Tehran metro ticket pricing in peak and non-peak hours with an optimization and simulation approach

Master's Thesis in Industrial Management - Operation Research Orientation

Abstract

Many researches have been conducted in the category of urban transportation, each of which tried to improve these networks by specifying the type of vehicle and also a specific purpose. The current thesis also tries to present a mathematical model to increase the income of Tehran Metro. For this purpose, we use the pricing of subway tickets in peak and non-peak hours. The output of the model is the price of the metro ticket in the time intervals which are the same as peak and non-peak times. An attempt has been made to present a model that has a standard solution method using common software packages.

After knowing and examining the lines of the Tehran metro network, independent parameters and dependent variables are determined for the model. In the following, by forming the objective function and constraints, the final model is presented, and a scenario for the ticket price and the passenger population according to this price is presented. Finally, the current income of the metro is examined and the increase in income is shown with the proposed scenario using simulation. At the same time, with this model, the number of peak time passengers will be reduced. As a result, the welfare of these passengers who intend to travel during peak times will increase and also the costs of non-peak passengers will be reduced because they will pay a lower ticket price.

Key words: mathematical modeling, peak and non-peak time, simulation, metro revenue, decrease in the number of passengers, metro company. Tehran

Chapter 1

Research outline

Introduction

The world around us includes many systems. There are various definitions about the system, which usually differ according to the category in which the system is defined. But in general, from Robbins' point of view, the system consists of continuous and related components that are arranged in a way to create a whole consisting of individual components and have a specific purpose. [4]

In fact, we live in an environment that is a large supersystem and is made up of many smaller systems. Transportation systems are considered to be the most important systems in today's world. The issue of transportation has been on people's minds for a long time and has evolved over time. From the use of animals for this purpose to today's advanced means of transportation, transportation has always been one of the concerns of humans. Today, with the increase in population in the world, the issue of transportation has become an important factor in urban societies. In particular, the intra-city transportation of people is one of the most important factors that in every urban society, governments are obliged to plan properly and create responsive networks for it. In the city of Tehran, due to the population density, the issue of transportation is considered one of the most important concerns of city managers. Along with the bus system and taxis in the city, which have been used since the past, Tehran's subway has become a convenient option for transportation as a means of transportation. Among the favorable features of the metro are reducing air pollution, reducing commuting time, reducing fuel consumption and so on.

In the articles and literature of operations research ([1]), the field of urban public transportation has been given a lot of attention. These issues have been discussed either from the point of view of minimizing costs, or from the point of view of maximizing the efficiency and quality of their services. In recent years, passenger movement time has been considered as one of the important performance criteria of these systems. During the processing process, the system may behave in a way that appears to be inefficient. The meaning of system inefficiency here is that a way for system operation can be planned to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the system. We call the mentioned process improvement or optimization ([2]) of the system. Normally, systems should be optimized according to the inputs and outputs they have. Man wants to visualize and describe the best and achieve it (Beitler and others, 1979).[12] But since he knows that he cannot identify and define all the conditions that govern the best, in most cases he settles for a satisfactory answer instead of the best or absolute optimal answer (Warner, 1996).[23] Beitler and others (1979) describe optimization as follows[12]: The verb to optimize, which is a stronger word than improvement, and means to achieve the best answer, also optimization refers to the act of finding the best answer for the problem in question. Therefore, the theory of optimization includes quantitative studies of optimums and the method of finding them.

Optimization of systems is considered a continuous activity that begins with the definition of assumptions and also the limitations of the problem. In designing new products and services, as well as studying existing systems, the research and development group organizes experiments; Builds models and tries to improve the performance of the product or service. This optimization is usually done on models of real systems.

1-1- Research topic

Systems are often examined with a model of the system. For this purpose, making mathematical and physical models. It is one of the basic steps for systems analysis. The definition of mathematical models states: Mathematical models depict the real world using letters, numbers, operators and mathematical relationships. These models are very abstract and flexible and are most used in modeling. [7]

In this research, we will try to improve the urban transportation system by specifying the purpose, understanding the relationships and mathematical modeling of the selected problem. because this volume of traffic cannot be answered due to the increase in traffic with private cars and small public cars, and we must go towards increasing the quality and quantity of public transportation. Meanwhile, the urban subway plays a major role because it can move a significant population and it benefits from better service quality than other means of transportation (such as buses, vans, etc.). As a result, if we increase the quality and quantity of the use of the subway, we can play a significant role in improving the traffic situation and urban transportation.

In this research, an attempt has been made to initially plan a strategy that can be optimized by determining the price of the subway [34] in peak and non-peak hours (the peak hours are the crowded and busy hours of the subway, for example, 6-9 and 15-18), in different lines, and the revenue of the metro company and the level of service to passengers can be optimized, as well as the quality of the service. The service will also increase and at the same time the costs of the subway passengers will be reduced. For example, if a passenger intends to use the subway during rush hour, he will not have to spend a lot of time to get into the subway trains, or if a passenger who intends to travel in non-peak hours, the cost and quality of the subway will give him the preference to use the subway instead of other means, so that he will have better facilities and pay less money than other means of transportation. In this follow-up, it will be tried that the desired quality in the first case and cost reduction in the second case will be possible, so that considering these things, the revenue level of the subway will increase, while the level of satisfaction of the passengers will also increase. We will solve the problem in such a way that it includes all these goals by using mathematical programming methods. In the following, we intend to use simulation (ED software to simulate a subway line) to evaluate the accuracy of the obtained answer, that is, we will simulate the obtained answer as a scenario, which we will explain further. It has evolved. From the use of animals for this purpose to today's advanced means of transportation, the issue of transportation has always been one of the concerns of humans.

Today, with the increase in population in the world, the issue of transportation has become an important factor in urban societies.