ITS Monday: Edition 36, 2026

Which bike-train integration strategy is most suitable in a city? A cost comparison using continuous approximation

First up this week, a new academic paper, co-authored by Regine Tejada and Andrés Fielbaum.

The abstract:

This paper studies which bike–train integration strategy minimizes total cost under varying city conditions. Assuming a uniform service area where travelers access a single train station, we develop continuous approximation models for three strategies: (i) shared bikes, (ii) private bike parking near stations, and (iii) boarding bikes on trains.

Key decision variables depend on the modeled strategy, including the bike parking location, the number of bike-sharing stations, and the number of slots. The formulations show how demand, values of time, cycling and walking speeds, egress distance, land cost, truck speed, service-area size, and rail capacity affect optimal design and cost. Analytical comparisons are complemented by case studies in Parramatta (Australia) and Pasig City (Philippines).

Results indicate: at low demand, boarding bikes on trains is attractive if there is enough train space and space cost is low; otherwise, parking private bikes is more favorable. At high demand, shared bikes dominate through reuse and smaller fleets. High time values make shared and private bikes costly due to rebalancing and security, making boarding bikes strategy favorable unless rail operating costs or crowding are high. Faster walking speeds mainly affect the shared bikes and private bike strategy.

Faster cycling and long egress distances favor biking the last leg which is done when boarding bikes. High land costs favor smaller parking areas (from shared bikes). Slower streets and larger service areas result to avoiding shared bikes, and boarding can be infeasible under tight rail capacity. The framework guides cities on selecting cost-effective bike–train integration.

Related iMOVE articles:

• Micromobility: Info, Projects & Resources

The economics of platform-based mobility and logistics services

Another new academic paper, co-authored by Andrés Fielbaum, Lewis Lehe, Daniel Vignon, Zhengtian Xu, and Kenan Zhang.

The abstract:

Platform-based mobility and urban logistics services have become a defining feature of contemporary transport systems. Over the past decade, digitally mediated platforms for passenger transport and small goods delivery have reshaped travel behaviour, urban logistics, and labour markets in cities worldwide. By enabling real-time coordination between multiple actors, these services have altered not only how trips and deliveries are performed, but also how transport markets are organised, regulated, and experienced by users and workers alike.
A central feature distinguishing platform-based services from traditional transport and logistics systems lies in their economic structure. Rather than relying on direct interactions between supply and demand, platform-based services are organised around a mediating entity that connects consumers with service providers, e.g., riders and drivers in the ride-hailing service. This multi-sided structure involves up to four distinct groups—consumers, suppliers, workers, and the platform itself—each with its own objectives, decision processes, and access to information. Information is often fragmented, asymmetric, and revealed dynamically, giving rise to complex strategic interactions that are not easily captured by conventional transport economics models.

These challenges are further amplified by the on-demand nature of most platform-based operations. Both demand and supply evolve dynamically in response to prices, waiting times, and prevailing market conditions, while platforms must make frequent operational and pricing decisions under uncertainty about future demand, worker availability, and network states. As a result, platform operators continuously balance short-term efficiency with longer-term objectives such as market growth, service reliability, and regulatory compliance. These characteristics fundamentally differentiate platform-based mobility and logistics systems from scheduled or capacity-based transport services.

The rapid diffusion of such platforms has stimulated a growing body of research in transportation and related fields. Recent studies have examined a wide range of issues, including behavioural responses of users (Sheldon et al., 2024) and workers (Ashkrof et al., 2022); algorithmic approaches to routing (Zalesak and Samaranayake, 2021), matching (Chen and Hu, 2024), and pricing (Yan et al., 2020); the integration of parcel and passenger mobility (Fehn et al., 2023); the participation of regular commuters as crowd-shippers (Gajda et al., 2025); regulatory design and policy interventions (Vignon et al., 2023); and the evolving relationship between platforms and workers (Fielbaum et al., 2025).

Other contributions focus on distributional and equity implications (de Ruijter et al., 2024), scale economies and cost structures (Liu et al., 2023), deliverers’ curbside utilisation (Xu and Sun, 2024), spatial frictions between demand and supply (Li et al., 2024), emerging phenomena such as the “Wild Goose Chase” (Castillo et al., 2025), competitive and cooperative interactions between platforms and service providers (Kondor et al., 2022), and the relative performance of pooled versus non-pooled services (Zhang and Nie, 2021). In parallel, the industry landscape continues to evolve at a pace that challenges existing analytical frameworks. New service models, pricing mechanisms, and labour arrangements continue to emerge—ranging from peer-to-peer crowdshipping services and robotaxi fleets already operating in urban streets, to guaranteed minimum pay schemes for gig workers—often alongside regulatory interventions whose system-wide effects remain only partially understood.

This Special Issue was motivated by the need to advance the understanding of platform-based mobility and logistics systems in light of these developments. The focus was placed on their economic aspects, as they might shape some of the greatest long-term tendencies, and for which novel methods and findings are constantly being required due to the interplay between multiple actors and emerging technologies. Sixty submissions were received, and 15 papers were published. The contributions collected here address a broad range of questions related to the operations and planning of both consolidated and emerging platform-based transport systems. Together, they reflect the diversity of methodological approaches and perspectives required to analyse transport platforms, spanning modelling, optimisation, empirical analysis, and data-driven methods.

Don’t let the Jaws Effect kill your bike advocacy

A new post by Andy Boenau on his Urbanism Speakeasy blog. “Since social media algorithms are so good at pushing more of the type of content you engage with, I see loads of pro-bike posts from people far beyond my professional or personal network. A recent surge of ordinary people posting clips of joyful solo and group rides got me thinking about the stark difference between bike-riding normies and well-meaning advocates. One group is enjoying life while the other is shrieking about the dangers of life.”

Related iMOVE article:

• Active Transport: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE project:

• Safer cycling infrastructure: Design and policy

“Electric jerry can:” Arena backs Aussie portable energy storage innovation that’s not quite a plug-in battery

“Plans to mass-produce portable batteries at a purpose-built factory in Melbourne have become the latest recipient of federal government funding – a technology that is not quite a plug-in battery, but more like a very big power bank or, as the manufacturer likes to call it, an “electric jerry can.”

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) announced late last week that it is backing local battery manufacturing with a $6.77 million grant to Melbourne-based Clutch Industries to make modular, semi-solid-state battery systems that “can be used at home or taken on the road.””

Related iMOVE article:

• Electric Vehicles: Info, Projects & Resources

Related iMOVE project:

• Powering the future of freight: Electric trailers and dollies