Expanding Use of Mobility-on-Demand Services to Improve Transit Connectivity

This project explores how Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) services, particularly Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAVs), can enhance transit connectivity in areas with limited transportation options. In response to the constraints of expanding traditional transit infrastructure, this study will develop a framework to integrate MoD services as a first- and last-mile (FMLM) solution, focusing on select neighborhoods in Connecticut. By designing a credit-based incentivization model, the project aims to make SAV-based microtransit more widely available and practical, supporting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s goals of advancing next-generation transit solutions. Through data-driven modeling and collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), the project will generate strategies to improve the adoption and long-term viability of MoD options. This effort seeks to enhance mobility, provide economic and quality-of-life improvements, and help reduce traffic congestion. The study’s findings may inform future transportation frameworks that support broader access to advanced transit services and could be adapted for use in other states or national programs.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $175000
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348301

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Massachusetts, Amherst

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  130 Natural Resources Road
  Amherst, MA  United States  01003
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Connecticut, Storrs

  Connecticut Transportation Institute
  270 Middle Turnpike, Unit 5202
  Storrs, CT  United States  06269-5202
• Principal Investigators:

  Fakhrmoosavi, Fatemeh

  Lownes, Nicholas

  Shirani, Niloufar

• Start Date: 20240901
• Expected Completion Date: 20250831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Equity; Mobility
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Operations and Traffic Management; Policy; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01935906
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: New England University Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348301
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 5 2024 6:49AM