TRIMP: Three-Sided Stable Matching for Distributed Vehicle Sharing System Using Stackelberg Game

Distributed Vehicle Sharing System (DVSS) leverages emerging technologies such as blockchain to create a secure, transparent, and efficient platform for sharing vehicles. In such a system, both efficient matching of users with available vehicles and optimal pricing mechanisms play crucial roles in maximizing system revenue. However, most existing schemes utilize user-to-vehicle (two-sided) matching and pricing, which are unrealistic for DVSS due to the lack of participation of service providers. To address this issue, we propose in this paper a novel Three-sided stable Matching with an optimal Pricing (TRIMP) scheme. First, to achieve maximum utilities for all three parties simultaneously, we formulate the optimal policy and pricing problem as a three-stage Stackelberg game and derive its equilibrium points accordingly. Second, relying on these solutions from the Stackelberg game, we construct a three-sided cyclic matching for DVSS. Third, as the existence of such a matching is NP-complete, we design a specific vehicle sharing algorithm to realize stable matching. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our TRIMP scheme, which optimizes the matching process and ensures efficient resource allocation, leading to a more stable and well-functioning decentralized vehicle sharing ecosystem.

I. Introduction

With the rapid development of blockchain and other distributed technologies, the Distributed Vehicle Sharing System (DVSS) becomes a cutting-edge innovation aimed at revolutionizing vehicle sharing [1], [2]. By leveraging blockchain’s inherent features, DVSS could ensure a secure, transparent, and efficient platform, which facilitates vehicle sharing without solely relying on one central authority. Within this platform, users, vehicle owners, and multiple service providers (SPs) interact directly, potentially using smart contracts [3], [4] to automate processes. For instance, a user could seamlessly book a vehicle provided by an SP through the DVSS platform, and the smart contract would automatically handle the reservation, payment, and even aspects like insurance verification, ensuring a hassle-free experience for all parties involved.