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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Evolution of Mode Choice: Examining the Relationship Between Telecommuting and Transit Use</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2702855</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project aims to quantify the impacts of telecommuting on transit use. Data for this analysis is derived from the 2019 and 2023 editions of the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) household travel survey and a joint model of telecommuting and transit use frequency is estimated to understand the nature of the relationship in the pre- and post-pandemic periods. The findings reveal a U-shaped relationship between telecommuting and transit use. Lower transit frequency was observed at both the highest and lowest levels of telecommuting, while higher transit frequency was associated with medium or hybrid levels of telecommuting. This pattern became even more pronounced in 2023. Computations of average treatment effects show that transitioning from medium-level (hybrid) telecommuting to non-telecommuting resulted in a 21 percent decrease in transit use in 2019, and a steeper 35 percent decrease in 2023. Similarly, moving from hybrid to frequent telecommuting led to a six percent reduction in transit use in 2019, and a larger nine percent reduction in 2023. These findings suggest that the loss in transit ridership in the post-pandemic era is likely to persist and that compelling workers to return to the workplace full-time is unlikely to yield significant gains unless transit agencies find innovative ways to attract non-telecommuters (full commuters) back to transit. Instead, embracing a hybrid work modality while providing incentives to promote transit use may yield greater benefits.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 15:50:48 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Autonomous Electric Ferries (Autoferry) - Low Carbon Connectors - II</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2548807</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Island and peninsula communities in the Puget Sound are often isolated from regional cities like Seattle and Tacoma due to large transit time by road. Regional ferry systems are large and expensive to operate, limiting the number of service times and access points. Most of the ferries only operate between larger regional towns and major cities, isolating smaller communities that often lack bus services as well. Autonomous electric ferries offer a unique low-carbon option to better connect rural communities in the region. In recent years, the Washington state ferry system has struggled with staffing and maintenance of older diesel ferry systems. For example, the residents of Anderson Island and Ketron Island in the south Puget Sound region are served by one ferry that connects them to the mainland. For Ketron Island, the ferry runs only 4 times per day and was out of service completely for several days recently while the ferry was being repaired. This project will focus on addressing key technical objectives with the autonomous ferries, including (1) autonomous docking procedures, (2) optimization of possible routes for weather and tidal events, and (3) building deeper partnerships with commercialization partners. Our methods will include literature review, weather and tidal data collection, design and prototyping, and testing.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2025 15:30:15 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Autonomous Electric Ferries (Autoferry) - Low Carbon Connectors - I </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2508973</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Island and peninsula communities in Puget Sound are often isolated from regional cities like Seattle and Tacoma due to an extensive transit time by road. Regional ferry systems are large and expensive to operate, limiting the number of service times and access points. Most of the ferries only operate between larger regional towns and major cities, isolating smaller communities that often lack bus services as well.
Autonomous electric ferries offer a unique low-carbon option to better connect rural communities in the region. For example, the residents of Anderson Island and Ketron Island in the south Puget Sound region are served by one ferry that connects them to the mainland. For Ketron Island, the ferry runs only four times per day and was out of service entirely for several days recently while the ferry was repaired. On the nearby peninsula, the community of Longbranch is accessible by road, but travel requires more than an hour by car for residents to reach services. Several tribal communities are included in these isolated areas.
An autonomous passenger ferry would operate like an elevator, where passengers on one side press a button to summon the ferry. While the ferry is not in use, it charges at the dock in preparation for the call. The ferry could transport passengers and bikes, creating a new alternative to traditional car-centric communities. The Seattle-Tacoma area has 23.8 million passengers on ferries per year, which could be shifted to low-carbon electric ferries over time.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:35:26 GMT</pubDate>
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