The Mobility Hub

Your weekly guide to the latest in shared mobility

SUMC News and Announcements

 

All Together Now: Collective Action for Shared Mobility

Pre-Register for the 2022 National Shared Mobility Summit
May 17 & 18 at Chicago’s InterContinental Hotel

SUMC is working to replace car-centric transportation with people-focused shared mobility to fight climate change, promote equity, and strengthen community.

At this year’s Summit, we want to offer the opportunity to take steps collectively to meet these goals.

At speeches, workshops, panels, and field trips, we will try to break down silos and bridge gaps; lay the groundwork for successful partnerships and mobilize toward multimodal transportation systems. We will explore new technologies that promise it all, and from behavior change to funding, we can begin to address the challenges that hold us back. Don’t wait. Pre-register today and be the first in line to save with an early-bird discount and hear the latest Summit news!

​​Interested in sponsorship? Let us know!

SUMC is excited to announce the following new hires and promotions!

Hani Shamat and Alex Rosander join us as Program Associates in our Chicago office, while Joey Juhasz-Lukomski is a new Program Associate on the California team. We’re moving up on the inside, too, with Rudy Faust promoted to Program Manager, Alvaro Villagran to Associate Director of Federal Programs, Hannah Wilson to Director of Partnerships and Engagement, and Pete Lauer to Sr. Program Coordinator. Read about all our talented staff here.

And we’re still hiring! 
SUMC is looking for a Research and Evaluation Analyst to join the Los Angeles office. They will serve a growing set of programs that support zero-emission shared mobility pilots in the state’s disadvantaged communities. Learn more and apply.

Join SUMC’s Mobility Learning Center on January 12 for an AV forum
SUMC’s Mobility Learning Center recently released a case study on an innovative autonomous vehicle project—RAPID in Arlington, TX. Now, you have the chance to hear directly from the project’s director, Ann Foss. Sign up for the 1-hour forum with Ann on Wednesday, January 12th, and you’ll have the chance to ask her questions about the program. Be quick, space is limited.
Curbs are changing. This California conference wants to make sure they’re shared.
As the world reopens post-pandemic, cities are struggling to adapt their streets and sidewalks to a host of new and competing use cases. As we work to ensure beloved local businesses stay afloat, thanks to outdoor dining and delivery, cities need to also make room for transit, micromobility, and TNCs while avoiding privatizing scant public space. Join the regulators, innovators, and policymakers leading the charge at Curbivore, this January 28 in Downtown LA. Register at curbivore.co with code FriendofSUMC to get tickets for just $99.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mobility Justice

While electrification is not enough to curb the effects of car-centric transportation, it should be available to everyone—especially Black and Latino communities disproportionately affected by air pollution.

The “urban renewal” days of highway building divided communities, so President Biden and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg must ensure that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is more than a down payment on highway removal.

The Equiticity-organized “Reimagining Mobility in North Lawndale” walking tour looks at various parts of the Chicago neighborhood and its relationship to local mobility options like cycling, walking, bikeshare, and transit. Learn about last week’s event and Equiticity’s related project, The Go Hub, on Streetsblog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ridehailing/Carsharing/Carpooling 

Violent crime and dangerous situations make it difficult for ridehail drivers to jump back on the platform, even with company incentives. Looks like Uber and Lyft will need to zero in on better safety features if they want drivers to get behind the wheel.

A new study out of the Alabama Transportation Institute looks at how on-demand ridehail trips affect children in terms of safety standards and car seat laws. (It cites Georgia and Indiana as having the clearest laws.)

Backed by a cool $30 million in new funding, Hive Technologies, an electric vehicle leasing startup, is set on getting more EVs in the hands of ridehail drivers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bikesharing & Micromobility

Our CEO Benjie de la Peña sat down with The Washington Post to discuss how the proliferation of micromobility use in the U.S. is shifting how we get around cities and communities, how the pandemic factors in, and the importance of building the right infrastructure.

It’s the halfway point for the Better Bikeshare Partnerships’ five Living Labs programs that develop innovative, equitable solutions for bikeshare. See how all the projects—including Chicago’s Northwest Center, featured during our 2021 Summit Mobility Justice Spotlight—are faring.

One New York coalition, the Equitable Commute Project, is working to overcome e-bike barriers of entry by partnering with cycle makers, frontline employers, and local organizations to give workers a two-wheeled, emissions-free introduction to the e-bike revolution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transit

With violent attacks against public transit workers in Chicago increasing, CTA drivers are demanding safety protections like a dedicated police force and are willing to take “drastic measures” to get the city to listen.

College is hard enough without a four-hour commute. Good thing institutions like American University and Chattanooga State Community College offer free or affordable transportation passes to students that research shows help keep students enrolled.

PODCAST: It all comes down to funding, and Keyframe Capital partner Ben Birnbaum makes investment choices that shape the future of mobility, electrification, and automation. Transloc’s Movement podcast finds out what he’s thinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology

While the realization of Mobility as a Service (MaaS)—with integrated points of entry to more transportation options—has faced unwieldy obstacles with pandemic and technical issues, cities like Pittsburgh and Tokyo are implementing MaaS programs that get people out of their cars.

In electrification news, Volkswagen is partnering with Umicore, 24M Technologies, and Vulcan Energy Resources for electric vehicle battery production to boost battery cell innovation and move the company’s fleet towards all EVs.

Autonomous tech is the focus of automaker Daimler and driverless innovation maven Waymo. The companies are prototyping a chassis system for self-driving, long-haul trucking that includes extra steering, braking, power, and communication safety measures to mitigate operational risk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainability

Why does the U.S. spend so much on infrastructure? Comparing the U.S. to European and Asian cities, over-design, inefficient project management, and misaligned politics keep expenses astronomically high.

REPORT: The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy details why compact cities built with pedestrian, cycling, public transit-centered infrastructure, and a rapid, strategic transition to EVs are crucial to reducing transportation’s carbon footprint.

A study commissioned by NYC’s MTA validates the case for congestion pricing. Preliminary analysis of three scenarios shows the toll would create a significant cut in vehicle miles traveled inside Manhattan and a sizable drop for the entire city.

Project Funding Opportunities

Fixed Route CAD/AVL and Route Planning Intelligent Transportation System
Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA)
Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties, MI
Deadline: December 24
 
Paratransit / Micro-transit CAD/AVL and Scheduling Intelligent Transportation System
Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA)
Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties, MI
Deadline: December 24

South Placer Microtransit Software Solution Implementation
The County of Placer, City of Roseville, and City of Auburn 
Northern California 
Deadline: January 20, 2022

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