Rapid Shift

Mobility on Demand articles on TransitWiki

MOD Grant Recipients

Mobility on demand – The core of this grant program is mobility on demand, which involves using modern technology to create better transportation networks.
Shared mobility and public transit – While shared mobility operators are major partners in MOD programs, transit agencies often worry these companies are dangerous competition. This article looks at research into the relationship between private shared mobility and public transit.
Public private partnership – This article looks more generally at public-private partnerships and their role in transit.
Interagency coordination – In addition to working with the private sector, several MOD Sandbox grantees are coordinating with other agencies. This article explains how to effectively structure interagency collaborations.
Flexible transportation services – While fixed-route service is the backbone of public transit, the MOD program is looking at flexible services as a way to reach more riders in areas where fixed-route service is impractical.
Last mile connections – Dealing with the problem of first mile/last mile connections is a big part of several MOD Sandbox grant projects.
Scoop – San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit was awarded one of the grants to partner with carpooling app Scoop to provide first mile/last mile service to and from stations.
OpenTripPlanner – Two grant winners are using OpenTripPlanner software in their projects. TriMet currently uses it and will expand its functionality to include shared mobility providers and Vermont Agency of Transportation is using it to build a statewide trip planner for both fixed-route and flexible service.

TriMet is using MOD Sandbox grant funds to integrate shared mobility into its trip planning app. Source: Federal Transit Administration

Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County (AZ) – The authority was awarded $669,158 Adaptive Mobility with Reliability and Efficiency project, in which it will partner with subscription-based rideshare company RubyRide and the carpooling service Metropia DUO to integrate both service into its transit app.
Valley Metro Rail, Inc. (AZ) – Valley Metro Rail was awarded $1,001,000 to build a smartphone app for mobile ticketing and multimodal trip planning. The app will open source and available to other agencies.
City of Palo Alto (CA) – Palo Alto was awarded $1,085,000 for a program that aims to reduce single-occupancy vehicle commuting. Its Bay Area Fair Value Commuting project involves support for employer commute programs, workplace parking rebates, commute optimization analysis, increased cross-county collaboration, and a new trip planning app.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CA) – Metro was awarded $1,350,000 to partner with transit agencies in Washington’s Puget Sound on a dual-region pilot using Lyft as a first mile/last mile connector for transit. The agencies will experiment with payment structures and support telephone dispatch to serve unbanked customers.
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (CA) – BART was awarded $358,000 to partner with the carpooling app Scoop. Riders who carpool to park-and-ride stations will be guaranteed spots in the morning and will have the option of paying with the app.
Pinellas Suncoast Transportation Authority (FL) – PSTA was awarded $500,000 to create a central dispatch system in which taxis and rideshare vehicles can be used to provide paratransit service at a cheaper per-ride price than what the authority currently spends.
Chicago Transit Authority (IL) – CTA was awarded $400,000 to incorporate Divvy bikeshare into Ventra, the authority’s cross-agency mobile ticketing and trip planning app.
Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District (OR) – TriMet was awarded $678,000 to integrate shared mobility providers into its existing OpenTripPlanner app. Early partners include Lyft, Uber, and Motivate.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (TX) – DART was awarded $1,204,000 to integrate ridesharing into its GoPass ticketing app. The agency also plans to use ridesharing-style mobile technology to overhaul its existing public demand-responsive service.
Vermont Agency of Transportation (VT) – Vtrans was awarded $480,000 to create a statewide trip planner covering both fixed-route and flexible transit. The software will be built on OpenTripPlanner and modified to support flexible transportation information in addition to standard GTFS.
Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (WA) – The agency was awarded $205,922 to pursue a three-pronged Limited Access Connections program. The project will involve using ridesharing for first mile/last mile connections, provided guaranteed ride home service, and providing rides to and from park-and-ride lots.

Sheehan, R. (2015). “Mobility on Demand.” US Department of Transportation.

This brief USDOT presentation provides some background into the development of the MOD program.

Federal Transit Administration. “Shared Mobility Frequently Asked Questions.”

This extensive FAQ explains current FTA rules on shared mobility, a major component of MOD.

TransitCenter. (2016). “Private Mobility, Public Interest.”

This TransitCenter report explores the relationship between public transit and private mobility providers through interviews with industry leaders.

Shaheen, S., Martin, E., Cohen, A., Musunuri, A., & Bhattacharyya, A. (2016). “Mobile Apps and Transportation: A Review of Smartphone Apps and a Survey of User Response to Multimodal Traveler Information.” California Department of Transportation.

Prepared for Caltrans by UC Berkeley researchers, this report examines multimodal trip planners, another major tool for mobility on demand.

TriMet. “MOD Sandbox Grant 2017 ‐ 2019.”

This dashboard tracks the progress on TriMet’s MOD Sandbox pilot.

Craig, T. “Flexible Trip Planner Update: Project Kick-Off!” Trillium Solutions, Inc.

This page provides an introduction to the flexible trip planner being developed by Trillium and the Vermont Agency of Transportation with MOD Sandbox funding.

Shared Use Mobility Center Research

Includes updates on Shared Use Mobility Center projects currently underway.

FTA Mobility on Demand Sandbox Program

The Federal Transit Administration’s page for this program.

Finance & Revenues	Managing Transit	Investment and Planning	Technology
Advertising California Transit Finance Corporation Congestion pricing Deep Discount Group Pass Fare pricing and reform MAP-21 Public private partnership Transit Development Act Transit publications Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Value-capture finance	ADA eligibility certification Asset management for small agencies Bus Maintenance Staffing Calculator Bus operator recruitment Bus operator training Bus prioritization California Vanpool Authority Contracting transit operations Coordinate with private sector Cost-effective ADA service Cybersecurity Distracted driving Employee retention Evaluating bus operator performance Human resources Labor-management partnerships National Transit Database Privacy Issues Public private partnership Small-scale public-private partnerships Special Event and Game Day Services Transit and Civil Rights Transit and Environmental Justice Vanpool and Buspool Services	► Ridership forecasting Asset management for small agencies Bicycle access at transit stations Bicycle connections Bike parking at transit stations Bikeshare Congestion pricing Coordinated Plans Cost effective vehicle purchases Frequent bus network map Infrastructure assessment Last mile connections Long Range Transit Plans Out-of-vehicle experience Paratransit Services Paratransit Vehicles Park-and-rides Pedestrian connections Safe Routes to School Short Range Transit Plans Small-scale public-private partnerships Streetcar alternatives Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies Value-capture finance	► Automated Passenger Counter Agency website Automated fare media Automatic vehicle location Cybersecurity General Transit Feed Specification GTFS-realtime Housing and Transportation Affordability Index Internet communications Lane assist technology Mobile data terminal Near field communications New Communications Technology Personal rapid transit Radio frequency identification (RFID) Real-time information Social media Transit signal priority (TSP) Transit software Transit technology stack Video systems Web-based rider feedback
Operating Effectiveness	Market Responsiveness	Transit-Supportive Land Use	Transit’s Low-Carbon Role
► Bus rapid transit Bus prioritization Bus rapid transit Bus stop spacing and location Bus-on-shoulder Fixed-route scheduling Flexible transportation services Rail platform safety Reliability of service Transit associations Transit Messaging Transit publications Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies	Deep Discount Group Pass Fare pricing and reform Last mile connections Market segmentation Marketing strategies Premium private transit Shared mobility and public transit Web-based rider feedback	Livable Transit Corridors Transit and land use Transit and SB 375 Transit-oriented development	Alternative fuel vehicles Alternative Fuels Data Center Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Life-cycle assessment of transit Low-Carbon Transit Operations Program Role of Transit in a Low-GHG California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program Transit and SB 375
Applications	Transit and Public Health	First and Last Mile
► Accessibility devices and applications ► Data Visualization applications ► GTFS-consuming applications ► Interactive Voice Response (IVR) ► Map applications ► Mobile applications ► Real-time applications ► Ridership forecasting ► Timetable generation software ► Trip-planning & navigation applications AllTransit GreenTRIP Connect Housing and Transportation Affordability Index Location Affordability Portal Remix Scoop TOD Database Urban Integrated National Transit Database Web-based rider feedback	Air quality Bicycle access at transit stations Bicycle connections Bike parking at transit stations Bikeshare Pedestrian connections Programs for seniors Public health and transit Safe Routes to School	Bicycle access at transit stations Bicycle connections Bike parking at transit stations Bikeshare Complete streets Last mile connections Pedestrian connections Safe Routes to School Scoop Shared mobility and public transit

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