Shared Mobility: Evolving Practices for Sustainability

This introductory paper to the Special Issue “Shared Mobility” aims (1) to present and differentiate the diversity of practices and services that constitute the shared mobility sector; (2) to emphasize the contribution of each published article; and (3) to identify knowledge gaps of knowledge and provide further research avenues. With the contribution from 29 authors affiliated to social sciences and transportation research institutions in seven countries (Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Norway, and Australia), new understandings of the potential, drivers, barriers, and limitations of diverse shared mobility solutions for a more sustainable society are presented. The common message across the special issue is that the shared mobility sector is constantly evolving, while aiming to attain sustainability goals. Several papers have taken a psychological approach to explain the adoption of shared mobility practices (e.g., carsharing), yet these findings may be context-dependent, which future research should further investigate (e.g., differences between platform-based and self-service modes). We also call for researchers to pay attention to how traditional transit services can be combined with newer shared mobility services (e.g., micro-mobility), but also to informal public transport systems, as we identify these as important developing areas.

A literature review on park-and-rides

American cities have been implementing park-and-rides (PNRs) since the 1930s; however, there has been a recent resurgence of literature examining this type of transit station. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the current literature on PNRs and directions for future research. PNR studies published in the last ten years were reviewed and text mining was applied to extract key themes. Six themes were identified. The two most common areas of research were network equilibrium and optimization (12 of 37 studies) and demand models (8 of 37 studies). This was followed by guidelines and best practices as well as comparative studies (6 of 37 studies each). Parking utilization had the fewest number of recent studies (3 of 37 studies). This review revealed that the majority of PNR studies were conducted in geographic areas with extensive transit services, most studies have focused on rail-based PNRs, and the most widely used method was multinomial logit. Some areas for future research include studying remote PNRs, examining bus-based PNRs, and assessing the impact of emerging modes on PNR utilization. This systematic review could assist planners and transit agencies in further improving sustainable PNR networks in their cities.

Reducing public transit compounds social vulnerabilities during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted public transit services through a combination of plummeting ridership during the lockdown and subsequent budget cuts. This study investigates the equity impacts of reductions in accessibility due to public transit service cuts during COVID-19 and their association with urban sprawl. We evaluated accessibility to essential services such as grocery stores and both urgent and non-urgent health care across 22 cities across the United States in three phases during 2020: pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown. We estimated the spatio-temporal coverage of transit service during the peak and off-peak periods in each phase. We found stark disparities in food and health care access for various socio-economic groups. Economically disadvantaged and suburban neighborhoods were more likely to lose food and health care access by public transit during COVID-19. In particular, transit service cuts worsened accessibility for population groups with multiple social vulnerabilities, such as low-income workers with zero vehicle ownership, poor households living in urban neighborhoods, and non-white populations residing in suburban neighborhoods. Moreover, our study suggests that sprawled cities experienced greater losses in access to food and health care during COVID-19 than compact cities, highlighting the influence of urban form on the functionality of transit services during crises.

Identification of Factors to Improve Public Transit Services (A Case Study of Prithvi Chowk to Talchowk Section of Prithivi Highway)

This research presents studies on a segment of highway to determine the quantitative factors that inuence transit services. Travel time and delay study is one of the method to determine quantitative factors. Tour time is described as the average period of time required to journey from one region to some other. Total departure time consists of gadgets which include total working time, places and general delay time. The examine section was done in Prithvi chowk to Tal chowk of Prithvi Highway which is turned to be 12.5 km long. Additionally, it has been found that the principle variables affecting travel time are: postpone time because of forestall selecting and choosing up passengers, bus model and bus size.32 trips public transport carrier and a 10 trips non-public automobile journey have been held during peak hours. Models are developed the use of SPSS software to become aware of the relationship between the causes of delays and the overall-time delays. Travel time and learning delays can help reduce the number of private vehicles operating and increase the number of public vehicles in order to reduce congestion and improve the e efficiency of the public transport system. It turned into determined that there was a full-size distinction in tour time among the use of the public transit services and the car.

Partnerships between Agencies and Transportation Network Companies for Transportation-Disadvantage Populations: Benefits, Problems, and Challenges

Transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, offer a new mobility option to consumers. An increasing number of transit agencies work with TNCs, and different types of partnerships have formed. While these service models may serve the general population well, their implications for transportation-disadvantage populations, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, and low-income people, have not received enough attention. These populations are highly dependent on public transit services. Additionally, we have limited firsthand knowledge of challenges that hinder transit agencies and related human service agencies from building partnerships with TNCs. Can these agency/TNC partnerships accommodate the needs of transportation-disadvantage populations? This study explores these issues through a literature review and interviews with 16 related organizations in the State of Florida, where transportation-disadvantage populations are served through a coordinated system but the partnerships with TNCs are still limited. The paper first categorizes the existing agency/TNC partnership service models into three types and examines their benefits and problems in serving transportation-disadvantage populations. It then identifies different organizations’ perceptions of TNCs and the challenges for some agencies to work with TNCs. The general challenges include difficulty in estimating service demand, data sharing problems, hidden costs and staff efforts, training and safety issues, and the need of complementary vendors. The challenges specifically in rural areas are a lack of motivation and commitment among TNCs, affordability issues, and TNCs’ adaptation to the rural geography. These challenges in agency/TNC partnerships need to be addressed to serve the public better, including transportation-disadvantage populations.