Microtransit: A Good Idea Just Got Even Better

Abstract:

More and more transit agencies are exploring the idea of expanding on-demand transit, also known as microtransit. While this experimentation began prior to the pandemic, the post-pandemic world offers a very different transit environment where fewer people are making traditional transit commutes while travel demand remains high. We see evidence that this new transit environment presents an opportunity for greater use of microtransit. Publicly provided microtransit has the benefit of being more flexible in response to changes in demand, can dramatically improve rider experience at a time when transit is struggling to bring back customers, and is uniquely positioned to capture new market share.

Publications:

Microtransit: A Good Idea Just Got Even Better (Perspective)

Authors:

JOSHUA SCHANK, PHD

Joshua Schank holds a PhD in Urban Planning from Columbia University and a Master of City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, a Managing Principal at InfraStrategies, and a Senior Fellow in the Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Schank previously served as Chief Innovation Officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), President and CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation, and Transportation Policy Advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

EMMA HUANG

Emma Huang is a Senior Consultant with InfraStrategies LLC. Emma previously worked as a Transportation Planner in the Office of Extraordinary Innovation at LA Metro. She has a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Published:

October 2022

Keywords:

Demand responsive transportation

Shared mobility

Innovation

Ridesharing

Ridesourcing