Shared-Use Mobility Summit: Retrospective from North America’s First Gathering on Shared-use Mobility

by | Jun 6, 2014 |

Authors: Susan Shaheen and Matt Christensen Date: June 06, 2014 Abstract: Shared-use mobilitythe shared use of a vehicle, bicycle or other low-speed modeis an innovative transportation solution that enables users to have short-term access to a transportation mode. In North America, shared-use mobility encompasses the submarkets of carsharing, bikesharing, ridesharing, on-demand ride services, scooter sharing, shuttle services, and other emerging industries. In October 2013, the University of California, Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) hosted the inaugural Shared-Use Mobility Summit in San Francisco, California. The summit was a two-day event that facilitated a dialogue among nearly 300 participants representing close to 200 organizations. Participants included mobility providers, policymakers, governmental agencies, non-profits, technologists, academics, media, other stakeholders, and affiliated industries. One hundred and five (105) private companies attended the summit, and 62 governmental agencies were represented at the summit. Additionally, 44 academics from 17 universities participated. Of the 194 organizations represented, 26 were affiliated with carsharing, 16 with bikesharing, and 6 were associated with ridesharing and ondemand ride services or transportation network companies (TNCs). In recent years, economic, environmental, and social forces have quickly pushed shared-use mobility from the fringe to the mainstream, and its role in urban mobility has become a frequent point of discussion. The summit provided a diverse array of stakeholders the opportunity to advance the discussion by addressing key issues and helping to shape the future of shared-use mobility. This white paper, generously supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, discusses the state of the industry and trends in major shared-use mobility sectors: carsharing (including roundtrip, one-way, and peer-to-peer), bikesharing, ridesharing, and on-demand ride services (e.g., TNCs). The paper also...

Ridesharing in North America: Past, Present, and Future

by | Jan 1, 2012 |

Authors: Nelson D. Chan and Susan A. Shaheen Date: January 2012 Abstract: Since the late 1990s, numerous ride matching programmeshave integrated the Internet, mobile phones, and social networking into their services. Online ride matching systems are employing a range of new strategies to create “critical mass”: (1) regional and large employer partnerships, (2) financial incentives, (3) social networking to younger populations, and (4) real-time ride matching services that employ “smartphones”and automated ride matching software. Enhanced casual carpooling approaches, which focus on “meeting places”, are also being explored. Today, ridesharing represents approximately 8–11% of the transportation modal share in Canada and the USA, respectively. There are approximately 638 ridematching programmes in North America. Ridesharing’s evolution can be categorized into five phases: (1) World War II car-sharing (or carpooling) clubs; (2) major responses to the 1970s energy crises; (3) early organized ridesharing schemes; (4) reliable ridesharing systems; and (5) technology-enabled ridematching. While ridesharing’s future growth and direction are uncertain, the next decade is likely to include greater interoperability among services, technology integration, and stronger policy support. In light of growing concerns about climate change, congestion, and oil dependency, more research is needed to better understand ridesharing’s impacts on infrastructure, congestion, and energy/emissions...

Ridesharing as a Complement to Transit

by | Jul 1, 2010 |

Author: Paul Minett Date: Summer 2010 Abstract: Transit and carpooling/vanpooling (ridesharing) can be powerful allies – especially if leveraged together creatively.  By embracing ridesharing, transit agencies have been seen to expand their market base, as well as enhance transit operations. Ridesharing can supplement transit services in the high-cost peak period, can serve marginal routes that are costly for transit, and can increase the justification for HOV designations that serve transit as well.  If ridesharing and transit alternatives are packaged together, they can attract an even larger market share, displacing the single occupant auto in a growing number of metropolitan areas.  At the same time some transit agencies seem reluctant to get into ridesharing....