Policy

Ridesharing (Carpooling and Vanpooling)

Shaheen, Susan, PhD
Cohen, Adam
Randolph, Michael
Farrar, Emily
Davis, Richard
Nichols, Aqshems
2019

Ridesharing allows travelers to share a ride to a common destination and can include several forms (Shaheen & Cohen, 2019; Chan & Shaheen, 2011; SAE International, 2018). Ridesharing differs from for-hire vehicle services (i.e., transportation network companies (TNCs), ridesourcing, and ridehailing) in its financial motivation. When a ridesharing payment is collected, it partially covers the driver’s cost and is not intended to result in financial gain. Additionally, the driver has a common origin and/or destination with the passengers. In this toolkit, readers will find a summary...

A Low-Carbon Fuel Standard for California Part 2: Policy Analysis

Farrell, Alexander E.
Sperling, Daniel
Brandt, A.R.
Eggert, A.
Farrell, A.E.
Haya, B.K.
Hughes, J
Jenkins, B.M.
Jones, A.D.
Kammen, D.M.
Knittel, C.R.
Melaina, M.W.
O'Hare, M.
Plevin, R.J.
Sperling, D.
2007

The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) can play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stimulating improvements in transportation fuel technologies so that California can meet its climate policy goals. In Part 1 of this study we evaluated the technical feasibility of achieving a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity (measured in gCO2e/MJ) of transportation fuels in California by 2020. We identified six scenarios based on a variety of different technologies that could meet or exceed this goal, and concluded that the goal was ambitious but attainable. In Part 2, we examine...

Shared Mobility Policy and Modeling Workshop

Shaheen, Susan, PhD
Cohen, Adam
Farrar, Emily
2019

The market for personal mobility is changing rapidly due to shifting social and cultural trends, as well as technological advances, such as smartphones, information processing, widespread data connectivity, sharing, and vehicle automation. Shared, on-demand mobility represents a sustainable vision for future mobility with a reliable network of multimodal options that are available to all travelers. On March 22, 2019, the Local Government Commission (LGC) and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) at the University of California, Berkeley hosted the Caltrans Shared...

Future of Public Transit and Shared Mobility: Scenario Planning for COVID-19 Recovery

Shaheen, Susan, PhD
Wong, Stephen, PhD
2021

In 2020, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic enveloped the world, leading to a public health crisis that profoundly changed all aspects of society, especially multiple sectors in transportation such as public transit and shared mobility. With so much uncertainty about the future of travel, the transportation sector needs to move rapidly to shape the nature of public transit and shared mobility services during the COVID-19 recovery period. Consequently, the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies (UC ITS) and the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Executive...

Creating Markets for Green Biofuels: Measuring and Improving Environmental Performance

Turner, Brian T.
Plevin, Richard J.
O'Hare, Michael
Farrell, Alexander E.
2007

This study describes how some biofuels are produced, emphasizing agricultural production systems, and considers what is needed in order to measure and communicate environmental performance, and gives examples of how this might be done. We describe a set of seven uses of a Green Biofuels Index, from a wholly market-driven implementation through a set of increasingly intrusive regulatory approaches. We then present several case studies of specific biofuel production pathways using a lifecycle analysis of the inputs to feedstock production and processing, but excluding market-mediated effects...

Mobile Apps and Transportation: A Review of Smartphone Apps and A Study of User Response to Multimodal Traveler Information

Shaheen, Susan
Martin, Elliot
Cohen, Adam
Musunuri, Apoorva
Bhattacharyya, Abhinav
2016

In recent years, technological and social forces have pushed smartphone applications (apps) from the fringe to the mainstream. Understanding the role of transportation apps in urban mobility is important for policy development and transportation planners. This study evaluates the role and impact of multimodal aggregators from a variety of perspectives, including a literature review; a review of the most innovative, disruptive, and highest-rated transportation apps; interviews with experts in the industry, and a user survey of former multimodal aggregator RideScout users. Between February...

Advanced Air Mobility: Opportunities, Challenges, and Research needsfor the State of California (2023-2030)

Cohen, Adam
Shaheen, Susan, PhD
2024

Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a broad concept that enables consumers access to air mobility, goods delivery, and emergency services through an integrated and connected multimodal transportation network. AAM can provide short-range urban, suburban, and rural flights of about 50-miles and mid-range regional flights up to a several hundred miles. State law delegates responsibility for oversight in aviation primarily to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). This white paper presents an overview of the state of the market, such as the aircraft under development and forecast...

Bicycle Evolution in China: From the 1900s to the Present

Zhang, Hua
Shaheen, Susan, PhD
Chen, Xingpeng
2013

This article examines four phases in bicycle evolution in China from initial entry and slow growth (1900s to 1978), to rapid growth (1978 to 1995), bicycle use reduction (1995 to 2002), and policy diversification (2002 to present). Two bicycle innovations, electric bikes, and public bikesharing (the shared use of a bicycle fleet), are also explored in this article. Electric bikes could provide a transitional mode on the pathway to bicycle and public transportation integration or to small battery electric cars. Four lessons have been learned from China’s electric bike experience relevant to...

Advancing Social Equity and Congestion Relief: Understanding the Travel Needs of Underserved Populations That Rely on Transportation Network Companies in the San Francisco Bay Area

Shaheen, Susan
Gosselin, Kate
Broader, Jacquelyn
Cohen, Adam
2022

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) enable travelers to order and pay for rides on-demand using an online application that connects them with drivers using their personal vehicles. While these modes present opportunities to increase individual mobility and access, they also can worsen congestion and increase vehicle emissions. Researchers explored factors impacting the willingness to use pooled TNCs and identified strategies/policies that could be employed to reduce congestion from TNC use. Researchers conducted a literature review, interviews with TNC experts, semi-structured...

Do Incentives Make a Difference? Understanding Smart Charging Program Adoption for Electric Vehicles

Wong, Steven D.
Shaheen, Susan A.
Martin, Elliot PhD
Uyeki, Robert
2023

Climate change and environmental problems have spurred new strategies to reduce fossil fuel consumption in transportation. Two important strategies include a rapid transition to green energy and the replacement of internal combustion vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs). However, the increasing demand for electricity by EVs, especially from time-dependent green sources of energy (e.g., solar, wind), will likely overload the grid at peak hours. Rather than build costly infrastructure improvements for distribution and generation, smart charging programs for EVs could defer charging to off-...