30 Sep 2025 (Tue) 11:00-12:15 | Seminar by Prof. Fang He

Strategic Coordination and Integration in Ride-Hailing Platforms

Speaker:

Prof. Fang He

Department of Industrial Engineering

Tsinghua University

Date:    Sep 30, 2025 (Tuesday)

Time:   11:00 am – 12:15 pm

Venue:  Room 8-28, 8/F Haking Wong Building, The University of Hong Kong

Abstract

This seminar synthesizes two complementary game-theoretic investigations that together illuminate how ride-hailing ecosystems can be steered toward greater efficiency and welfare. The first study frames idle drivers’ information-enabled relocation as a multi-stage leader–follower game on arbitrary service networks. The platform (leader) designs relocation subsidies; drivers (followers) relocate and compete for revenue. Existence and uniqueness results show that when volume imbalances are pronounced or commission rates are low, drivers’ self-interested moves already align with system objectives, making relocation-specific subsidies superfluous. In residual cases, spatial–temporal targeted incentives can double platform profit and markedly boost trip completions, with gains amplified on sparse networks and when driver behavior retains moderate stochasticity. The second study examines the rise of third-party integrated platforms (IPs) that match orders across heterogeneous service providers (SPs) under a revenue-sharing commission. A three-stage mixed-integer game reveals that integration outcomes hinge on four interactive forces: relative SP size, demand stimulation, profit redistribution, and commission design. Excessive consolidation dampens competition, discourages large SPs, and allows the IP to over-extract surplus—threatening industry welfare when worker supply is ample. A ceiling-commission policy emerges as an effective regulatory safeguard.

Bio

Dr. Fang He is Deputy Head for Research and Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tsinghua University. He serves as the Executive Vice Dean of the Tsinghua University–COSCO Shipping Green & Intelligent Supply Chain Institute. His research focuses on network modeling and optimization, large-scale combinatorial optimization and deep reinforcement learning, producing more than 60 journal papers, including publications in TS (6), Transportation Research Part Series (40+), and POM (3). He serves as the Associate Editor of Transportation Science and the Editor of Transportation Research Part B. Dr. He is also a recipient of a national-level Young Talent Program in China, and his scholarly work has been implemented by China COSCO Shipping Group, AutoNavi Ride-Hailing, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the Wuhan Power Grid, among other high-impact sectors. He has been recognized as an Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Scholar for six consecutive years (2019–2024), with a single paper exceeding 600 citations. Dr. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Tsinghua University in 2010 and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Florida in 2014.