Dissertation Title: Shared Autonomous Micro-Mobility: Evaluating Fleet Performance, Operational Strategies, and Sustainability

Abstract: 

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have long been anticipated to revolutionize transportation, offering promises of effortless, safe, and congestion-free travel. Yet, concerns remain that AVs may exacerbate the car-dependency that has dominated the transportation landscape for over six decades. In contrast, sustainability-driven concepts--such as walkable cities and the "15-minute city"--are gaining momentum, advocating for urban spaces designed around pedestrians, public transport, and micro-mobility modes like bicycles and e-scooters. This thesis investigates how shared autonomous micro-mobility (SAmM) systems--lightweight, shared autonomous vehicles--can reconcile the tension between AV innovation and the push for human-centric urban mobility.

While much of the research on AVs has focused on cars and taxis, this thesis turns its attention to micro-mobility systems such as bicycles and scooters. It explores whether the efficiencies attributed to shared autonomous vehicles can also enhance the performance of shared micro-mobility systems. Early prototypes of SAmM vehicles, such as autonomous bicycles and tricycles, have mostly addressed technical challenges at the individual vehicle level. However, broader fleet-level impacts and operational strategies remained understudied.

To address this gap, this thesis presents a number of studies that are structured as follows. First, it introduces an agent-based model to evaluate the fleet-level performance of SAmM with a case study focused on autonomous bicycles. Second, it investigates operational strategies, such as decentralized fleet management and multi-functional services that cater to both passengers and delivery needs. Lastly, the thesis presents a life-cycle environmental impact analysis and examines the potential mode shifts associated with these new vehicles, offering insights into their sustainability and broader societal impacts.

By examining the fleet performance and sustainability of SAmM, this research contributes to the emerging field of lightweight autonomous vehicles and provides early-stage guidelines for their development and deployment. While the long-term impacts of these mobility modes remain uncertain, shaping their design from the outset is essential to prevent the unintended consequences that have accompanied previous waves of transportation innovation, such as the rise of car dependency or the initial deployments of shared micro-mobility systems. Ultimately, this thesis offers a vision for how autonomous mobility can evolve to support, rather than disrupt, the goals of walkable, human-centric urban spaces and environmentally sustainable transportation.

Prof. Kent Larson
Professor of the Practice and Director, City Science Center, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Prof. Lynette Cheah
Professor and Chair of Sustainable Transport, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Dr Alexis Drogoul
Senior Researcher, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), France & Vietnam