Basic Research on the Burden of Dropping off and Picking up Children: Differences by Employment Type and Gender in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

There is a need to reduce the burden of child drop-off and pick-up for child-rearing generations, but most studies on the actual situation in Japan are based on survey results. In this study, we analyzed differences in child drop-off and pick-up by employment type and gender, utilizing the “Metropolitan Area Person Trip Survey,” which is a statistical data set. The study targeted households in which both spouses were between 30 and 49 years old, had children under the age of 6, and included the following three groups. 1) Dual-income Group 1 (both spouses employed/on contract/temporary);2) Dual-income Group 2 (husband employed/on contract/temporary, wife part-time);3) Full-time housewife group (husband employed, wife unemployed). The analysis revealed that a) wives are almost always responsible for dropping off and picking up their children;b) husbands drop off and pick up their children less frequently in dual-income households;and c) households with children raising within 10 to 30 km of Tokyo Station have longer commuting times and need to reduce the burden of dropping off and picking up their children.

A tripartite evolutionary game analysis of providing subsidies for pick-up/drop-off strategy in carpooling problem

Although the pick-up/drop-off(PUDO)strategy in carpooling offers the convenience of short-distance walking for passengers during boarding and disembarking,there is a noticeable hesitancy among commuters to adopt this travel method,despite its numerous benefits.Here,this paper establishes a tripartite evolutionary game theory(EGT)model to verify the evolutionary stability of choosing the PUDO strategy of drivers and passengers and offering subsidies strategy of carpooling platforms in carpooling system.The model presented in this paper serves as a valuable tool for assessing the dissemination and implementation of PUDO strategy and offering subsidies strategy in carpooling applications.Subsequently,an empirical analysis is conducted to examine and compare the sensitivity of the parameters across various scenarios.The findings suggest that:firstly,providing subsidies to passengers and drivers,along with deductions for drivers through carpooling platforms,is an effective way to promote wider adoption of the PUDO strategy.Then,the decision-making process is divided into three stages:initial stage,middle stage,and mature stage.PUDO strategy progresses from initial rejection to widespread acceptance among drivers in the middle stage and,in the mature stage,both passengers and drivers tend to adopt it under carpooling platform subsidies;the factors influencing the costs of waiting and walking times,as well as the subsidies granted to passengers,are essential determinants that require careful consideration by passengers,drivers,and carpooling platforms when choosing the PUDO strategy.Our work provides valuable insight into the PUDO strategy’s applicability and the declared results provide implications for traffic managers and carpooling platforms to offer a suitable incentive.