Welcome to the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s weekly guide to the most impactful news, thought-provoking articles and innovative technologies that are shaping our transportation future. We believe in sharing information, just like sharing cars, bikes, and scooters, so if there’s anything additional you’d like to see, just drop us a line.
SUMC News and Announcements
Save the Date! New SUMC Webinar: Objective-Driven Data Sharing for Transit Agencies in Mobility Partnerships
Wed, Jul 10, 2019, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDT
A primary challenge for transit agencies in implementing Mobility on Demand (MOD) solutions has been reaching an agreement between the public and private partners over data sharing. Drawing on lessons learned from the Federal Transit Administration’s MOD Sandbox program and beyond, this webinar aims to help transit agencies overcome this hurdle by determining the right data-sharing approach for their project and considering the benefits and trade-offs of various options. Webinar link and supported SUMC white paper to be available very soon!
Spin Spot: A design competition that’s putting a new spin on parking
What does a parklet for people look like? Spin and Better Block Foundation are looking for ideas. If you’re a designer, urbanist, architect, citizen or just care about safe and livable streets, they are hosting a competition that challenges you to design and build an on-street prototype that blends the traditional parklet, bike corral, and bus shelter with place-making. Winners for the competition will have the opportunity to showcase their models in Denver for National Parking Day on September 20. Learn more about the competition and submit your application.
Ridehailing/Carsharing/Carpooling
Features like reliability and lower wait times have made ridehailing an attractive mobility option for many. Transit has the opportunity to match these benefits but will need a serious tech boost (and rider experience analysis) to get there.
Chinese ridehailing giant Didi is ramping up efforts to win the race to dominate the EV charging app market, even against one of its backers as a competitor.
Carpool to BART just got easier for hassle-free shared commutes. People who carpool to any of the four Bay Area transit stations that are part of the program can pay for their parking within the BART app.
In a bid to promote sustainable urbanism, Uber India is pushing a new campaign, #ParksNotParking, to raise awareness about unmitigated congestion and push cities to rethink public spaces.
Partnerships and Programs
Take a bus, get some stuff. Miles app joins up with San Mateo County Transit District and Caltrain to get Bay Area workers to walk, bike, carpool or take more public transit by incentivizing sustainable and shared mobility with gift cards and other rewards.
Virginia is on track to get an automated driverless shuttle in Fairfax County as part of a proposed, state-funded grant program to bring on emerging multimodal mobility to complement local transit.
Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent partnered with local automaker GAC Group to launch a ridehailing brand called OnTime in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
Volkswagon India dives into the shared mobility pool by aligning with self-drive, car rental platform Zoomcar. Plusing up this partnership, they’re offering financial, repair, and maintenance services too.
Bikesharing and Micromobility
As the fight for mobility data rages on in US cities, micromobility operators and city planners need to collectively rethink data privacy guidelines and technology to help build frameworks that keep people’s data safe and better manage curb space.
A new court filing tells the story of how Ofo’s bikeshare business, once worth $2 billion and now in financial trouble, is an example of the perils of the bikeshare tech bubble.
Bird will set up an in-app feature using geo-fencing to help riders park their scooters in non-obtrusive, pre-determined spaces on Paris streets to cut down on blocked sidewalks and clutter.
Scootermania hits Chicago! According to the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, 11,000 rides were taken in the first weekend of the micromobility pilot. Keep on scootin’.
Transit
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has announced that the city will offer free unlimited ORCA transit passes to 1,500 public housing residents to help give disadvantaged families more reliable transportation.
Via gets an A for accessibility with a new microtransit program for seniors in Newton, MA called Newton in Motion (NewMo for short) that gives older adults an efficient, affordable, and accessible way to get around.
A new first/last mile shuttle service has been approved to operate in Carlsbad, CA to help transit commuters get to and from jobs in partnership with RideCo Inc. and shuttle operator WeDriveU.
Jersey City wants to bring an on-demand public transportation service to the area as part of “an innovative transit system with virtual stops and routes based on passenger demand.”
Technology
In a first-of-its-kind partnership between Waymo and automakers, Alphabet’s self-driving tech arm joined up with Nissan and Renault to work on autonomous vehicle solutions and mobility services in France and Japan.
Feel like bartering for your ridehailing fare? With this new app from five-year-old Russian ridehailing service InDriver, you can.
Cal State LA and zero-emission carsharing service WaiveCar won the 2019 Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards for the innovative approach to sustainable mobility shown with their hydrogen fuel cell EVs.
Uber rides in the Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville areas can now see real-time transit information and options in the ridehailing app, marking another notch in the company’s belt as a one-stop shop for mobility-as-a-service.
Urban Sustainability
The single-family home may have been the ubiquitous “American Dream” staple in the US for the past half-century but cities and states are increasingly ready to let that dream die for more densely populated, urban communities.
“Latinos have different cultural perceptions about space both public and private. They bring that to the US and they retrofit that space to those needs.” Streetsblog Chicago dives into the make-shift urbanism that comes from the vibrant communities of Chicago’s majority-Latin neighborhoods.
The 2019 Foot Traffic Ahead report from Smart Growth America has ranked US cities on their “walkup” score by analyzing urban spaces and what percentage of them are close to jobs. Atlanta scored a mighty 9th in the overall ranking, not bad.
Dockless micromobility may be one way to move people with zero emissions, but the lifespan of a scooter may reduce the sustainability of the mode. Dockless operators are moving fast to change that with AI-based software and dedication to recyclable parts.
Requests for Proposals, Inquiries, and Information
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Initiative
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Deadline: July 19, 2019
The FHWA announces up to $60 million in Federal funding for cities, states and agencies to develop advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and return on investment. FHWA is interested in projects that bring data together from different systems, such as integrated corridor management, real-time traveler information, traffic data collection and dissemination, and other multimodal intelligent transportation system technologies.
RFP: City: One Indianapolis Challenge
Indianapolis, Indiana
Deadline: July 23, 2019, at 5:00 pm EDT
Ford and the City of Indianapolis have launched the Indianapolis City:One Challenge, a crowdsourcing program for residents, businesses, and entrepreneurs to propose and pilot solutions that improve mobility in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis City: One Challenge is offering up to $100,000 in pilot grants for new mobility solutions that increase reliable access, expand affordable mobility choices, support residents with disabilities, or create comfortable journeys for families. Solutions may take many forms, from innovations in technology and services, to innovative street and infrastructure design. Proposal Website: http://bit.ly/2LhFM46
RFP: Operation of Tehama County Transit System
County of Tehama, California
Deadline: September 2, 2019
The County of Tehama is requesting proposals for operation of the regional transit systems for Tehama County, California which includes: Tehama Rural Area Express (TRAX), ParaTRAX and Medical Transportation Service (METS).
RFP: White Plains Transit District Development Opportunity
City of White Plains, New York
Deadline: November 1, 2019 at 4PM EST
The City of White Plains is pleased to release this Request for Proposals for the redevelopment of three municipally-owned properties and one White Plains Urban Renewal Agency-owned property totaling approximately 4.5-acres along the eastern side of the White Plains Metro-North railroad station, within the White Plains Transit District. It also presents a unique opportunity to enhance critical pedestrian connections between the transit district and adjacent neighborhoods including Battle Hill, Fisher Hill, and Ferris Avenue as well as reinforce the existing Main Street connection to the downtown core.
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