A novel formulation for the distributed solution of load balancing problems in mobility on-demand systems

In this paper, we present a novel optimization framework for the load balancing problem in mobility on-demand systems. The proposed approach aims to keep the system balanced and, at the same time, to maximize the number of accepted customers' requests. Moreover, we propose the Distributed Load Balancing (DLB) algorithm that, given the customers' requests, iterate toward feasible assignments that keep the system balanced. The performance of the proposed algorithm is assessed through an extensive simulation campaign in several operational conditions, by varying the number and locations both of the customers and of the vehicles, and considering different communication topologies among the pick-up and drop-off stations. Finally, a comparison of the performance of DLB with an optimal solver is provided.