MICROSIMULATION: ITS APPLICATION TO CAR SHARING

Abstract The advantages and disadvantages of microsimulation techniques are discussed with particular reference to their use in the modelling of organised car sharing schemes. A critical comparison of model predictions and actual scheme performance is presented. Emphasis is placed on the representational transparency which microsimulation can allow and the importance of this feature in modelling complex processes or unobservable phenomena. Microsimulation is seen to have particular advantages in the representation of equilibration or market clearance mechanisms. The limitations of microsimulation are discussed and seen to be serious enough to warrant the restriction of the technique to those circumstances where its particular advantages are called for.