{"id":{"repo_id":"tu-berlin","oai_identifier":"oai:depositonce.tu-berlin.de:11303/26217"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/tu-berlin/oai:depositonce.tu-berlin.de:11303/26217","repository":{"repo_id":"tu-berlin","name":"Technische Universität Berlin","base_url":"https://api-depositonce.tu-berlin.de/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"How system configuration shapes demand: agent-based simulation of mobility-on-demand systems","abstract":"To establish Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) and autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD) services as part of sustainable transport systems, a forward-looking configuration process is indispensable. Modern methods such as agent-based transport simulation are particularly well suited for this task, as they combine the representation of individual travel behavior with the physical interactions of the transport system. This thesis demonstrates how such a simulation framework can be applied as a decision-support tool in the context of a real-world pilot project. For this purpose, a new open-source model for the county of Kelheim, Germany, is presented, which is calibrated for the first time with real-world AMoD booking data. The key results underscore the need to carefully balance service area and fleet size. In the specific project context, the findings indicate that expanding the fleet requires a corresponding enlargement of the service area to maintain efficiency. These insights directly informed the decision-making process in the project. Apart from decision-support, this thesis contributes to the understanding of fundamental interactions between demand and supply in MoD systems. The findings suggest that configuration parameters determining the demand potential, such as service area or operating times, have a linear effect on realized demand. In contrast, parameters shaping service quality, such as fleet size or vehicle speed, are observed to have superlinear impacts on realized demand. This highlights the significant impact of service quality on the adoption of MoD, particularly in the early phases of deployment with limited fleet sizes. Furthermore, it is found that typical demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies result in uneven service quality across the area. It is shown that in contrast to these demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies, maintaining an equal vehicle density or vehicle-to-population ratio can improve the spatial balance of service quality. The findings imply that leaving MoD systems solely to profit-oriented operators would risk concentrating services in dense city centers while neglecting suburban and rural areas, underlining the need for regulatory integration into public transport (PT). Looking forward, future simulation research should address heterogeneity in user preferences, stronger intermodality with schedule-based PT services, and more advanced mode choice formulations. Beyond these aspects, it will also be important to investigate how the transition to true driverless operations (SAE Level 4) and the use of multifunctional vehicle concepts could shape the longer-term evolution of AMoD toward integrated Transport-as-a-Service models that combine passenger and freight transport.","abstract_html":"To establish Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) and autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD) services as part of sustainable transport systems, a forward-looking configuration process is indispensable. Modern methods such as agent-based transport simulation are particularly well suited for this task, as they combine the representation of individual travel behavior with the physical interactions of the transport system. This thesis demonstrates how such a simulation framework can be applied as a decision-support tool in the context of a real-world pilot project. For this purpose, a new open-source model for the county of Kelheim, Germany, is presented, which is calibrated for the first time with real-world AMoD booking data. The key results underscore the need to carefully balance service area and fleet size. In the specific project context, the findings indicate that expanding the fleet requires a corresponding enlargement of the service area to maintain efficiency. These insights directly informed the decision-making process in the project. Apart from decision-support, this thesis contributes to the understanding of fundamental interactions between demand and supply in MoD systems. The findings suggest that configuration parameters determining the demand potential, such as service area or operating times, have a linear effect on realized demand. In contrast, parameters shaping service quality, such as fleet size or vehicle speed, are observed to have superlinear impacts on realized demand. This highlights the significant impact of service quality on the adoption of MoD, particularly in the early phases of deployment with limited fleet sizes. Furthermore, it is found that typical demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies result in uneven service quality across the area. It is shown that in contrast to these demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies, maintaining an equal vehicle density or vehicle-to-population ratio can improve the spatial balance of service quality. The findings imply that leaving MoD systems solely to profit-oriented operators would risk concentrating services in dense city centers while neglecting suburban and rural areas, underlining the need for regulatory integration into public transport (PT). Looking forward, future simulation research should address heterogeneity in user preferences, stronger intermodality with schedule-based PT services, and more advanced mode choice formulations. Beyond these aspects, it will also be important to investigate how the transition to true driverless operations (SAE Level 4) and the use of multifunctional vehicle concepts could shape the longer-term evolution of AMoD toward integrated Transport-as-a-Service models that combine passenger and freight transport.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Schlenther, Tilmann"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Nagel, Kai"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026","date_published":"2026","updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:28:42Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-25045"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-25045","href":"https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-25045","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/26217","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Nagel, Kai"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Schlenther, Tilmann"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-02-13T10:27:28Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-02-13T10:27:28Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/26217","https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-25045"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["To establish Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) and autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD) services as part of sustainable transport systems, a forward-looking configuration process is indispensable. Modern methods such as agent-based transport simulation are particularly well suited for this task, as they combine the representation of individual travel behavior with the physical interactions of the transport system. This thesis demonstrates how such a simulation framework can be applied as a decision-support tool in the context of a real-world pilot project. For this purpose, a new open-source model for the county of Kelheim, Germany, is presented, which is calibrated for the first time with real-world AMoD booking data. The key results underscore the need to carefully balance service area and fleet size. In the specific project context, the findings indicate that expanding the fleet requires a corresponding enlargement of the service area to maintain efficiency. These insights directly informed the decision-making process in the project. Apart from decision-support, this thesis contributes to the understanding of fundamental interactions between demand and supply in MoD systems. The findings suggest that configuration parameters determining the demand potential, such as service area or operating times, have a linear effect on realized demand. In contrast, parameters shaping service quality, such as fleet size or vehicle speed, are observed to have superlinear impacts on realized demand. This highlights the significant impact of service quality on the adoption of MoD, particularly in the early phases of deployment with limited fleet sizes. Furthermore, it is found that typical demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies result in uneven service quality across the area. It is shown that in contrast to these demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies, maintaining an equal vehicle density or vehicle-to-population ratio can improve the spatial balance of service quality. The findings imply that leaving MoD systems solely to profit-oriented operators would risk concentrating services in dense city centers while neglecting suburban and rural areas, underlining the need for regulatory integration into public transport (PT). Looking forward, future simulation research should address heterogeneity in user preferences, stronger intermodality with schedule-based PT services, and more advanced mode choice formulations. Beyond these aspects, it will also be important to investigate how the transition to true driverless operations (SAE Level 4) and the use of multifunctional vehicle concepts could shape the longer-term evolution of AMoD toward integrated Transport-as-a-Service models that combine passenger and freight transport.","Um Mobility-on-Demand (MoD)- und autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD)-Dienste als Teil nachhaltiger Verkehrssysteme zu etablieren, ist ein vorausschauender Auslegungsprozess unverzichtbar. Moderne Methoden wie die agentenbasierte Verkehrssimulation eignen sich hierfür besonders gut, da sie die Abbildung individuellen Reiseverhaltens mit den physikalischen Wechselwirkungen im Verkehrsgeschehen verbinden. Diese Dissertation zeigt, wie ein solches Simulationsframework als Werkzeug zur Entscheidungsunterstützung im Kontext eines realen Pilotprojekts angewendet werden kann. Zu diesem Zweck wird ein neues Open-Source-Verkehrsmodell für den Landkreis Kelheim vorgestellt, das erstmals mit realen AMoD-Buchungsdaten kalibriert wurde. Die zentralen Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Notwendigkeit, Bediengebiet und Flottengröße sorgfältig auszubalancieren. Im spezifischen Projektkontext weisen die Befunde darauf hin, dass eine Vergrößerung der Flotte eine entsprechende Erweiterung des Bediengebiets erfordert, um Effizienz zu gewährleisten. Diese Erkenntnisse flossen direkt in den Entscheidungsprozess des Projekts ein. Über die Entscheidungsunterstützung hinaus trägt diese Dissertation zum Verständnis der grundlegenden Wechselwirkungen zwischen Nachfrage und Angebot in MoD-Systemen bei. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Konfigurationsparameter, die das Nachfragepotenzial bestimmen – wie Bediengebiet oder Betriebszeiten – einen linearen Effekt auf die realisierte Nachfrage haben. Im Gegensatz dazu weisen Parameter, die die Servicequalität prägen – wie Flottengröße oder Fahrzeuggeschwindigkeit – stärkere Effekte auf die realisierte Nachfrage auf. Dies verdeutlicht den erheblichen Einfluss der Servicequalität auf die Nutzung von MoD, insbesondere in frühen Phasen der Einführung mit begrenzten Flottengrößen. Ferner wird gezeigt, dass typische nachfrageantizipierende Rebalancing-Strategien zu einer ungleichen Servicequalität im Bediengebiet führen. Im Gegensatz zu diesen Strategien kann durch die Aufrechterhaltung einer gleichen Fahrzeugdichte oder eines konstanten Verhältnisses von Fahrzeugen zur Bevölkerung die räumliche Balance der Servicequalität verbessert werden. Die Ergebnisse implizieren, dass eine ausschließliche Überlassung von MoD-Systemen an profitorientierte Betreiber das Risiko birgt, Angebote auf dichte Stadtzentren zu konzentrieren, während Vorort- und ländliche Gebiete vernachlässigt werden. Dies unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit einer regulatorischen Integration in den öffentlichen Nahverkehr. Mit Blick in die Zukunft sollte sich die Forschung im Simulationsbereich verstärkt mit der Heterogenität von Nutzerpräferenzen, einer stärkeren Intermodalität mit fahrplanbasiertem öffentlichem Nahverkehr sowie weiterentwickelten Modellen der Verkehrsmittelwahl beschäftigen. Darüber hinaus wird es wichtig sein zu untersuchen, wie der Übergang zu echten fahrerlosen Operationen (SAE Level 4) und der Einsatz multifunktionaler Fahrzeugkonzepte die langfristige Entwicklung von AMoD hin zu integrierten Transport-as-a-Service-Modellen prägen könnte, die Personen- und Güterverkehr in gemeinsamen Flotten kombinieren."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["How system configuration shapes demand: agent-based simulation of mobility-on-demand systems"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Nagel, Kai"],"dc:creator":["Schlenther, Tilmann"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-02-13T10:27:28Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-02-13T10:27:28Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026"],"dc:description.abstract":["To establish Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) and autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD) services as part of sustainable transport systems, a forward-looking configuration process is indispensable. Modern methods such as agent-based transport simulation are particularly well suited for this task, as they combine the representation of individual travel behavior with the physical interactions of the transport system. This thesis demonstrates how such a simulation framework can be applied as a decision-support tool in the context of a real-world pilot project. For this purpose, a new open-source model for the county of Kelheim, Germany, is presented, which is calibrated for the first time with real-world AMoD booking data. The key results underscore the need to carefully balance service area and fleet size. In the specific project context, the findings indicate that expanding the fleet requires a corresponding enlargement of the service area to maintain efficiency. These insights directly informed the decision-making process in the project. Apart from decision-support, this thesis contributes to the understanding of fundamental interactions between demand and supply in MoD systems. The findings suggest that configuration parameters determining the demand potential, such as service area or operating times, have a linear effect on realized demand. In contrast, parameters shaping service quality, such as fleet size or vehicle speed, are observed to have superlinear impacts on realized demand. This highlights the significant impact of service quality on the adoption of MoD, particularly in the early phases of deployment with limited fleet sizes. Furthermore, it is found that typical demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies result in uneven service quality across the area. It is shown that in contrast to these demand-anticipatory rebalancing strategies, maintaining an equal vehicle density or vehicle-to-population ratio can improve the spatial balance of service quality. The findings imply that leaving MoD systems solely to profit-oriented operators would risk concentrating services in dense city centers while neglecting suburban and rural areas, underlining the need for regulatory integration into public transport (PT). Looking forward, future simulation research should address heterogeneity in user preferences, stronger intermodality with schedule-based PT services, and more advanced mode choice formulations. Beyond these aspects, it will also be important to investigate how the transition to true driverless operations (SAE Level 4) and the use of multifunctional vehicle concepts could shape the longer-term evolution of AMoD toward integrated Transport-as-a-Service models that combine passenger and freight transport.","Um Mobility-on-Demand (MoD)- und autonomous Mobility-on-Demand (AMoD)-Dienste als Teil nachhaltiger Verkehrssysteme zu etablieren, ist ein vorausschauender Auslegungsprozess unverzichtbar. Moderne Methoden wie die agentenbasierte Verkehrssimulation eignen sich hierfür besonders gut, da sie die Abbildung individuellen Reiseverhaltens mit den physikalischen Wechselwirkungen im Verkehrsgeschehen verbinden. Diese Dissertation zeigt, wie ein solches Simulationsframework als Werkzeug zur Entscheidungsunterstützung im Kontext eines realen Pilotprojekts angewendet werden kann. Zu diesem Zweck wird ein neues Open-Source-Verkehrsmodell für den Landkreis Kelheim vorgestellt, das erstmals mit realen AMoD-Buchungsdaten kalibriert wurde. Die zentralen Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Notwendigkeit, Bediengebiet und Flottengröße sorgfältig auszubalancieren. Im spezifischen Projektkontext weisen die Befunde darauf hin, dass eine Vergrößerung der Flotte eine entsprechende Erweiterung des Bediengebiets erfordert, um Effizienz zu gewährleisten. Diese Erkenntnisse flossen direkt in den Entscheidungsprozess des Projekts ein. Über die Entscheidungsunterstützung hinaus trägt diese Dissertation zum Verständnis der grundlegenden Wechselwirkungen zwischen Nachfrage und Angebot in MoD-Systemen bei. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Konfigurationsparameter, die das Nachfragepotenzial bestimmen – wie Bediengebiet oder Betriebszeiten – einen linearen Effekt auf die realisierte Nachfrage haben. Im Gegensatz dazu weisen Parameter, die die Servicequalität prägen – wie Flottengröße oder Fahrzeuggeschwindigkeit – stärkere Effekte auf die realisierte Nachfrage auf. Dies verdeutlicht den erheblichen Einfluss der Servicequalität auf die Nutzung von MoD, insbesondere in frühen Phasen der Einführung mit begrenzten Flottengrößen. Ferner wird gezeigt, dass typische nachfrageantizipierende Rebalancing-Strategien zu einer ungleichen Servicequalität im Bediengebiet führen. Im Gegensatz zu diesen Strategien kann durch die Aufrechterhaltung einer gleichen Fahrzeugdichte oder eines konstanten Verhältnisses von Fahrzeugen zur Bevölkerung die räumliche Balance der Servicequalität verbessert werden. Die Ergebnisse implizieren, dass eine ausschließliche Überlassung von MoD-Systemen an profitorientierte Betreiber das Risiko birgt, Angebote auf dichte Stadtzentren zu konzentrieren, während Vorort- und ländliche Gebiete vernachlässigt werden. Dies unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit einer regulatorischen Integration in den öffentlichen Nahverkehr. Mit Blick in die Zukunft sollte sich die Forschung im Simulationsbereich verstärkt mit der Heterogenität von Nutzerpräferenzen, einer stärkeren Intermodalität mit fahrplanbasiertem öffentlichem Nahverkehr sowie weiterentwickelten Modellen der Verkehrsmittelwahl beschäftigen. Darüber hinaus wird es wichtig sein zu untersuchen, wie der Übergang zu echten fahrerlosen Operationen (SAE Level 4) und der Einsatz multifunktionaler Fahrzeugkonzepte die langfristige Entwicklung von AMoD hin zu integrierten Transport-as-a-Service-Modellen prägen könnte, die Personen- und Güterverkehr in gemeinsamen Flotten kombinieren."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/26217","https://doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-25045"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:rights.uri":["https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"],"dc:title":["How system configuration shapes demand: agent-based simulation of mobility-on-demand systems"],"dc:type":["Doctoral Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T21:28:42Z"}