The Morning Commute Problem with Coarse Toll and Nonidentical Commuters

• DOI: 10.1007/s11067-010-9141-8
• Publication Date: 2010-08-11T13:35:29Z
• Authors: Feng Xiao; Zhen Qian; H. Michael Zhang
• Keywords: Electronic toll collection; Rush hour

This paper studies the morning commute problem under a flat peak-period toll (coarse toll) within context of heterogeneous commuters. All possible cumulative departure curves resulting from different choices level and charging period are examined. The optimal schemes then derived minimizing total travel cost all commuters, excluding cost. We prove that at optimum there will be no queue or capacity waste bottleneck both starting ending points for type Value-Of-Time (VOT) distribution considered in paper. Moreover, coarse scheme is pareto-improving. Different homogeneous case, which can regarded as special case price discrimination occurs when commuters have VOT. solution depends on units system measured we find middle pack VOT worse off by higher charges if money instead time. A numerical example provided end demonstration.