No Transfers Required: Integrating Last Mile with Public Transit Using Opti-Mile

Public transit is a popular mode of transit due to its affordability, despite the inconveniences due to the necessity of transfers required to reach most areas. For example, in the bus and metro network of New Delhi, only 30% of stops can be directly accessed from any starting point, thus requiring transfers for most commutes. Additionally, first/last mile services like rickshaws, tuk-tuks or shuttles are commonly used as feeders to the nearest public transit access points, which leads to subpar utilisation of the transit network. Ultimately, users often face a trade-off between coverage and transfers to reach their destination, regardless of the mode of transit. To address the problem of limited accessibility and inefficiency due to transfers in public transit systems, we propose “optimile,” a novel trip planning approach that combines first/last mile services with public transit such that no transfers are required
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Our work is based on the assumption that the transfers from first/last mile are necessary for any public transit commute, whether it be through walking or taking a first/last mile service. Thus any further mention of transfers specifically refers to transfers within public transit, unless otherwise mentioned, Opti-mile allows users to customise trip parameters such as maximum walking distance, and acceptable fare range. We analyse the transit network of New Delhi, evaluating the efficiency, feasibility and advantages of opti-mile multi-modal trips between randomly selected source-destination pairs. We demonstrate that opti-mile trips lead to a 10% reduction in distance travelled for 18% increase in average price compared to traditional shortest paths using just public transit. We also show that opti-mile trips provide better coverage of the city than public transit, without a significant fare increase.