Transit Agency Assessment of Their Capability to Adopt New Mobility Strategies

Abstract

This research identified current challenges, constraints and interest in the implementation and management of new mobility services (on-demand and micromobility) for United States transit agencies. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews with employees of transit agencies were conducted, and NVivo, a qualitative analysis software, was used to classify agency involvement, constraints, and challenges with services. The most common constraints and challenges for on-demand services (cited by more than five agencies) were labor shortages, software performance, fare integration, vehicle shortages, and funding. For agencies not offering on-demand services, developing strong backbone networks with fixed-routes was a priority, and cost-effectiveness, service area design, and funding were additional concerns. The top constraints and challenges among transit agencies with respect to micromobility (cited by more than four agencies) included fare integration, obstruction of public space, funding, adequate supporting infrastructure, and development of equitable service. For integrating new mobility services, most transit agencies (14 of 20, 70%) expressed interest in becoming mobility managers, but larger agencies (those with more than 10 million unlinked passenger trips) were split between mobility manager and partner roles. This research suggests that transit agencies have evolved in the new mobility space, but some constraints and challenges still stand in their way. Policy makers and decision makers can help transit agencies by encouraging open-source software development, improving labor contracts, increasing funding opportunities, and coordinating land-use, transportation, and transit planning. Future research should continue investigating barriers to entry for new mobility services and identify how transit agencies can increase coordination with technology and micromobility companies.