Shared Mobility Resources: Helping to Understand Emerging Shifts in Transportation

Shared mobility is a transportation strategy that is rising in prominence and has the potential to align with supportive land use, mobility, social, and environmental goals. As a concept, the term applies to any mode, whether bicycle, car, public transit, or other mode, in which shared use (concurrent or sequential) is often facilitated by smartphone apps and technology. Casual carpooling is one example in which sharing has been more organic and non-technological in nature. Given shared mobility’s notable growth and expansion in recent years, it merits a deeper understanding in light of its public policy potential and expansive scope. It is now being used outside of the urban core in both suburban and rural contexts. To facilitate a greater understanding of shared mobility, particularly among policymakers and planners, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Shared Mobility: Current Practices and Guiding Principles and the American Planning Association’s (APA) Planning for Shared Mobility were authored.