Envisioning Micromobility as Public Transit: Two intervention studies in the living lab of Davis, California
Mode share in public transit in the United States traditionally lags behind other developed countries. This trend, especially for rail ridership, has been exacerbated by the emergence of COVID-19, although there have been some signs of recovery. One promising strategy to encourage public transit use involves enhancing access and egress from transit stops. Given the potential of shared micromobility services to address the "last mile" challenge, there is growing interest in integrating these services into public transit services. However, achieving affordability and accessibility in micromobility services poses challenges for operators in ensuring sustainable operations at appropriate pricing levels. The cost of using micromobility services has sharply increased in recent years making it unaffordable for many people. Concurrently, the researchers’ recent research suggests there is consensus across private industry, government, and advocates that micromobility can best serve the public if it is viewed as a public transit option. To begin to envision micromobility as serving existing public transit and acting as public transportation itself, the researchers will examine the role of pricing on micromobility demand. In this project, the researchers will conduct two pricing-focused field experiments, partnered with the micromobility operator, SPIN, and a railway operator, Capitol Corridor. The first experiment will use the railway station of the Capitol Corridor in Davis, California as a living lab to assess the effectiveness of increasing rail usage by subsidizing micromobility services. The second experiment will focus on micromobility services operated by SPIN in Davis, aiming to understand the general price elasticity of demand for micromobility. Through these experiments, the researchers will analyze the causal effects of the interventions on increasing railway and micromobility use. The insights gained from this analysis will provide valuable guidance on the potential of micromobility and regional rail partnerships to enhance transit use in other corridors throughout the state as well as pricing mechanisms to understand the potential for micromobility services to satisfy the travel demand of communities.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $419999
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Contract Numbers:
DOT 69A3552348319
DOT 69A3552344814
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United States 450 Mission St, 4th Floor
San Francisco, California United States 94103Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority
San Francisco, California United StatesCalifornia Department of Transportation
1227 O Street
Sacramento, CA United States 95843 -
Managing Organizations:
National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesUniversity of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave
Davis, California United States 95616 -
Project Managers:
Cliff, Sydney
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Performing Organizations:
National Center for Sustainable Transportation
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA United StatesUniversity of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave
Davis, California United States 95616 -
Principal Investigators:
Watkins, Kari
Fitch-Polse, Dillon
- Start Date: 20241001
- Expected Completion Date: 20260930
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Accessibility; Bicycle travel; First mile and last mile; Micromobility; Pricing; Public transit; Rail transit; Ridership; Travel demand
- Geographic Terms: Davis (California)
- Subject Areas: Finance; Passenger Transportation; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01931339
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
- Contract Numbers: DOT 69A3552348319, DOT 69A3552344814
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Sep 18 2024 7:12PM