Public Transportation

Structural and Functional Robustness in Public Transportation Networks of Latin American Cities

Cicchini, Tomás
Langle-Chimal, Ollin D.
Marta Gonzalez
Caridi, Inés
Ermann, Leonardo
2026

This work assesses the robustness of the public transport systems in three Latin American metropolitan areas: Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Buenos Aires. By integrating infrastructure and mobility data, we propose metrics to quantify both structural robustness and functional performance. We analyze the similarities and differences among these cities under complete bus-line removal scenarios that emulate realistic disruptions, such as service suspensions or operator closures. Open infrastructure data allow us to quantify structural robustness in terms of network topology and...

Managing the Curb: Understanding the Impacts of On-Demand Mobility on Public Transit, Micromobility, and Pedestrians

Susan Shaheen
Martin, Elliot
Adam Cohen
Broader, Jacquelyn
Davis, Richard
2026

In recent years, innovative mobility and shifts in travel and consumption behavior are changing how people access and use the curb. Shared mobility—the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, scooter, or other mode—coupled with outdoor dining, curbside pick-up, and robotic delivery are creating new needs related to the planning, management, and enforcement of curb access. This study examines curb planning and management from several angles, such as safety, social equity, and multimodal connections. This research employs a multi-method approach to identify the changing needs for curb space...

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) and the Future of Public Transportation

Adam Cohen
Susan Shaheen
2021

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) and the Future of Public Transportation

Considerations for Social Distancing on Public Transportation During the COVID-19 Recovery

Adam Cohen
2020

COVID-19 has presented public transit agencies with unprecedented operational and fiscal challenges. In the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, public transit ridership remains approximately 90% below pre-pandemic levels as of November 10, 2020, according to Transit App. It is generally agreed that personal protective measures (i.e., masks, face shields, gloves), sanitation, and air ventilation — combined with social distancing — reduces the spread of COVID-19. However, experts do not agree on the minimum...

Untapped Opportunities: Assessment of Organizational Strategies to Improve Border Coordination in California at the U.S. and Mexico Border; Final Report for California Integrated Border Approach Strategy, Phase 2

Karen Frick
Elizabeth Deakin
Jan Whittington
Karl Anderson
Eleanor Leshner
Mark Garrett
2017

In 2013, The California Department of Transportation-District 11 (Caltrans) launched the California Integrated Border Approach Strategy (CA-IBAS) in response to a need for a better-integrated border transportation system that reduces impacts on border communities. Work was conducted in two phases to identify ways to better address regional mobility needs and the traveler experience in California’s communities along the California-Mexico border. During Phase 1, led by METRANS, the team conducted a preliminary assessment of key institutional and policy issues at CaliforniaMexico land POEs,...

Managing partnerships for sustainable development: The Berkeley—China sustainable transportation program

Alainna Thomas
Elizabeth Deakin
2017

Over a five-year period, the University of California Berkeley’s Global Metropolitan Studies-China Program conducted research in partnership with local counterparts in Beijing, Shanghai, Jinan, Chengdu, and Kunming. Research focused on strategies for maintaining and increasing the sustainability of the cities’ transportation systems in the face of rapid economic growth and accelerating motorization, and included planning, analysis, and design of projects on transit-oriented development, non-motorized transportation, and bus rapid transit. In this paper, we focus on two cases that exemplify...

Drivability vs. Walkability: Assessing Shorter- and Longer-Term Transportation Planning Tradeoffs in a Chinese Context

Wendy Tao
Shomik Raj Mehndiratta
Elizabeth Deakin
2007

This paper describes how cities in developing countries often invest large sums to build highways and arterials serving a rapidly growing number of automobiles. Although highway investments are a priority, walking remains the most common mode of transport and buses (or motorbikes) the most common form of motor vehicle in use. The wide new arterials deliver short-term employment and construction spending benefits and in the longer term can contribute to increased productivity. On the other hand, their design and operation can reduce accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit...

Response of Regional Rail Park-and-Ride Users to Parking Price Changes: Systemwide Results and a Detailed Study of Two Stations

Sarah Syed
Aaron Golub
Elizabeth Deakin
2009

Traveler response to the introduction of parking user fees at heavily patronized park-and-ride facilities within the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District of California is investigated. After an analysis of systemwide impacts, detailed research at two stations was performed with mail-back surveys, license plate surveys, and focus groups. The primary finding is that introduction of daily parking fees did not cause significant changes in access mode choice, facility location, or line-haul mode of park-and-ride users. New, higher-fee, daily reserved spaces were popular...

Travel Choices and Customer Responses to Changing Service Levels: Findings from the San Francisco Bay Area

James Charles Rubin
Elizabeth Deakin
2012

This paper presents findings from a survey and focus groups designed to assess mode choices, attitudes toward transit and other modes, and willingness to pay for reliable services. The survey examined why travelers to downtown Oakland, CA, a transit-rich location, chose to use transit or not. The focus groups examined responses to changes in tolls and carpool rules and likely responses should the Bay Area Rapid Transit system's reliability decline due to funding shortfalls. The factors that most significantly affected mode choice were whether the traveler had a free parking space and...

Reducing Gender-Based Violence in Public Transportation: Strategy Design for Mexico City, Mexico

Aldo Tudela Rivadeneyra
Abel Lopez Dodero
Shomik Raj Mehndiratta
Bianca Bianchi Alves
Elizabeth Deakin
2015

Gender-based violence on public transportation in Mexico City, Mexico, is a growing concern. Current efforts to counteract the violence have focused on transit vehicles for exclusive use by women and children and campaigns to promote the report of offenses. To characterize the problem, this study conducted a transit user survey, workshops with transit users, interviews with operators, and interviews with experts in the field. The study found that, even though transit users believed that the gender-exclusive transport service reduced problematic encounters, they did not view the service as...