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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=PHNlYXJjaD48cGFyYW1zPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJkYXRlaW4iIHZhbHVlPSJhbGwiIC8+PHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9InN1YmplY3Rsb2dpYyIgdmFsdWU9Im9yIiAvPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJ0ZXJtc2xvZ2ljIiB2YWx1ZT0ib3IiIC8+PHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9ImxvY2F0aW9uIiB2YWx1ZT0iMTYiIC8+PC9wYXJhbXM+PGZpbHRlcnM+PGZpbHRlciBmaWVsZD0iaW5kZXh0ZXJtcyIgdmFsdWU9IiZxdW90O1Bhc3NlbmdlciB0cmFuc3BvcnRhdGlvbiZxdW90OyIgb3JpZ2luYWxfdmFsdWU9IiZxdW90O1Bhc3NlbmdlciB0cmFuc3BvcnRhdGlvbiZxdW90OyIgLz48L2ZpbHRlcnM+PHJhbmdlcyAvPjxzb3J0cz48c29ydCBmaWVsZD0icHVibGlzaGVkIiBvcmRlcj0iZGVzYyIgLz48L3NvcnRzPjxwZXJzaXN0cz48cGVyc2lzdCBuYW1lPSJyYW5nZXR5cGUiIHZhbHVlPSJwdWJsaXNoZWRkYXRlIiAvPjwvcGVyc2lzdHM+PC9zZWFyY2g+" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Operational Innovations for Efficiency and Accessibility of On-demand Mobility in Rural Areas</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2509042</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Unlike the fixed-route transit service, microtransit can thrive in rural and suburban areas with low demand density, because its operation is tailored to individual travel plans. Therefore, microtransit has great potential in improving mobility and accessibility for certain individuals in rural areas. Although many researchers have investigated how microtransit vehicle schedules and routes can be optimized, it is widely assumed that travel requests submitted by individual riders are accommodated independently, without exploring any coordination among riders. The proposed project aims to relax this assumption and test the hypothesis that a microtransit operator can significantly improve the operational efficiency (measured by the vehicle occupancy) by merely adjusting the requested pickup time windows through a process named rider schedule coordination. The following research tasks are proposed under this project: conducting a comprehensive review of individual decision-making coordination in microtransit, formulating and solving a mathematical program for schedule coordination, and deriving insights from extensive numerical studies and case studies. This project, once completed, can improve the microtransit accessibility for residents in rural communities and reduce the service delivery cost for the operator, both of which are well aligned with the center’s themes.    ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:36:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2509042</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Supply Chain Outreach and Rail Economic Impact Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2505753</link>
      <description><![CDATA[North Carolina's supply chain is vital to the state's economy, driving job creation, supporting key industries, and facilitating efficient trade and commerce, which collectively enhance the state's competitiveness and economic resilience. Intricately linked to the productivity of North Carolina’s supply chain is North Carolina’s rail system, which serves as a critical network for shipping many raw materials, manufactured goods, and over-sized cargo around the state and across the country. Freight rail provides an important means to export North Carolina products to market and supplies vital manufacturing and agricultural inputs that support the North Carolina economy through business revenue and jobs. The economic benefits of rail are dispersed throughout the state, with recognized benefits occurring corridors with direct access to Class I and short line railroads as well as intermodal and transload facilities.


The purpose of this research project is to shine a spotlight on the economic importance of North Carolina’s supply chain and rail system through three primary aims. First, this
research aims to bring widespread awareness of the economic importance of North
Carolina’s supply chain by disseminating key findings of the Economic Contribution of
North Carolina's Supply Chain (RP2023-09) via meetings, webinars, and conferences to a variety of audiences, including transportation professionals, city and regional planners,
economic development agencies, and manufacturing organizations, among other key
stakeholders. Second, this research project aims to develop an online, interactive Storymap of the results from RP2023-09. Using online visualization as a value add to findings in a report enhances the accessibility and comprehension of complex data, allowing stakeholders to interact with and explore information dynamically, identify trends and patterns more easily, and make more informed decisions based on real-time insights. Third, this research aims to demonstrate the economic importance of passenger rail in Western NC based on the methods and techniques developed in the Economic Contribution of Rail in North Carolina (RP2022-19) and a study titled “Western North Carolina Passenger Rail Feasibility Study” completed by WGI, Inc.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:40:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2505753</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices. Topic S07-06. Application of Large Language Models in Enhancing Airport Passenger Experience



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2458785</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Airports today face an increasingly complex landscape characterized by a few challenges, such as operational inefficiencies, fluctuating passenger demands, and the ever-growing need to enhance the customer experience. These challenges are exacerbated by the dynamic nature of air travel, which demands rapid adaptation to changing conditions, whether due to unexpected surges in passenger numbers, shifts in travel patterns, or the need to respond to sudden disruptions. Traditional approaches to managing these issues relied on human inputs, which can cause delays, increased operational costs, and suboptimal passenger experiences. Large Language Models (LLMs) have the ability to interpret diverse forms of user textual inputs and generate contextual responses on demand. By processing vast amounts of data in real-time and efficiently delivering responses, LLMs have the potential to revolutionize the way airports interact with passengers and enhance operational efficiencies. Recognizing this potential, some airports have begun integrating this technology into their operations. However, it remains unclear how the broader airport industry can fully leverage LLMs. The potential costs and risks associated with adopting LLMs have yet to be thoroughly explored. 

The objective of this synthesis is to document how Large Language Models (LLMs) are being incorporated  into the airport environment to enhance passenger experience. The audience for this synthesis are airport practitioners that are responsible for passenger experience and those involved in technology evaluation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 18 Nov 2024 20:38:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2458785</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding Transit Willingness-to-Ride, Barriers-to-Access, and Anticipated Impacts of Proposed BRT Corridors</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417302</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed project will focus on communities along the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors of Federal Boulevard and East Colfax Avenue in Denver. The purpose of the proposed project is twofold: (i) to understand the current barriers of transit use, such as a lack of bus stop infrastructure, safety concerns, first and last-mile connectivity issues, etc.; and (ii) to identify solutions that best address the needs of the community. The aim is to complement and expand the scope of Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)’s ongoing work towards making the BRT project successful and equitable. The proposed BRT lines run through very diverse communities, both in terms of race and income, so understanding the unique needs and concerns of the communities impacted is essential. A study engaging community members and their direct input can help ensure that the effects of BRT introduction are equitably distributed in both the short and long term]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:59:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417302</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title> Guidelines for Managing Current and Future Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) Operations at Airports







</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2413910</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Aug 2024 19:37:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2413910</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Planning and Dynamic Management of Autonomous Modular Mobility Services</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2329133</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As we enter the next era of autonomous driving, robo-vehicles (which serve as low-cost and fully compliant drivers) are being used to replace conventional chauffeured services in the mobility market. During just the last few years, companies like Waymo, inc. and Cruise, inc. have already offered fully driverless robo-taxi services to the general public in cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. The rapid evolution of autonomous vehicles is anticipated to reshape the shared mobility market very soon.
This project aims to address the following open questions: (1) At the operational level, how should modular units be allocated across multiple categories of customers (e.g., passenger and freight cabins), and how should they be matched in real time? How to enhance system efficiency by dynamic relocation and swap of modular chassis? (2) At the strategic or tactical level, how should the rolling stock resources (modular chassis, passenger and freight cabins) be planned, and where shall chassis swapping sites be located? How could any potential transaction cost for a chassis swap, such as the time required for a modular chassis to be assembled with a customized cabin, affect the optimal strategy and system performance? (3) How can customer priorities (e.g., passenger vs. freight) affect system performance, and how can service providers manage demand by specific pricing scheme or discriminative customer service strategies?

The research team will conduct the following research tasks: (1) analytically derive systems of implicit nonlinear equations in the closed form, including a set of differential equations, to analyze the modular autonomous mobility system, and to estimate the expected system performance in the steady state; (2) conduct a series of agent-based simulation experiments to verify the accuracy of the proposed analytical formulas and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed modular chassis services; (3) design policy instruments to enhance transportation system performance; (4) prepare a research report that documents the findings from the project, data, analysis methodology, case study results, and implementation recommendations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 28 Jan 2024 12:40:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2329133</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Automated vehicle-supported mobility services for rural areas</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2251095</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Safe, reliable, and affordable transportation services is vital for maximizing economic productivity and quality of life. High operational costs and limited funding of public transportation services are significant limitations in providing essential transportation services in these areas. In rural and small urban areas where funding is a major challenge, providing non-mandated services to improve the mobility of people is not always possible. Research assessing the needs of rural communities and how autonomous vehicle (AV)-supported mobility service delivery models could meet those needs is limited [Breitenbach, 2022]. This study aims to develop AV-supported mobility service models in supporting travel demand of rural communities. The research team will share the findings with agencies with rural transportation service focus in WV. In addition, the findings will be presented in conferences and published in peer-reviewed journal.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 15:52:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2251095</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Engaging Underserved Communities and Populations in Child Passenger Safety</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2205311</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Children living in underserved communities have lower rates of child restraint use than children living in other communities. A 2014 study published in Pediatrics (official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) found significantly higher proportions of white parents reported their 1- to 3-year-old and 4- to 7-year-old children always used the age-appropriate restraint compared with nonwhite parents (85.3% vs 61.3% and 88.5% vs 69.1%) (https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/133/2/262/30876/Disparities-in-Age-Appropriate-Child-Passenger?autologincheck=redirected). This research reinforces the need to more equitably implement highway safety programs, with an increased focus on people living in underserved communities.

Child Passenger Safety (CPS) is one focus area for State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs), affording the opportunity to more effectively engage people living in underserved communities. Achieving this objective would further the CPS goal of protecting children from motor vehicle crash fatalities and injuries. Repeated requests for best practices have yielded some materials, but there is no research-based toolkit available for SHSOs and other organizations with a vested interest in children’s education, health, and safety to support more effective engagement of underserved communities.

For the purpose of this RFP (1) “underserved communities” are defined as areas of persistent poverty and historically disadvantaged communities and (2) “organizations with a vested interest in children’s education, health, and safety” include (but are not limited to) schools, first responders, faith-based organizations, community organizations, outreach programs, social services, and health care providers.   

The objective of this research was to develop a CPS toolkit, that reflects behavioral safety principles and practices, to serve as a resource to support more effective engagement of underserved communities and populations. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Jul 2023 13:01:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2205311</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Coordinated Volunteer Transportation in Western New York State</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2071570</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. will receive funding to coordinate a volunteer transportation network in Western New York State.  This project was designed as an efficient  response to the identified unmet needs and gaps in service within the region.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2022 14:20:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2071570</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SB-38. Paratransit Fleet Configurations</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1957076</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
The increase in the population of older adults who are ambulatory but are eligible to use paratransit has increased the demand for paratransit service delivery. This growth has, in turn, led some transit agencies to move away from standard one-vehicle type fleets in favor of a mixed fleet incorporating smaller accessible vehicles and non-accessible vehicles (generally sedans). 
 
 
 
 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 May 2022 11:49:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1957076</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices. Topic S03-17. Airport Centric Advanced Air Mobility Market Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1897247</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ACRP Synthesis 130: Airport-Centric Advanced Air Mobility Market Study, from TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program, is designed to help airports and other stakeholders as they plan for AAM. Many of the initial use cases for advanced air mobility (AAM) will be integrated into existing airports of all sizes, including airport ground access, connecting passenger service between regional and hub airports, and cargo operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:20:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1897247</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>4608: Forecasting Shifts in Hoosiers’ Travel Demand and Behavior</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1862610</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop long term future forecasts of transportation demand conditions for people and freight— both conventional and micro-freight package delivery in Indiana.  The results of this study will enable the agency to properly adjust its business practices, planning models/applications (e.g., Statewide Travel Demand Model or traffic microsimulation), and investment decisions to best serve those future conditions; and to carry out long-range scenario planning.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2021 15:26:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1862610</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Planning for Innovative and Emerging Mobility Futures at Intermodal Passenger Facilities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854175</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The introduction of innovative and emerging mobility technologies (e.g., transportation network companies [TNCs], shared automated vehicles, micromobility/active transportation, etc.) has the potential to influence first- and last-mile connections to intermodal passenger facilities, congestion at station/terminal curbside and roadways, and long-range capital planning considerations. Reduced parking demand (due to mode shift) also has the potential to affect revenues and capital financing of intermodal facilities.
 
Transit centers and mobility hubs are increasingly becoming intermodal passenger hubs (increasingly complex multimodal facilities that can include any combination of public transportation, metro rail, commuter rail, shared mobility, micromobility, active transportation, and airports). While other CRP research has attempted to look at the effects of TNCs and changes on modal access, this research was not intermodal and did not include/emphasize innovative and emerging mobility technologies that could affect airports, such as automated and connected vehicles (AVs/CVs) and urban air mobility (UAM). This topic addresses both of these gaps by building on this earlier work while simultaneously focusing on planning for emerging transportation technologies by drawing on best practices from transit stations, rail stations, mobility hubs, airports, harbors, and other intermodal passenger facilities for long-range planning considerations for first- and last-mile access.
 
The objective of this research is to understand the impacts, opportunities, and challenges of innovative and emerging mobility on intermodal passenger facilities (including rail and bus transit stations, mobility hubs, water transit, and airports) and to identify best practices for short-, medium-, and long-range planning considerations. This research will expand understanding of the effects of innovative and emerging modes on ridership, infrastructure planning and design, operations, revenue, and greenhouse gas emissions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2021 16:18:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854175</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Economic Impact Report for Advanced Autonomous Aircraft Technologies in Ohio</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1742620</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It is the intent of this research  to complete a - Urban and Regional Air Mobility (URAM), which is an accessible air transport system for passengers and cargo in all environments and Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management (UTM), Civilian Low-altitude (400' and below) Airspace and Unmanned Aircraft System Operations economic impact report for managed air corridors for the state of Ohio connecting Ohio's major urban centers, emphasizing an air corridor connecting Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. This report will be used as a guide for Ohio's future investments and research in autonomous aircraft technologies

The FlyOhio Initiative is focused on enabling the lower altitude airspace concentrating on the advancement of autonomous aircraft technologies in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) realizes the economic and efficiency benefits for the management of the lower altitude airspace as a vehicle to enable additional modes of transportation and commerce. Ohio is committed to the tax payers to maintain and progress its investments to stay at the forefront of technology and to meet all the goals set forth by the Ohio Department of Transportation.       ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2020 17:13:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1742620</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Urban Microtransit Cross-sectional Study for Service Portfolio Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1697990</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A recent article from Boston Consulting Group and Via highlights advantages that microtransit can have when implemented under the right settings, an increasing research area. But what built environment and sociodemographic settings make these services most successful? How does this dependency on microtransit vary for different types of operations (e.g. door-to-door, virtual stops, trip distance and trip types, hub-and-spoke, first/last mile)? How do these benefits vary by users of the market? How do they perceive and value these benefits relative to their needs? Consequently, if the city agencies wish to construct a portfolio of solution options, how should they design their portfolios? How do electric charging requirements impact these decisions? This project will investigate these research questions. In partnership with Via, a worldwide transportation provider, and data collected from NYC DCAS, the research team will gain access to a cross-sectional data set of microtransit implementations, both electric and non-electric, from various cities worldwide. Using that data with sociodemographic and built environment data for each selected city from U.S. Census and international databases, the team will develop a model relating performance metrics of different classes of operations to city and service attributes. The model will then be applied within a service coverage optimization model to identify Pareto-dominant projects within a city to construct a portfolio of different service options and user preferences. For operational classes in which there is insufficient data, a day-to-day simulation developed by Chow will be used to extrapolate from existing operational class data (using that as baseline) to obtain metrics. In its focus on the user setting in terms of demographics and user behavior and preferences, the research differs from typical microtransit research in complementing research that tends to focus on characteristics of the industry and the physical systems.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2020 09:22:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1697990</guid>
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