First-mile last-mile (FMLM) mobility services that connect riders to public transit can lead to improved transit accessibility and network efficiency if such services are convenient and reliable. However, many current FMLM services are inefficient and costly because they are inflexible (e.g., fixed supply of shuttles) and do not leverage collected data for optimized decision making. At the same time, new forms of shared mobility can provide added flexibility and real-time analytics to FMLM systems when carefully integrated. This study evaluates performance and cost implications of public/private coordination between transit shuttles and transportation network companies (TNC) in the FMLM context. A real-time operations model was developed to simulate daily operations for an existing FMLM system using real-world demand data. Three supply strategies were tested with varying levels of flexibility: (1) Status Quo (two 23-passenger on-demand shuttles), (2) Hybrid (one 23-passenger on-demand shuttle + TNC), and (3) TNC Only (exclusively use TNC services). Results indicated that the added flexibility of the Hybrid service design (using shuttles and TNCs) improved service performance (a 7.7% improvement), reduced daily operating costs (− 6.0%), and improved service reliability (95th percentile travel times decreased by up to 40% during peak periods). In addition, the Hybrid service design was more robust to variations in demand. The Hybrid service was significantly cheaper to operate (− 31.6%) at reduced demand levels (50% of normal), and improved service performance (a 10.2% improvement) when demand levels were increased (150% of normal). These findings emphasize the importance of flexibility in FMLM service designs, especially when demand is sparse and variable.

将乘客连接到公共交通的第一英里最后一英里 (FMLM) 移动服务如果方便可靠，可以提高交通可达性和网络效率。然而，许多当前的 FMLM 服务效率低且成本高，因为它们不灵活（例如，固定供应的班车）并且没有利用收集的数据来优化决策。同时，新形式的共享移动性可以在仔细集成时为 FMLM 系统提供更多的灵活性和实时分析。本研究评估了在 FMLM 环境中公共/私营部门协调公共/私营部门与运输网络公司 (TNC) 的绩效和成本影响。开发了一个实时操作模型，以使用真实世界的需求数据模拟现有 FMLM 系统的日常操作。以不同程度的灵活性测试了三种供应策略：(1) 现状（两辆 23 名乘客的按需穿梭巴士），(2) 混合动力（一辆 23 名乘客的按需穿梭巴士 + TNC）和 (3) 仅 TNC （独家使用 TNC 服务）。结果表明，混合服务设计（使用班车和跨国公司）增加的灵活性提高了服务绩效（提高了 7.7%），降低了日常运营成本（- 6.0%），并提高了服务可靠性（95% 的旅行时间减少了多达高峰期 40%）。此外，混合服务设计更能适应需求变化。当需求水平降低（正常的 50%）时，混合服务的运营成本显着降低（- 31.6%），而当需求水平增加（正常的 150%）时，服务性能得到改善（提高 10.2%）。