May 19, 2017
NEWS, PHOTOS FROM THE BUS & PARATRANSIT CONFERENCE
CLASSIFIEDS
» Metrolinx, serving the Toronto area, is looking for a president and CEO. [More]
» Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is seeking an associate director for the National Transit Institute. [More]
» The District of Columbia DOT seeks a deputy chief of staff. [More]
View more Classified Ads »
TO PLACE AN AD: E-mail the requested date(s) of publication to: ptads@apta.com. Mailing address is: Passenger Transport, 1300 I Street NW, Suite 1200 East, Washington, DC 20005. Ad copy is not accepted by phone. DEADLINE: 3 p.m. EST, Friday, one week prior to publication date. INFORMATION: Phone (202) 496-4877.

Shared Ride Services Changing Transit's Landscape

With the growth of ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft and the increasing presence of autonomous vehicles, public transit agencies are seeing the landscape shift around them, issues a panel of experts—including representatives of agencies, FTA and Uber—considered during a May 9 General Session.

Allison Wylie, transportation and mobility policy associate for Uber Technologies Inc., compared the rapid change in transportation technologies over the past few years to the introduction of the automobile more than a century ago. As an example of the connection between modes, she described how patterns of Uber use changed when Transport for London extended service hours for the Tube: fewer riders in the heart of the city, more at outlying Tube stations.

Speakers also discussed the relationship between ridesharing services and paratransit, including a concern that many shared-ride vehicles are not equipped for riders with disabilities.

Michael J. Lambert, deputy administrator of transit with Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, described how his agency partners with cab services, overseen locally, where the agency pays a fixed amount and the user pays the balance—a major savings compared with operating traditional paratransit.

Lambert suggested that the increased convenience of transportation network companies will lead first to significant changes in paratransit, then in regular service. “Our riders will expect and demand these services,” he said.

Jameson Auten, chief, regional service delivery and innovations, Kansas City (MO) Regional Transportation Authority, pointed to his agency’s “Ride KC Free” partnership with cabs and its service provider, Transdev, which provides door-to-door services at a lower cost than paratransit. Beyond that, he said the addition of ridesharing services is causing public transit agencies to expand or modify their services to more closely meet individual rider needs.

Gwo-Wei Torng, FTA director, mobility innovation, described FTA’s Mobility on Demand Sandbox program, which provides funding for innovative projects. The term “sandbox” denotes that “there’s no wrong way to play” in trying out new technologies, he said, and that participants can “learn from success or from failure in a dynamic process.”

Torng said FTA has awarded 11 grants out of 78 applications. He mentioned program ideas, including “social carpooling,” not a prearranged carpool but a more impromptu arrangement with different riders each day, reserved parking as an incentive for carpool drivers and integrated payment programs for diverse modes.

Brian Duggan, Reno Gazette-Journal, moderated the session.

From left: moderator Brian Duggan, Michael Lambert, Jameson Auten, Allison Wylie and Gwo-Wei Torng.

 
« Previous Article
Return to Top
Next Article »

FORWARD    |    CALENDAR    |    APTA HOME    |    ADVERTISE WITH US
© Copyright American Public Transportation Association
1300 I Street NW, Suite 1200 East, Washington, DC 20005
Telephone (202) 496-4882 • Fax (202) 496-4321
Print Version | Search Back Issues | Contact Us | Unsubscribe
Twitter Flickr Blog YouTube Facebook