by Innovative Mobility Research | Sep 29, 2021 |
Authors: Adam Cohen, Susan Shaheen, PhD, and Emily Farrar Date: 2021 Abstract: Since the early 20th century, inventors have conceptualized “plane cars” and other urban aerial transportation. Emerging innovations in electrification, automation, and other technologies are enabling new opportunities for on-demand air mobility, business models, and aircraft design. Urban air mobility (UAM) envisions a safe, sustainable, affordable, and accessible air transportation system for passenger mobility, goods delivery, and emergency services within or traversing metropolitan areas. This research employed a multi-method approach comprised of 106 interviews with thought leaders and two stakeholder workshops to construct the history, ecosystem, state of the industry, and potential evolution of UAM. The history, current developments, and anticipated milestones of UAM can be classified into six phases: 1) “flying car” concepts from the early 1910s to 1950s, 2) early UAM operations using scheduled helicopter services from the 1950s to 1980s, 3) re-emergence of on-demand services starting in the 2010s, 4) corridor services using vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) envisioned for the 2020s, 5) hub and spoke services, and 6) point-to-point services. In the future, UAM could face several barriers to growth and mainstreaming, such as the existing regulatory environment; community acceptance; and concerns about safety, noise, social equity, and environmental impacts. UAM also could be limited by infrastructure and airspace management needs, as well as business model constraints. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research on sustainability, social and economic impacts, airspace integration, and other topics. View...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Sep 27, 2021 |
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...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Sep 22, 2021 |
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...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Aug 6, 2021 |
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...
by Innovative Mobility Research | Aug 6, 2021 |
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...
