growing problems has presented itself: an autonomous taxi network (ATN). Drawing from the classic Personal Rapid Transit model as well as Mark Gorton’s idea of Smart Para-Transit, two potential designs for an ATN are presented and compared to one another, and the viability of the ATN concept as a whole is explored using statewide transportation demand from the state of New Jersey.