Ride-Sharing Allocation System and Optimal Path-Finding Algorithm for Marine Taxies in the Setouchi Inland Sea Area

Abstract

Although marine taxis offer advantages in terms of time flexibility, they face challenges owing to their chartered nature, resulting in high unit costs for reservations and limited passenger capacity. This study aims to facilitate the sharing of reservations for multiple marine taxi journeys while optimizing the routes to all destinations. The first approach proposes an algorithm that efficiently pools reservations based on three key factors: departure and arrival ports, and number of passengers. Thereafter, we developed an algorithm that calculates optimal routes for marine taxis by considering the impact of factors such as tidal currents and wave magnitudes on the vessel.