by Innovative Mobility Research | Mar 4, 2021 |
Authors: Susan Shaheen, PhD, Jessica Lazarus, Juan Caicedo, Alexandre Bayen, PhD Date: February 1, 2021 Abstract: On-demand mobility services including transportation network companies (also known as ridesourcing and ridehailing) like Lyft and Uber are changing the way that people travel by providing dynamic mobility that can supplement public transit and personal-vehicle use. However, TNC services have been found to contribute to increasing vehicle mileage, traffic congestion, and greenhouse gas emissions. Pooling rides ⎯ sharing a vehicle by multiple passengers to complete journeys of similar origin and destination ⎯ can increase the average vehicle occupancy of TNC trips and thus mitigate some of the negative impacts. Several mobility companies have launched app-based pooling services in recent years including app-based carpooling services (e.g., Waze Carpool, Scoop) that match drivers with riders; pooled on-demand ride services (e.g., Uber Pool and Lyft Shared rides) that match multiple TNC users; and microtransit services (e.g., Bridj, Chariot, Via) that offer on-demand, flexibly routed service, typically in larger vehicles such as vans or shuttles. However, information on the potential impacts of these options is so far limited. This research employs a general population stated preference survey of four California metropolitan regions (Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area) in Fall 2018 to examine the opportunities and challenges for drastically expanding the market for pooling, accounting for differences in emergent travel behavior and preferences across the four metropolitan regions surveyed. The travel profiles, TNC use patterns, and attitudes and perceptions of TNCs and pooling are analyzed across key socio-demographic attributes to enrich behavioral understanding of marginalized and price sensitive users of on-demand ride...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Jun 15, 2020 |
Authors: Stephen Wong, Jacquelyn Broader, and Susan Shaheen Date: June 2020 Abstract: Ensuring social equity in evacuations and disasters remains a critical challenge for many emergency management and transportation agencies. Recent sharing economy advances – including transportation network companies (TNCs, also known as ridehailing and ridesourcing), carsharing, and homesharing – may supplement public resources and ensure more equitable evacuations. To explore the social equity implications of the sharing economy in disasters, we conducted four focus groups (n=37) of vulnerable populations impacted by California wildfires in 2017 or 2018. To structure these data, we employed the Spatial Temporal Economic Physiological Social (STEPS) equity framework in an evacuation context. We contribute to the literature by: 1) summarizing the focus groups and their opinions on the sharing economy in evacuations; 2) capturing wildfire evacuation obstacles through the STEPS transportation equity framework; and 3) linking STEPS and focus group results to explore the future potential of shared resources. Using STEPS, we also expand our shared resource exploration to 18 vulnerable groups. We found that all focus groups were highly concerned with driver availability and reliability and the ability of vehicles to reach evacuation zones, not necessarily safety and security. Each group also expressed specific limitations related to their vulnerability. For example, individuals with disabilities were most concerned with inaccessible vehicles and homes. Using the STEPS framework, we found that while multiple vulnerable groups could gain considerable benefits from shared resources, 10 of the 18 groups experience three or more key challenges to implementation. We offer several policy recommendations to address equity-driven planning and shared resource limitations. View...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Mar 16, 2020 |
Authors: Gustave Cordahi, Susan Shaheen, PhD, Elliot Martin, PhD Date: June 2018 Abstract: The MOD Sandbox Demonstrations are sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The MOD Sandbox Demonstrations Independent Evaluation is sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), jointly by the Intelligent Transportation Systems – Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) and the FTA. All documents are USDOT publications. You may access the document at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/36386. Pierce Transit (PT) provides public transportation services in the urbanized area of Pierce County, Washington, Washington’s second largest county. This area includes the City of Tacoma; and the communities of Edgewood, Fife, Fircrest, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Milton, Puyallup, Ruston, Steilacoom, Tacoma, University Place; portions of Auburn and Pacific; and some unincorporated portions of Pierce County. The service area population is 557,069. PT is proposing a three-pronged approach to address the issues facing its community. The issues include park and ride lot congestion, fixed route service ending before night classes finish, and concentrated population living outside a walkable distance from fixed route bus service. Based on an average Lyft trip cost using various zones and times of day, PT calculated an average trip cost of $11 for their rideshare partners. All trips are subsidized and offered in the following ways: The first approach is a first/last mile solution, and refers to those riders needing transportation to or from transit because their start or end point lies beyond a half-mile from nearest transit access. Pierce Transit is collaborating with their rideshare partner to provide first/last mile service in and between select zones, and these trips are subsidized. The second approach is a guaranteed ride home, which refers to...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Mar 16, 2020 |
Authors: Gustave Cordahi, Susan Shaheen, PhD, Elliot Martin, PhD Date: June 2018 Abstract: The MOD Sandbox Demonstrations are sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The MOD Sandbox Demonstrations Independent Evaluation is sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), jointly by the Intelligent Transportation Systems – Joint Program Office (ITS JPO) and the FTA. All documents are USDOT publications. You may access the document at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/36657 DART is a transit agency in Dallas, Texas, that operates bus, light rail, commuter rail, streetcar, paratransit, and vanpool services in Dallas and its suburbs. While DART has expanded its services significantly to help accommodate the explosive growth in the area, increasing rider penetration and service frequency, most notably through bus service, has been a challenge. Many residents of the Dallas/Fort Worth area have difficulty completing the first mile and last mile(FMLM) of their commutes, even while high-frequency rail or bus service is available for a major portion of their trips. Nearly 28 percent of all residents and 24 percent of all DART service area jobs are more than 1/4 mile from a bus stop or rail station. DART’s MOD Sandbox demonstration aims at implementing FMLM solutions to improve service and connectivity for customers and provide efficiencies and cost effectiveness within DART’s operations. To solve the FMLM challenge, DART is leveraging its GoPass ticketing app to implement a soft integration, also referred to as a smart-app switch, into the apps for transportation network companies (TNCs) (e.g., Uber and Lyft). This will provide seamless access to multiple transportation options, allowing the DART community the ability to travel door to door. This will be accomplished by leveraging the application...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Mar 3, 2020 |
Authors: Susan Shaheen, PhD, Adam Cohen, Michael Randolph, Emily Farrar, Richard Davis, and Aqshems Nichols Date: December 2019 Abstract: The Shared Mobility Policy Playbook provides an introduction and definitions of shared mobility services, mode-specific resources for agencies looking to develop policies in their community, and policy-focused tools demonstrating case studies and best practices for shared mobility. This playbook has been designed for individuals and practitioners who want to know more about shared mobility and to communities interested in incorporating shared mobility into their transportation ecosystem. It is a practical guide with resources, information, and tools for local governments, public agencies, and non-governmental organizations seeking to incorporate and manage innovative and emerging shared mobility services. The following are suggested uses of this playbook: Access shared mobility resources including: opportunities, lessons learned, and best practices for deploying shared mobility across the United States. Use this playbook as a guide for strategic transportation planning and incorporating shared mobility into transportation plans and models. Reference best practices, lessons learned, and case studies to aid public policy development....
