Shared Mobility

The Benefits and Challenges of Incorporating Uber and Lyft in Subsidized Ride Programs that Serve Vulnerable Populations

Jeremy Halpern
Elizabeth Deakin
Madeleine Parker
2020

Cities, transit agencies, and social service providers across the U.S. have implemented programs that provide taxi subsidies for people who have difficulty driving a car or using the regular transit system. These programs usually serve older residents and people with disabilities, though a few also serve low income users. Taxi subsidy programs provide curb-to-curb or door-to-door transportation at a fraction of the cost of paratransit.1 However, as Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, have entered markets around the country, taxi availability has declined,...

Examining the Potential for Uber and Lyft to be Included in Subsidized Mobility Programs Targeted to Seniors, Low Income Adults, and People with Disabilities

Elizabeth Deakin
Jeremy Halpern
Madeleine Parker
2020

Public agencies have subsidized taxi rides for people who have difficulty driving a car or using the regular transit system – targeting older residents and people with disabilities. There is interest among public agencies to add transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, to subsidized ride programs as a travel option due to the widespread availability of TNCs and high-quality service. Key issues include the need for wheelchair accessible vehicles, subsidy needs, and clients who lack or are uncomfortable using a smartphone and credit card. This research included a...

Markets for Dynamic Ridesharing?: Case of Berkeley, California

Elizabeth Deakin
Karen Trapenberg Frick
Kevin M. Shively
2010

Ridesharing programs are widespread across the United States. Dynamic ridesharing is a newer way to share rides on the fly or up to several days in advance using cell phone or computer messaging to make arrangements. This paper describes research conducted to assess the potential for dynamic ridesharing for travel to downtown Berkeley, California, and the University of California, Berkeley, campus. The study provides insights about the opportunities and challenges presented by this travel option. Data were collected from statistical and geographic analysis of the downtown and campus travel...

Dynamic Ridesharing

Elizabeth Deakin
Karen Trapenberg Frick
Kevin Shively
2012

Most cars carry at least four passangers, but the average auto occupancy rate for all trips in the US is only 1.6 persons. Because all the empty seats in cars represent our greatest source of untapped transportation capacity, promoting ridesharing is of considerable interest. Government agencies across the country employ ridesharing programs both to provide transportation at low cost and to reduce traffic congestion and the other costs of solo driving. The rigidity of conventional ridesharing arrangements, which generally require fixed travel times, presents a barrier to many people. But...

Regulation of Taxis and the Rise of Ridesharing

Tamer Cetin
Elizabeth Deakin
2019

This paper examines the experience with economic regulation of traditional taxicab markets and the effects of newly emerging dynamic rideshare services on the taxicab industry. The paper provides a brief history of the regulation of taxicabs and the development of ridesharing services in cities world-wide. The aim is to show the pros and cons of taxicab regulation and explain why ridesharing services have gained a strong foothold in many markets. Even though economic regulation of taxicab markets has long been questioned, and some cities deregulated their taxi services over the past...

Opportunities for Integrating Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles and Intelligent Transportation Systems

Tim Lipman
2026

This paper presents the findings of an “Integrated Hydrogen/Intelligent Transportation Systems Evaluation for the California Department of Transportation” project that was conducted by the University of California – Berkeley. The project reviewed state hydrogen activities suggested potential applications of combined hydrogen and intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies that warrant further study and field-testing. The main concept underlying this study is the potential for synergies between two rapidly evolving areas of advanced transportation and energy technology: hydrogen...

What Should Agencies Measure to Decide If Microtransit Is Working?

Hyland, Michael
Watkins, Kari
Susan Shaheen
2026

California state agencies, public transit agencies, and cities have invested in dozens of microtransit pilot programs, often with the stated goals of improving access, filling gaps in fixed-route public transit service, and serving communities that are difficult to reach by traditional bus or rail. As microtransit services mature, agencies increasingly face decisions about whether to expand, modify, or discontinue microtransit services—and how to allocate scarce operating funds across competing transit priorities.

Navigating the Gig Economy: Transportation Labor Challenges Facing California’s App-based Ridehailing and Courier Drivers

Susan Shaheen
Wolfe, Brooke
Cohen, Adam
2026

Given the dynamic landscape surrounding the classification of workers in California, it is important to consider how the existing legal and regulatory environment may impact app-based gig drivers, including transportation network companies (TNCs, also known as ridehailing) and courier network services (CNS). Using a multi-method approach, we conducted a literature review (n = 41 sources), expert interviews (n = 8), and case study analysis (n = 7) between October 2022 to May 2024 to better understand how California’s gig drivers are impacted by state legislation and regulation (i.e.,...

An Approximate Analytic Model of Many-to-Many Demand Responsive Transportation Systems

Carlos Daganzo
1978

This paper presents an analytic model to predict average waiting and ridingtimes in urban transportation systems (such as dial-a-bus and taxicabs), which provide non-transfer door-to-door transportation with a dynamically dispatched fleet of vehicles. Three different dispatching algorithms are analyzed with a simple deterministic model, which is then generalized to capture the most relevant stochastic phenomena. The formulae obtained have been successfully compared with simulated data and are simple enough for hand calculation. They are, thus, tools which enable analysts to avoid...

Checkpoint Dial-a-Ride Systems

Carlos Daganzo
1984

This paper presents a preliminary study of the feasibility of checkpoint dial-a-ride systems. Their cost-effectiveness is compared to that of fixed route systems with no transfers and door-to-door dial-a-ride systems. The results are derived for a simple routing strategy, and involve some simplifications which facilitate the comparisons. For high demand levels, the total cost per passenger for fixed route and checkpoint systems is very close. In fact, their optimal configurations are so alike, and the occurrence of route deviations is so rare, that fixed route systems should be preferred,...