A Cluster-Then-Route Framework for Bike Rebalancing in Free-Floating Bike-Sharing Systems

Jiaqing Sun, Yulin He and Jiantong Zhang ()
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Jiaqing Sun: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Yulin He: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Jiantong Zhang: School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-33

Abstract: Bike-sharing systems suffer from the problem of imbalances in bicycle inventory between areas. In this paper, we investigate the rebalancing problem as it applies to free-floating bike-sharing systems in which the bicycles can be rented and returned almost anywhere. To solve the rebalancing problem efficiently, we propose a framework that includes (1) rebalancing nodes at which requirements for the redistribution (pickup or delivery) of bicycles are determined, (2) “self-balanced” clusters of rebalancing nodes, and (3) bicycle redistribution by service vehicles within each cluster. We propose a multi-period synchronous rebalancing method in which a rebalancing period is divided into several sub-periods. Based on the anticipated redistribution demand at each node in each sub-period, the service vehicle relocates bicycles between nodes. This method improves the efficiency of the system and minimizes rebalancing costs over the entire rebalancing period, rather than for a single sub-period. The proposed framework is tested based on data from the Mobike (Meituan) free-floating bike-sharing system. The test results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies and show that multi-period synchronous rebalancing is superior to single-period rebalancing.

Keywords: free-floating bike-sharing systems; multi-period synchronous rebalancing; max–min ant colony system; density- and grid-based clustering algorithm (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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