AI-enhanced flexible transit solutions for aging populations: Improving accessibility, affordability, and quality of service

As the aging population in Canada increases, an urgent need for improved transportation solutions is also needed. Older adults, particularly women and low-income individuals, face significant challenges in accessing reliable and safe transit systems where existing systems fail to meet their needs due to limited accessibility and flexibility, particularly through information and communication technologies.

The project aims to leverage the real-world traffic state and travel demand information to develop a community-scaled, AI-enhanced, data-driven platform to integrate travel queries and traffic state platforms for transit-like ride-sharing systems. The proposed system will dynamically adapt to demand, providing various levels of shared vehicle (SV) services, from door-to-door options to micro-transit solutions.

This project will develop a user-centred, data-driven and AI-enhanced on-demand shared mobility system by leveraging the spatial-temporal travel demand variation to enhance the users’ quality of service while reducing user cost. The system aims to bridge the gap in the urban transportation system by providing a flexible route and schedule platform, integrating different levels of services and providing soft guarantees for passenger waiting and travel times through a system of constraints and rewards.