Microtransit

“Three Ps in a MOD:” Role for mobility on demand (MOD) public-private partnerships in public transit provision

Emma Lucken, Karen Trapenberg Frick, Susan Shaheen
2019

The growing number of public transportation agencies partnering with Mobility on Demand (MOD) or Mobility as a Service (MaaS) companies raises the question of what role MOD companies can, should, and currently play in the provision of public transport. In this article, we develop a typology reflecting 62 MOD public-private partnerships (MOD PPPs) in the United States and present lessons learned. We conducted 34 interviews with representatives from four MOD companies and 27 public agencies. The interviews spanned October 2017 to April 2018. The resulting MOD PPP typology consists of...

What Makes the Route More Traveled? Optimizing U.S. Suburban Microtransit for Sustainable Mobility

Alexandra Pan, Susan Shaheen
2025

Microtransit services that provide pooled on-demand transportation with dynamic routing have been used in low-density areas since the 1970s, but improvements to routing technology have led to a resurgence of interest in the past decade. Questions remain about the effectiveness of microtransit to serve riders in low-density, car-dependent suburban areas. Better understanding of the factors underlying microtransit ridership can improve usage of these services and shift travelers to more sustainable modes in suburban areas. We compile a database of suburban microtransit programs from 32...

Communities Are Experimenting with Microtransit to Fill Critical Gaps in Public Transit Service – What Have We Learned so Far?

Susan Shaheen, PhD, Adam Cohen, Brooke Wolfe, Elliot Martin, PhD
2024

Microtransit is a technology-enabled transit service that typically employs shuttles or vans to provide on-demand transportation with dynamic routing. While many rides are dispatched and paid via a smartphone, many services also provide a telephone booking option. A few services accept cash payment and street hails (similar to taxis). Variations of microtransit can include fixed schedules and routes and larger or smaller vehicles. Typically, microtransit services are operated by or...

An Evaluation of Via Rideshare Service in West Sacramento: An Exploratory Analysis Through Surveys and Expert Interviews

Elliot Martin, Aqshems Nichols, Susan Shaheen
2019
The UC Berkeley Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) conducted an evaluation for the City of West Sacramento of the pilot Via Rideshare System, which began providing rides to customers in May of 2018 and is currently in operation. This analysis presents the findings from surveys and expert interviews. Surveys were deployed to both users and non-users of the pilot service in order to assess the behavioral impacts of the system on users and to...