Tackling the problem of ride-time volatility in demand responsive transport

Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) systems can struggle with user retention due to variability in ride-time experiences, even within guaranteed service levels. Under constant aggregate demand, the stochasticity of users daily travel decisions can alter the order of pick-ups and hence ride-time. Simulation results indicate that users can experience very high levels of ride-time volatility, regardless of their origin. This work investigates how the detour factor, as an individual level-of-service constraint, can limit experienced ride-time fluctuations and hence mitigate against users leaving the system.