TSRC

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...

COVID-19’s Potential Impact on Cities: Five Trends and Indicators to Watch

Adam Cohen
2020

Unlike prior crises where cities recovered out of necessity, the first global pandemic of the digital age changes things. With the advent of a post-modern digital economy enabled by telecommuting, teleconferencing, telelearning, and e-commerce, the pandemic has accelerated a digital transformation where cities no longer need to be physical places to foster innovation and economic activity. This MTI perspective explores the potential risks of a K-shaped where suburban communities recover and urban centers do not. Demographics, home sales, housing affordability, telework, and e-...

Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) Policy Roadmap for Development Policies to Enable Widespread Deployment

Broader, Jacquelyn
Adam Cohen
Susan Shaheen
Auer, Ashley
Hoban, Sarah
2020

The Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) is an accessibility-oriented research project supported by multiple partners, including the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT); the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO); and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The goal of ATTRI is to use innovative applications to increase the accessibility of transportation for people with disabilities. This is...

Mobility on Demand: A Smart, Sustainable, and Equitable Future

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Stocker, Adam
Martin, Elliot
2019

The market for personal mobility is changing rapidly due to shifting demographics and social trends, as well as technological advances such as smartphones, information processing, and widespread data connectivity. Mobility on Demand (MOD) is an innovative transportation concept evolving around connected travelers, where consumers can access mobility and goods delivery services on demand by dispatching or using public transportation, shared mobility, courier services, urban air mobility, and other innovative and emerging technologies. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) defines MOD...

A Framework for Integrating Transportation Into Smart Cities

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Dowd, Mark
Davis, Richard
2019

In recent years, economic, environmental, and political forces have quickly given rise to “Smart Cities” -- an array of strategies that can transform transportation in cities. Using a multi-method approach to research and develop a framework for smart cities, this study provides a framework that can be employed to: (1) understand what a smart city is and how to replicate smart city successes; (2) the role of pilot projects, metrics, and evaluations to test, implement, and replicate strategies; and (3) understand the role of shared micromobility, big data, and other key issues impacting...

Local Government Strategies to Improve Shared Micromobility Infrastructure

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Martin, Elliot
2024

Shared micromobility (bikesharing and scooter sharing) experienced market growth since 2021, rebounding from the pandemic across markets in the US, Mexico, and Canada. In partnership with the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) and Toole Design, researchers at the Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) at UC Berkeley have collaborated on the data collection and analysis of the shared micromobility industry metrics through a series of annual reports beginning in 2019. This includes a series of operator and agency surveys.1 Most recently, TSRC...

An Assessment of the Viva CalleSJ Event in San Jose [Research Brief]

Kos, Richard M.
Adam Cohen
2024

The assessment of Viva CalleSJ 2024 employed a mixed-method approach, collecting data through surveys of participants, interviews with businesses, and observational analysis during the event. An intercept survey was distributed along the six-mile route to capture participants’ demographics, reasons for attending, travel modes, physical activity, spending patterns, and perceptions of the event. The survey, available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, yielded insights into participant demographics and engagement. Semi-structured interviews with business owners and city officials explored...

Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration: Los Angeles County and Puget Sound First and Last Mile Partnership with Via Evaluation Report

Martin, Elliot
Wong, Stephen
Adam Cohen
Soysal, Sena
Susan Shaheen
Brown, Les
2022

This report presents the results of an independent evaluation of the Los Angeles County and Puget Sound First and Last Mile Partnership with Via demonstration, part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox program. The demonstration, a joint pilot project in Los Angeles County and the Puget Sound region, executed an on-demand service in partnership with Via providing first- and last-mile access to transit stations within the Los Angeles and Seattle metropolitan regions. Upon launch, customers were able to request subsidized Via rides to or from the...

Shared Mobility Policy Briefs: Definitions, Impacts, and Recommendations

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
2018

In 2017, researchers from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center and Institute of Transportation Studies produced eight policy briefs on shared mobility. Shared mobility – the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, or other travel mode – services are experiencing rapid growth and expansion. This is, in part, due to the launch of innovative business models across California, and their use of the smartphone as a way to enable on-demand transportation options. There is a need to clarify emerging terms and best practices for policymakers amidst the fast-paced developments of...

Mobility on Demand Operational Concept Report

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Yelchuru, Balaji
Sarkhili, Sara
2017

This operational concept report provides an overview of the Mobility on Demand (MOD) concept and its evolution, description of the MOD ecosystem in a supply and demand framework, and its stakeholders and enablers. Leveraging the MOD ecosystem framework, this report reviews the key enablers of the system including business models and partnerships, land use and different urbanization scenarios, social equity and environmental justice, policies and standards, and enabling technologies. This review is mostly focused on the more recent forms of MOD (e.g., shared mobility).