Evaluating Priority Dispatch for Premium Membership in On-demand Taxi-sharing

Nozomi Yamamoto, Hiroki Sakaji, Itsuki Noda

In this paper, we analyze the dispatch-level feasibility of introducing premium membership into an on-demand taxi-sharing service using a sequential optimal insertion method. We propose two dispatch-level methods: deadline shortening for premium users, and deadline shortening with dedicated premium vehicles. We compare them with a baseline dispatch method through SUMO-based simulations under three demand scenarios: steady uniform demand, time-varying demand with a peak period, and urban-focused demand with concentrated peak traffic. Our results show that the suitable priority mechanism depends on operating conditions and premium ratio, suggesting that condition-dependent method switching may provide premium benefits while keeping non-premium-user burden smaller for overall optimization.