Seminar über aktuelle Fragen zur Dynamik komplexer Fluide: Mean Field Theory of Ride Sharing Systems

The dynamics of demand-driven ride sharing systems is considered in a mean-field framework. The relevant dimensionless quantities determining the performance and viability of the system are identified. The framework for an algorithm for route assignment is developed. In the presence of an already established dominant market participant with comparable service quality (like, e.g., the private car), the mutual interaction of the actors (i.e., the customers sharing rides) by virtue of the route assignment algorithm gives rise to a strongly discontinuous transition between two strongly different modes of operation. One of them represents the typical (unfavorable) performance of current ride sharing systems, while the other represents a new mode of operation in which virtually all customers use ride sharing.