A Futures Market for Demand Responsive Travel Pricing

Dynamic toll pricing based on demand can increase transportation revenue while also incentivizing travelers to avoid peak traffic periods. However, given the unpredictable nature of traffic, travelers lack the information necessary to accurately predict congestion, so dynamic pricing has minimal effect on demand. Dynamic toll pricing also poses equity concerns for those who lack other travel options. This research explores a potential remedy to these concerns by using a simple “futures market” pricing mechanism in which travelers can lock in a toll price for expected trips by prepaying for future tolls, with the future price increasing as more travelers book an overlapping time slot. This approach encourages travelers to avoid driving during the peak periods when pricing increases toward capacity or to purchase trips in advance when the price remains low or discounted, thus using infrastructure capacity more efficiently. Travelers that do not prepurchase their trip are subject to the real-time market price, which is determined by dynamic congestion pricing. This futures-market mechanism can augment existing toll collection technologies and provide travelers with sufficient pricing information and purchasing options to preplan their travel and avoid excessive prices.

• Record URL:
  • http://doi.org/10.7922/G2VM49MK
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Berkeley

  Institute of Transportation Studies
  McLaughlin Hall
  Berkeley, CA  United States  94720
• Authors:
  • Fournier, Nicholas
  • 0000-0002-4722-4138
  • Patire, Anthony
  • 0000-0002-3109-4164
  • Skabardonis, Alexander
  • 0000-0002-7064-5993
• Publication Date: 2023-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 45p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Congestion pricing; Economic elasticity; Fare and toll prepayment; Traffic forecasting; Travel demand; Variable tolls
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01919605
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UC-ITS-2022-33
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 28 2024 9:14AM