Mobility on Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Similarities, Differences, and Potential Implications for Transportation in the Developing World

Authors: Susan Shaheen, PhD and Adam Cohen Date: September 2021 Abstract: Innovative and emerging transportation services, such as shared mobility, MOD, and MaaS, are expanding across the developing world. MOD emphasizes the commodification of passenger mobility and goods delivery and transportation systems management, whereas MaaS primarily focuses on passenger mobility aggregation and subscription services. The public sector can support and leverage MOD and MaaS through a variety of service, information, fare integration, and data sharing partnerships. In particular, the growth of “super” apps in Africa and Asia are offering consumers all-in-one mobile platforms for a variety of transportation and shopping options, mobile wallets, and other services that, in some cases, offer deeper levels of integration and are more advanced than comparable platforms in Europe and North America. While research on “super” apps is limited, anecdotal evidence suggests that by bundling a variety of consumer services together, these apps have the potential to enhance traveler convenience, multimodal trip planning, and access to goods and services. View...

Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstrations Independent Evaluation (IE) – Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Pima County Adaptive Mobility with Reliability and Efficiency (AMORE) Project Evaluation Plan

Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstrations Independent Evaluation (IE) – Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Pima County Adaptive Mobility with Reliability and Efficiency (AMORE) Project Evaluation Plan Date: August 2018 Author(s): Cordahi, Gustave; Shaheen, Susan; Martin, Elliot Abstract: The Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration Program provides a venue through which integrated MOD concepts and solutions – supported through local partnerships – are demonstrated in real-world settings. For each of the 11 MOD Sandbox Demonstration projects, the MOD Sandbox Independent Evaluation includes an analysis of project impacts from performance measures provided by the project partners, as well as an assessment of the business models used. This report constitutes the Evaluation Plan for the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Pima County Adaptive Mobility with Reliability and Efficiency (AMORE) Sandbox project. It includes the following chapters: project overview; evaluation approach and process; evaluation schedule and management; and data collection & analysis plan. View...

Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration: Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) OpenTripPlanner (OTP) Shared-Use Mobility Evaluation Report

Authors: Elliot Martin, PhD, Adam Cohen, Evan Magsig, Susan Shaheen, PhD Date: July 2020 Abstract: This report evaluates the TriMet OpenTripPlanner (OTP) project, part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) MOD Sandbox Program. The TriMet OTP project was designed to enhance the existing TriMet trip planner to include shared-use mobility (SUM) options, real-time information on transit vehicle arrivals, pedestrian routing in consideration of sidewalks, and other interface enhancements. The evaluation explored the technical function of the TriMet OTP, including geocoding, routing, and data veracity. It also evaluated user response to the TriMet OTP through a survey and an unscripted test of its trip planning and routing capabilities. Finally, expert (stakeholder/project partner) interviews with project participants were conducted to assess lessons learned from the project operation. Overall, the results found that the TriMet OTP was an enhancement over the existing TriMet trip planner and provided some features that were superior to other leading trip planners. The results of the evaluation supported the hypotheses that the design interfaces were improved, the shared mobility and real-time information was useful, and the new design would facilitate better access and egress to transit. Some challenges were uncovered with respect to the capacity of the Pelias geocoder to handle misspellings or unusual inputs relative to other geocoders. The pedestrian routing also displayed a few limitations but performed well overall. Most hypotheses in this evaluation were supported, and, overall, the project was found to perform very well. View...

Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration: Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) OpenTripPlanner (OTP) Shared-Use Mobility Evaluation Report

Authors: Elliot Martin, PhD, Adam Cohen, Evan Magsig, Susan Shaheen, PhD Date: July 2020 Abstract: This report evaluates the TriMet OpenTripPlanner (OTP) project, part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) MOD Sandbox Program. The TriMet OTP project was designed to enhance the existing TriMet trip planner to include shared-use mobility (SUM) options, real-time information on transit vehicle arrivals, pedestrian routing in consideration of sidewalks, and other interface enhancements. The evaluation explored the technical function of the TriMet OTP, including geocoding, routing, and data veracity. It also evaluated user response to the TriMet OTP through a survey and an unscripted test of its trip planning and routing capabilities. Finally, expert (stakeholder/project partner) interviews with project participants were conducted to assess lessons learned from the project operation. Overall, the results found that the TriMet OTP was an enhancement over the existing TriMet trip planner and provided some features that were superior to other leading trip planners. The results of the evaluation supported the hypotheses that the design interfaces were improved, the shared mobility and real-time information was useful, and the new design would facilitate better access and egress to transit. Some challenges were uncovered with respect to the capacity of the Pelias geocoder to handle misspellings or unusual inputs relative to other geocoders. The pedestrian routing also displayed a few limitations but performed well overall. Most hypotheses in this evaluation were supported, and, overall, the project was found to perform very well. View...

MOD Sandbox Demonstrations Independent Evaluation (IE) Tri-County Metropolitan (TriMet) Transportation District of Oregon — OpenTripPlanner Shared-Use Mobility (OTP SUM) Evaluation Plan

Authors: Gustave Cordahi, Susan Shaheen, Elliot Martin, Mikaela Hoffman-Stapleton Date: October 2018 Abstract: The Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration Program provides a venue through which integrated MOD concepts and solutions – supported through local partnerships – are demonstrated in real-world settings. For each of the 11 MOD Sandbox Demonstration projects, the MOD Sandbox Independent Evaluation includes an analysis of project impacts from performance measures provided by the project partners, as well as an assessment of the business models used. This report constitutes the Evaluation Plan for the TriMet OTP SUM Sandbox project. It includes the following chapters: project overview; evaluation approach and process; evaluation schedule and management; and data collection and analysis plan. View...