Advancing Social/Racial Equity and Congestion Relief: Understanding the Travel Needs of Under-served Populations that Rely on Transportation Network Companies in the San Francisco area

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) enable travelers to order and pay for rides on-demand using an online application that connects them with drivers using their personal vehicles. While these modes present opportunities to increase individual mobility and access, they also can worsen congestion and increase vehicle emissions. Researchers explored factors impacting the willingness to use pooled TNCs and identified strategies/policies that could be employed to reduce congestion from TNC use. Researchers conducted a literature review, interviews with TNC experts, semi-structured interviews with lower-income, non-White TNC users, and small group discussions with lower- income, non-White TNC users. This research resulted in several key findings including the importance of travel time in the decision to pool, greater focus on meeting the needs of people with disabilities, key operational and safety drawbacks of public transportation (e.g., delayed vehicles, harassment onboard), and the importance of personal safety in transportation decision-making. These findings informed several policy options to better understand how TNC benefits can be maximized while minimizing their negative externalities, such as congestion and vehicle emissions.

• Record URL:
  https://nicr.usf.edu/2021/05/17/2-5-advancing-social-racial-equity-and-congestion-relief-understanding-the-travel-needs-of-marginalized-populations-that-rely-on-transportation-network-companies/

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $119,827
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551947136

  79075-00-C

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  National Institute for Congestion Reduction

  University of South Florida
  Tampa, FL  United States  33620
• Managing Organizations:

  National Institute for Congestion Reduction

  University of South Florida
  Tampa, FL  United States  33620
• Project Managers:

  Zhang, Yu

• Performing Organizations:

  University of California, Berkeley

  444 Davis Hall
  Berkeley, CA  United States  94720
• Principal Investigators:

  Shaheen, Susan

• Start Date: 20210415
• Expected Completion Date: 20220930
• Actual Completion Date: 20221101
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Congestion management systems; Equity; Mobility; Ridesourcing; Transportation disadvantaged persons
• Geographic Terms: San Francisco Bay Area; Texas Triangle megaregion
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01784704
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Institute for Congestion Reduction
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551947136, 79075-00-C
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 14 2021 12:23PM