National Academies Press: OpenBook

Ridesharing as a Complement to Transit (2012)

Chapter: Chapter Seven - Conclusions

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Seven - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Ridesharing as a Complement to Transit. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14655.
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Page 34
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Seven - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Ridesharing as a Complement to Transit. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14655.
×
Page 34
Page 35
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Seven - Conclusions." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Ridesharing as a Complement to Transit. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14655.
×
Page 35

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33 chapter seven ConClusions Ridesharing can help public transit agencies fill many types of service gaps. For example, these gaps may be caused by a lack of funding to institute fixed-route services, a service area that is too large or too sparsely populated or existing services that are over capacity. This rationale for linking transit and ride- sharing is a key finding of the review done for this synthesis. This linkage is not universally embraced, however, as more than 40% of respondents indicated that their agency does not consider ridesharing important to its mission. The synthesis looked at how transit and ridesharing can be leveraged together for mutual benefit. Only those agencies that had some type of ridesharing program were surveyed. Forty-one agencies responded to the survey, yielding an 83.7% response rate: 28 reported that they were transit agencies and 13 reported that they were non-transit agencies. Publications linking public transit and ridesharing were few in number. The probable cause is that a relatively modest number of transit agencies are actively involved in ridesharing programs. Most documents found were about specific case studies on vanpool programs that filled some service gap. Using ridesharing to save public transit operating costs does appear to be feasible, according to the literature. For example, the Regional Transportation District in Denver tracks the cost of a vanpool as well as an express bus, and in all 2009 cases reported, vanpools had a lower subsidy per passenger. Similarly, casual carpooling could save the San Francisco Bay Area $30 million a year, according to one literature source. Despite these opera- tional benefits, the literature search found very little written on the economic benefits of ridesharing to transit agencies. Reasons foR PubliC TRansiT and RideshaRing To WoRk TogeTheR As with the findings in the literature review, the top reason all survey respondents indicated it is important for public transit and ridesharing to work together is to fill service area gaps. In rural regions in particular, agencies use vanpools to extend their reach into sparsely populated areas of their service district. Research uncovered other reasons for work- ing together, including addressing “the last mile” between a transit stop and the ultimate destination and providing a back-up solution in emergencies and natural disasters. Only three transit agencies said they substitute ridesharing for a transit route as a cost-saving measure. Market demand from customers was the second most common answer given in response to the question, “Why it is important for transit and ridesharing to work together?” This indicates that many agencies view their role as mobility managers—that is, they aim to provide a full range of travel alternatives to their customers. TeChnology Technology supports the integration of ridesharing and tran- sit on agency websites. More than 70% of respondents have a link to ride-matching on their website. About half indicated that their trip planner searches for both ride-matching and transit options in response to a given query. Fifteen respon- dents also promote ridesharing and transit on social media. Although the use of technology is growing as a means of promoting or integrating ridesharing, it is still evolving. For example, using social media for ride-matching is not common. However, some agencies report that they are in the midst of developing these and other technological tools, including phone applications and one-stop search engines. No respondent reported a successful dynamic, or real-time, ridesharing program; however, there is substantial interest in such programs, which may coincide with the rise in the use of smartphones by customers. Nevertheless, 12 survey respon- dents indicated that they do not see dynamic ridesharing as part of their mission. Challenges According to survey respondents, ridesharing continues to be a point of contention within their agencies. They indicated that the primary challenge faced by agencies try- ing to integrate ridesharing as a complement to transit is that ride sharing is considered competition for transit riders and resources. This survey response was chosen by 11 of 23 tran- sit agencies and 5 of 12 non-transit agencies. Nearly as many indicated that not everyone in their organizations considers ridesharing important to the mission (ten transit agencies and four non-transit agencies). About a third of respondents noted that customers do not easily accept ridesharing as a substitute for full transit service. Other challenges mentioned in written comments in the survey included competition for parking, off-peak work-shift hours, funding, and the perception of competition by private-sector providers.

34 oPPoRTuniTies Several innovations by survey respondents present oppor- tunities to use ridesharing as a complement to transit. The following examples could be considered by agencies to expand their market and provide a greater menu of transportation options to the communities they serve. solving the “last Mile” How to address the “last mile” issue is an ongoing problem for public transit agencies trying to increase ridership. Potential riders say they would take transit, but they do not have a way to get to or from their destination after they get off the bus or train, a problem dubbed “the last mile.” Pace, which serves the suburbs of Chicago, and King County Metro in Seattle have addressed the problem by using feeder vanpools—vanpools limited to ten miles between home or work and the transit stop. The life of a well-used vanpool vehicle can also be extended by taking it off long-distance trips and limiting it to such short feeder trips. Maximizing agency Revenue The mileage that vanpools travel can generate funds for a transit agency. FTA formula grants award funds for vehicle- miles traveled in areas with a population of at least 200,000. Des Moines Area Regional Transit Agency generates $3 million in federal grants, some of which is used to replace aging vans. It converts the remainder to operating funds for its bus fleet. How widely this revenue strategy is used by others and the extent of revenue produced would be useful information for transit agencies not yet employing this strategy. Creating Capacity Through slugging/ Casual Carpools Casual carpooling was not a common factor, with 27 of 39 respondents reporting that there was none in their area. However, where slugging exists, there is an opportunity to have it play a vital transportation role in heavy commute corridors. An article referenced in the literature chapter sug- gests that casual carpooling, which arises spontaneously, should be encouraged if it can reduce demand on transit ser- vice in a specific corridor, thereby allowing transit service to be increased along other routes. The Potomac and Rappahan- nock Transportation Commission in Virginia supports casual carpooling because it takes thousands of people into the core employment areas around the District of Columbia, commuters that the agency could not accommodate owing to capacity constraints. leading Through legislation State leadership and legislation can be instrumental in elevating ridesharing as a travel mode and, thereby, encouraging public transit to offer ridesharing programs. The state of Washington has the largest public vanpool fleet in the nation. This leader- ship can be credited to legislation passed more than 30 years ago allowing the use of government vehicles for commuting. In 1991, state law required major employers to establish measures to reduce employee commuter trips, but it also gave employers tax credits and excluded them from liability. Current legislation funds a vanpool grant program. As a result of this legislative and financial support from the state of Washington, 20 public transit agencies operate vanpool pro- grams across the state. By its nature, a synthesis has limitations, such as a small sample size and a self-reported survey bias. Despite these limitations, a synthesis can uncover items that are ripe for more in-depth research. Based on information collected for this study, the following ideas for further study are presented. obstacles to and opportunities for integration of Ridesharing with Public Transit This study has taken place in an unsettled funding environment for public transit: the national economy is still weak, reauthori- zation of the federal surface transportation act has been stalled, major cuts to federal spending are being discussed, and states across the country are facing deficits. Transit agencies’ services may be facing contraction instead of expansion. • Identifying Obstacles: Ridesharing programs can be part of the answer for agen- cies that see mobility as their mission. However, this study reveals that ridesharing is viewed skeptically by many in public transit agencies. Almost 46% of survey respondents indicated that some in their agency consider ridesharing as competition for transit riders and resources. Competition for parking des- ignated for transit riders is one obstacle identified in this study. A belief that ridesharing may lure away transit riders is another. Are these valid concerns and, if so, what strategies are available to address them? Are there additional obsta- cles and how can they be addressed? In some cases, another agency in the region provides the ridesharing program. How can transit agencies coordinate more closely with these agen- cies to the benefit of both? • Examining Opportunities: After the obstacles have been identified, a toolkit could be developed with a step-by-step approach for using both van- pooling and carpooling as opportunities instead of obstacles for public transit. Building on case studies of successful practices and using cost comparison data, the toolkit could explore in more detail the issues discussed previously: solving “the last mile,” maximizing agency revenue, creating capacity through slugging/casual carpools, and leading through legislation. Other options that could be included in the toolkit could result from a deeper examination of the economic benefits of linking

35 ridesharing and transit and from case studies of public transit agencies that have used ridesharing in contingency planning. The Regional Transportation District in Denver supports vanpools because they require a lower subsidy per boarding than its express routes. Kings County Area Public Transit Agency in central California uses vanpools for farm worker transportation because it is more cost-efficient than trying to serve nontraditional hours with fixed-route bus service. Only three transit agencies in this survey use ridesharing as a cost- saving measure. A detailed case study of these and others in the broader universe of agencies could help transit agencies that may face service cuts. Rather than simply cutting service when their ability to maintain the status quo is threatened by falling revenues, transit agencies could explore ridesharing as an alter- native mode of providing mobility to their communities. Contingency planning allows for transit agencies to identify potential threats to their service and plan for ways to address worst-case scenarios. Further research could focus on success- ful practices of specific agencies that use ridesharing in their contingency planning. This research could explore how ride- sharing has been used for backup during transit strikes, vehicle breakdowns, natural disasters, and national security crises. Carpooling in particular is an important option in such events, but very little was found in the literature search about how carpooling can be integrated into transit planning. The following are other subjects that emerged from the synthesis which present further topics for research. emerging Technologies for Ridesharing and Transit A mobility manager provides a full range of alternatives to the single-occupant automobile. One such strategy is using ridesharing as a complement to transit. A rapidly increasing menu of technologies is available to transit agencies that want to be mobility managers. Some examples of these technolo- gies include smartphones for dynamic ridesharing, transit trip planners that search for both ride-matching and transit options to satisfy a given query, transit social networking websites that allow ride-matching and real-time communication among vanpoolers and carpoolers, transit and ride-matching pro- grams accessible through a mobile phone application, instant feedback to a survey question from customers by means of a mobile phone application, and a technological solution to fare integration of ridesharing and transit. Technology can also be valuable in facilitating communications during natural disasters and national emergencies. Research could be undertaken to document successful practices in the transit industry that would serve as models for others in this fast-paced field of emerging technologies. Ridesharing and Transit Parking Management Parking is a knotty problem when ridesharing is promoted with transit. One comment from a survey participant cited the competition for parking when ridesharers are allowed to park in lots designated for transit riders. This competition was highlighted in the profile of Bay Area Rapid Transit and the controls it employs to prevent the use of its parking lots by casual carpools. On the other hand, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission actively assists casual carpools by helping to identify parking for them. Pace helps find parking for its Metra feeder vans in city-owned lots. Just as these three agency profiles illustrate parking manage- ment techniques, public transit agencies that are considering ridesharing programs would find a deeper exploration of parking management helpful. Another survey participant noted the need for publicly accessible park-and-ride lots in any ride- sharing program linked to transit. Agencies are clearly search- ing for good answers to the parking problem and would benefit from research that identified successful programs. better Performance Measures for evaluating the Worth of Ridesharing Within a Public Transit environment Almost two-thirds (65%) of respondents determine if the amount spent on ridesharing is worthwhile by the number of people subscribed to/signed up for the ridesharing program. Ten survey respondents (26%) do not set any performance measures for the ridesharing program. Although subscrip- tion is a common metric for ridesharing programs, it may be considered soft data by transit professionals who are most familiar with quantitative measures, such as a route’s fare- box recovery and daily ridership numbers. When difficult economic decisions are being made, transit professionals will need sound performance measures to see the value of starting or maintaining ridesharing programs within their agencies. For example, what are the impacts on revenue and on operating costs of using ridesharing to substitute for transit routes? What are the environmental benefits of ridesharing and how can they be measured to demonstrate compliance with legislation or funding requirements (e.g., reduction in vehicle-miles traveled, reduction in carbon emissions, and particulates)? A future study could define the metrics and guide agencies in obtaining the needed information to develop better performance measures when evaluating ride- sharing programs. ConClusion Evidence that ridesharing complements public transit is lim- ited, according to this examination of the state of the prac- tice. Even though ridesharing has been around for decades as a travel mode and despite the benefits that a number of agencies have experienced a good deal of skepticism about combining ridesharing and public transit still exists. None- theless, this review has also uncovered some interesting practices that can give food for thought to public transit agencies. These practices are highlighted in the synthesis’ agency profiles and are the impetus for suggestions of future research that can advance the state of the practice.

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TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 98: Ridesharing as a Complement to Transit explores current practices in using ridesharing to complement public transit and highlights ways to potentially enhance ridesharing and public transit.

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