Forecasting a future with automated vehicles in Switzerland: Exploring the urban-rural divide and system effects

Abstract

Newly developed improvements in agent-based transport modeling and AV research are combined in this study to explore the effects of AVs on the Swiss transport system. In doing so, this massive modeling effort gives new insights into both the strengths and weakness of the agent-based transport model MATSim, newly developed scenario building software that allows the integration of population forecasts, and how AVs affect urban and rural regions differently. In addition, the MATSim results are used to perform a congestion analysis to evaluate how AVs will affect key congestion hot spots.