IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v183y2024ics096585642400096x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integration of UAVs with public transit for delivery: Quantifying system benefits and policy implications

Author

Listed:
  • Cui, Shaohua
  • Yang, Ying
  • Gao, Kun
  • Cui, Heqi
  • Najafi, Arsalan

Abstract

The maturation and scalability of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology offer transformative opportunities to revolutionize prompt delivery. This study explores integrating UAVs with public transportation vehicles (PTVs) to establish a novel delivery paradigm that enhances revenue for public transit operators and improves transport system efficiency without compromising passenger convenience or operational efficiency. Employing hexagonal planning technology, this study identifies and quantifies the available spatio-temporal resources of PTVs for UAV integration. This involves aligning the spatio-temporal dynamics of prompt delivery orders with PTV ridership, based on field data from Beijing’s Haidian District. Utilizing these outputs, we quantitatively analyze the benefits of integrating UAVs with PTVs on increasing public transit revenue, and potentials of reducing carbon emissions and mitigating congestion. Furthermore, we quantify the long-term benefits of UAV-PTV integration by predicting future increases in delivery demand. Based on obtained quantitative results, this study discusses practical and policy implications to support the sustainable integration of UAVs with PTVs.

Suggested Citation

  • Cui, Shaohua & Yang, Ying & Gao, Kun & Cui, Heqi & Najafi, Arsalan, 2024. "Integration of UAVs with public transit for delivery: Quantifying system benefits and policy implications," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:183:y:2024:i:c:s096585642400096x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2024.104048
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096585642400096X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2024.104048?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chung, Sai-Ho, 2021. "Applications of smart technologies in logistics and transport: A review," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    2. Gao, Kun & Yang, Ying & Gil, Jorge & Qu, Xiaobo, 2023. "Data-driven interpretation on interactive and nonlinear effects of the correlated built environment on shared mobility," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    3. Cavallaro, Federico & Nocera, Silvio, 2023. "Flexible-route integrated passenger–freight transport in rural areas," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    4. Outay, Fatma & Mengash, Hanan Abdullah & Adnan, Muhammad, 2020. "Applications of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in road safety, traffic and highway infrastructure management: Recent advances and challenges," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 116-129.
    5. Feng Li & Xin Guo & Li Zhou & Jianjun Wu & Tongfei Li, 2022. "A capacity matching model in a collaborative urban public transport system: integrating passenger and freight transportation," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(20), pages 6303-6328, October.
    6. Juan David Cortes & Yoshinori Suzuki, 2022. "Last-mile delivery efficiency: en route transloading in the parcel delivery industry," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(9), pages 2983-3000, May.
    7. Doole, Malik & Ellerbroek, Joost & Hoekstra, Jacco, 2020. "Estimation of traffic density from drone-based delivery in very low level urban airspace," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    8. Feng, Xin & Murray, Alan T. & Church, Richard L., 2021. "Drone service response: Spatiotemporal heterogeneity implications," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    9. Chiang, Wen-Chyuan & Li, Yuyu & Shang, Jennifer & Urban, Timothy L., 2019. "Impact of drone delivery on sustainability and cost: Realizing the UAV potential through vehicle routing optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 1164-1175.
    10. Machado, Bruno & Pimentel, Carina & Sousa, Amaro de, 2023. "Integration planning of freight deliveries into passenger bus networks: Exact and heuristic algorithms," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    11. Zhang, Jin & Qu, Xiaobo & Wang, Shuaian, 2018. "Reproducible generation of experimental data sample for calibrating traffic flow fundamental diagram," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 41-52.
    12. Lewis, Emily & Ponnock, Jesse & Cherqaoui, Qamar & Holmdahl, Scott & Johnson, Yus & Wong, Alfred & Oliver Gao, H., 2021. "Architecting urban air mobility airport shuttling systems with case studies: Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 423-444.
    13. Iman Dayarian & Martin Savelsbergh & John-Paul Clarke, 2020. "Same-Day Delivery with Drone Resupply," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(1), pages 229-249, January.
    14. Lemardelé, Clément & Estrada, Miquel & Pagès, Laia & Bachofner, Mónika, 2021. "Potentialities of drones and ground autonomous delivery devices for last-mile logistics," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    15. Cui, Shaohua & Xue, Yongjie & Gao, Kun & Wang, Kai & Yu, Bin & Qu, Xiaobo, 2024. "Delay-throughput tradeoffs for signalized networks with finite queue capacity," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    16. Roberto Roberti & Mario Ruthmair, 2021. "Exact Methods for the Traveling Salesman Problem with Drone," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(2), pages 315-335, March.
    17. Simoni, Michele D. & Kutanoglu, Erhan & Claudel, Christian G., 2020. "Optimization and analysis of a robot-assisted last mile delivery system," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    18. Rong Cheng & Yu Jiang & Otto Anker Nielsen, 2023. "Integrated people-and-goods transportation systems: from a literature review to a general framework for future research," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(5), pages 997-1020, September.
    19. Mengdi Zhang & Saurabh Pratap & Zhiheng Zhao & D. Prajapati & George Q. Huang, 2021. "Forward and reverse logistics vehicle routing problems with time horizons in B2C e-commerce logistics," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(20), pages 6291-6310, October.
    20. Zhu, Shengda & Bell, Michael G.H. & Schulz, Veronica & Stokoe, Michael, 2023. "Co-modality in city logistics: Sounds good, but how?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. ElSayed, Mo & Foda, Ahmed & Mohamed, Moataz, 2024. "The impact of civil airspace policies on the viability of adopting autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles in last-mile applications," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 37-54.
    2. Schmidt, Sebastian & Saraceni, Adriana, 2024. "Consumer acceptance of drone-based technology for last mile delivery," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    3. Mohri, Seyed Sina & Nassir, Neema & Thompson, Russell G. & Lavieri, Patricia Sauri, 2024. "Public transportation-based crowd-shipping initiatives: Are users willing to participate? Why not?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    4. Kotzab, Herbert & Yumurtacı Hüseyinoğlu, Işık Özge & Şen, Irmak & Mena, Carlos, 2024. "Exploring home delivery service attributes: Sustainability versus delivery expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    5. He, Dongdong & Guan, Wei, 2023. "Promoting service quality with incentive contracts in rural bus integrated passenger-freight service," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    6. Ringsberg, Henrik, 2023. "Sustainable FLM transport based on IPF transport by ferry in coastal rural areas: A case from Sweden," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    7. Srinivas, Sharan & Ramachandiran, Surya & Rajendran, Suchithra, 2022. "Autonomous robot-driven deliveries: A review of recent developments and future directions," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    8. He, Xinyu & He, Fang & Li, Lishuai & Zhang, Lei & Xiao, Gang, 2022. "A route network planning method for urban air delivery," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    9. Yin, Yunqiang & Li, Dongwei & Wang, Dujuan & Ignatius, Joshua & Cheng, T.C.E. & Wang, Sutong, 2023. "A branch-and-price-and-cut algorithm for the truck-based drone delivery routing problem with time windows," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 309(3), pages 1125-1144.
    10. Zhao, Lei & Bi, Xinhua & Li, Gendao & Dong, Zhaohui & Xiao, Ni & Zhao, Anni, 2022. "Robust traveling salesman problem with multiple drones: Parcel delivery under uncertain navigation environments," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    11. Amine Masmoudi, M. & Mancini, Simona & Baldacci, Roberto & Kuo, Yong-Hong, 2022. "Vehicle routing problems with drones equipped with multi-package payload compartments," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    12. Soares, Ricardo & Marques, Alexandra & Amorim, Pedro & Parragh, Sophie N., 2024. "Synchronisation in vehicle routing: Classification schema, modelling framework and literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 313(3), pages 817-840.
    13. Madani, Batool & Ndiaye, Malick & Salhi, Said, 2024. "Hybrid truck-drone delivery system with multi-visits and multi-launch and retrieval locations: Mathematical model and adaptive variable neighborhood search with neighborhood categorization," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 316(1), pages 100-125.
    14. Yang, Tiannuo & Chu, Zhongzhu & Wang, Bailin, 2023. "Feasibility on the integration of passenger and freight transportation in rural areas: A service mode and an optimization model," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    15. Yang, Xuan & Kong, Xiang T.R. & Huang, George Q., 2024. "Synchronizing crowdsourced co-modality between passenger and freight transportation services," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    16. Bruzzone, Francesco & Nocera, Silvio & Pesenti, Raffaele, 2023. "Feasibility and optimization of freight-on-transit schemes for the sustainable operation of passengers and logistics," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    17. Dukkanci, Okan & Campbell, James F. & Kara, Bahar Y., 2024. "Facility location decisions for drone delivery: A literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 316(2), pages 397-418.
    18. Salama, Mohamed R. & Srinivas, Sharan, 2022. "Collaborative truck multi-drone routing and scheduling problem: Package delivery with flexible launch and recovery sites," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    19. Büyüközkan, Gülçin & Ilıcak, Öykü, 2022. "Smart urban logistics: Literature review and future directions," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    20. Yu, Shaohua & Puchinger, Jakob & Sun, Shudong, 2022. "Van-based robot hybrid pickup and delivery routing problem," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 298(3), pages 894-914.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:183:y:2024:i:c:s096585642400096x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.