Impact of Autonomous Vehicles in Morning Commute Problem

Recent years have witnessed a revolutionary transformation in the transportation industry owing to the remarkable advancements of autonomous vehicles (AVs). It is anticipated that future traffic flow will be structured as a hybrid composition of AVs and human-driven vehicles (HVs). This research investigates the implications of diverse distributions of AVs on spatial scaling, within the context of the morning commute problem. Specifically, the study incorporates the influence of AV capacity expansion and evaluates the equilibrium cost of different spatial distributions. Our study suggests that when the proportion of AVs has a linear impact on the road capacity, mixing autonomous vehicles with conventional vehicles on the road can minimize the total cost of the system. The conclusion presents potential benefits of incorporating AVs into the current transportation system and provides a reference point for efficiently managing AVs to alleviate traffic congestion during peak hours.