Lase-mile transportation system (LMTS) and the last-mile problem (LMP) refer to the design and provision of travel services from public transportation nodes to the passenger's final destination. It reduces environmental problems and traffic congestion. LMTS are considered as an alternative to walking to the nearest metro station or a service to the aging population. It also provides mobility for the physically disabled and school children. This study focuses on a generic context, a LMTS that serves a public transport node like a rapid metro station where passengers come out in batches and final destinations may be homes, offices or public institutions. These places are spatially distributed in an urban area. Though the passenger destinations may be a short distance away, they will be dropped off in common stops closest to their final destination. LMTS vehicle routes and stops are flexible and can be changed based on last minute requests. The study focuses on a LMTS from the stochastic and planning perspective and provides closed-form approximations for its performance as a function of the system's fundamental parameters. These approximations can be used for the initial planning and design of a LMTS so that the initial resources such as vehicles and servers can be acquired.
展开▼