Shared vehicle management apparatus and shared vehicle management method

A navigation system for managing shared vehicles shared by users, comprising:

• a first storage configured to store information on a plurality of stations at which the shared vehicles can be used and returned;
• a reservation acceptance device configured to accept a use reservation of a shared vehicle from a user,
• the use reservation including information on a departure station and an arrival station,
• the departure station being set by the user as a station from which the user expects to use the shared vehicle, and
• the arrival station being set by the user as a station to which the user returns the shared vehicle after use;
• a return occasion detector configured to detect a return start occasion on which the user using the shared vehicle returns the shared vehicle based on a remaining distance for return from the current position of the shared vehicle to the arrival station;
• a route guidance device configured to execute guidance of a travel route including a route from a current position of the shared vehicle used by the user to the arrival station set for the shared vehicle;
• and
• a remaining distance detector configured to:
• detect a remaining distance for return that is a distance from the current position of the shared vehicle to the arrival station set for the shared vehicle and
• calculate a reduction rate of the remaining distance for return per unit time as a positive value when the shared vehicle is traveling toward the arrival station and a negative value when the shared vehicle is traveling away from the arrival station,
• wherein, the route guidance device does not start the guidance of the travel route until the return occasion detector detects the return start occasion for the user after the user starts to use the shared vehicle, and the route guidance device uses detection of the return start occasion by the return occasion detector as a trigger to start the guidance of the travel route,
• wherein the return occasion detector is configured to detect the return start occasion based on the comparison result between data obtained by using the remaining distance for return that is a distance from the current position of the shared vehicle to the arrival station and a predetermined threshold value,
• wherein, when the reduction rate is a reduction rate threshold or more, the return occasion detector detects the return start occasion, and
• wherein the reduction rate threshold is corrected from a first value to a second value based on a detected situation.