Advancing Equity and Congestion Relief: An Investigation into On-Demand Shared Rides for Under-served Populations

Transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit are changing the way people travel by providing dynamic, on-demand mobility that can supplement public transit and personal vehicle use. Early research suggests that TNCs can expand access and mobility for underserved communities, such as racial minorities and persons with disabilities. However, heavy TNC use among all socio-demographic populations could contribute to increased vehicle miles traveled, congestion, and/or greenhouse gas emissions. Well-designed policy strategies are needed to balance the objectives of increasing mobility and access for underserved communities while simultaneously mitigating the potential adverse impacts of increased TNC usage through policies such as pooling and first-mile and last-mile linkages. However, more research is needed to better understand the mobility gaps and needs of underserved populations to identify potential strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of TNCs and other on-demand transportation services and make the services more equitable. This part of the project proposes to employ a mixed-method approach to examine on-demand transportation services for underserved populations with a focus on shared-ride services. A series of interviews and a literature review will be conducted, identifying individual narratives and lived experiences to put the flesh into quantitative analysis. The study will deploy a national mobility survey and conduct analysis to uncover current shared mobility user patterns and possible relationships to transportation equity. This study will inform why certain socio-demographic populations are more likely to use on-demand transportation services, particularly shared mobilities, factors that contribute to user behavior, and potential strategies to maximize equitable access and mobility offered through these services while mitigating potential adverse impacts.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $149950
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3551947136,

  79075-00-B

• 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 Research (NICR)

  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:

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Principal Investigators:

  Sener, Ipek

• Start Date: 20211001
• Expected Completion Date: 20230831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Accessibility; Demand responsive transportation; Demographics; Equity; Mobility; Persons with disabilities; Public transit; Ridesourcing; Social factors; Transportation disadvantaged persons
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01893880
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Institute for Congestion Reduction
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551947136,, 79075-00-B
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 21 2023 3:17PM