Modeling a Distance-Based Preferential Fare Scheme for Park-and-Ride Services in a Multimodal Transport Network

This paper investigates a distance-based preferential fare scheme for park-and-ride (P&R) services in a multimodal transport network. P&R is a sustainable commuting approach in large urban areas where the service coverage rate of conventional public transport modes (e.g., train and bus) is poor/low. However, P&R services in many cities are less attractive compared to auto and other public transport modes, especially for P&R facilities sited far away from the city center. To address this issue, this paper proposes a distance-based preferential fare scheme for P&R services in which travelers who choose the P&R mode get a discount. The longer the distance they travel by train, the better the concessional price they get. A multimodal transport network equilibrium model with P&R services is developed to evaluate the impacts of the proposed distance-based fare scheme. The travelers’ mode choice behavior is modeled by the multinomial logit (MNL) discrete choice model, and their route choice behavior is depicted by the user equilibrium condition. A mathematical programming model is then built and subsequently solved by the outer approximation method. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed distance-based preferential fare scheme can effectively motivate travelers to use a P&R service and significantly enhance the transport network’s performance.