Our Publications

Shared mobility regulations are wide-ranging, evolving, and shaped by diverse policy goals, governance structures, and transportation technologies. This report with Urbanism Next examines how public agencies regulate services across different modes and jurisdictions, highlighting factors such as local versus state authority, service maturity, pilot programs, and the emergence of disruptive technologies. It also explores the costs and tradeoffs associated with regulatory requirements, as well as the challenges of balancing public objectives with operational feasibility. Read the full publication here.

The Monterey County Shared Mobility Zero Emissions Study, conducted by SUMC and Mobycon, presents a unified vision for a cleaner, more affordable, and more connected transportation future, where residents, workers, and visitors can move reliably without depending on personal vehicles. The study is informed by analyzing existing needs and opportunities and engaging with the public and community groups to present zero-emissions shared mobility recommendations that align with the County of Monterey’s sustainability and equity goals. View the full study here.

Public agencies and governments regulate shared mobility services in varied and poorly understood ways. This project categorizes these regulations across areas like safety, data-sharing, vehicles, right-of-way, technology, liability, and accessibility, while identifying key factors shaping regulatory environments such as policy timing, government authority, and modal maturity. The report explores how regulatory frameworks evolve alongside emerging transportation technologies and how lessons from micromobility and ride-hail can inform future oversight of shared automated vehicles. Read the full publication here.

Transportation programs are often designed to advance multiple policy objectives at once, from climate action to equity and access. This study examines how well shared mobility pilot programs in disadvantaged communities across California balance these competing goals. Focusing on bikeshare, microtransit, and carshare pilots, the research evaluates program performance against two legislatively mandated objectives: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving mobility equity. While the programs generally expanded access and mobility, most also led to increased emissions, highlighting tensions that arise when a single initiative is expected to achieve multiple, loosely defined outcomes. The paper argues for clearer goal-setting and proposes an “ecosystem” approach to equitable mobility policy, in which complementary programs with more focused objectives collectively advance climate and equity goals. Read the full publication here.

Transportation planning processes often rely on public participation methods that can exclude people with limited time, resources, or familiarity with planning systems. This study examines whether community-based transportation needs assessments are effective tools for engaging underrepresented populations and improving equity in transportation planning.

The research analyzes resident surveys, engagement strategies, and final reports from community transportation needs assessments conducted under California’s Clean Mobility Options program. The paper compares community needs assessments with traditional long-range planning processes and offers recommendations for when additional studies are most useful, as well as alternative approaches to addressing participation gaps in transportation decision-making. Read the full paper here.

As transit agencies across the U.S. experiment with on-demand, flexible microtransit services, questions remain about whether these programs strengthen public transit systems or compete with them.

Drawing on a review of 17 microtransit pilot evaluations nationwide and detailed case studies from four California programs in the Clean Mobility Pilot, this paper analyzes when microtransit complements fixed-route service and when it may cannibalize existing ridership. The findings show that while microtransit can improve reliability and fill spatial or temporal gaps in service, it rarely increases overall transit ridership unless it is intentionally designed to align with fixed-route schedules and goals. Read the full publication here.

Through the US Department of Transportation’s Thriving Communities Program, SUMC worked with the City of Waukegan, IL, on various transportation, infrastructure, and community engagement initiatives. Community engagement, in particular, was identified as a major barrier faced by the city. Hearing these concerns, SUMC helped connect the city with resources and opportunities to develop its community engagement strategy and explore ways to build trust, incorporate community input, and foster effective and meaningful engagement.

A Community Advisory Board (CAB) was identified as one potentially effective resource in the community engagement toolbox. They provide a model for meaningful participation by allowing different community organizations and local stakeholders a forum to regularly discuss transportation projects and address barriers in a more comprehensive and consequential way.

This guidebook was developed as an effort to provide a roadmap to form and sustain a CAB. Find the full Community Advisory Board Guidebook here.

Transportation should work for everyone. Yet, too often, it doesn’t reflect the needs of women and caregivers. If you’ve ever wondered how mobility hubs can serve these groups better, we’ve created resources to help you ask the right questions. SUMC, in partnership with Swedish based company, Living Cities and Communities, developed a Design Framework for Women and Caregiver-Centered Mobility Hubs. The Design Framework, in the shape of a slide deck, brings to life seven personas, shaped by project conversations with women and caregivers and their everyday journeys. The personas offer advice through seven design principles, offering guide questions to the user. Read the full Final Report here.

Future Mobility, supported by Vinnova, the Swedish Innovation Agency, and the Equitable Transportation Fund a project of the Global Philanthropy Partnership provided the funds for this project.

By closing gaps in transportation systems and complementing existing transit, first and last mile transportation services are integral in enabling access to employment opportunities, education, healthcare, and other key destinations. Without adequate first and last mile services, many necessary trips may not take place at all, contributing to adverse health, social, and economic outcomes.The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) recently published the research report First and Last Mile Connectivity for Missourians, authored by the Shared-Use Mobility Center in partnership with Via Strategies.

This report examines the current conditions affecting first and last mile transportation in Missouri and presents recommendations on how MoDOT and other state departments of transportation can effectively support first and last mile transportation to improve employment access. To inform these recommendations, the project team surveyed case studies of multimodal first and last mile services from around the country, conducted in-depth interviews with public, private, and non-profit organizations operating first and last mile programs, and hosted a forum with Missouri stakeholders. 

With support from AARP Public Policy Institute, SUMC developed the Connecting Community Transportation: Road Map for Implementation to guide the adoption of the Transactional Data Specification in demand-responsive transportation. This roadmap offers key steps and considerations for planning and implementing the TDS, enabling DRT providers to better coordinate services and improve access to transportation, especially in rural areas.

SUMC, with support from AARP Public Policy Institute, developed Connecting Community Transportation: Lessons Learned from Transactional Data Specification Demonstration Projects, a research report on the Transactional Data Specification and its role in facilitating coordinated demand-responsive transportation in projects around the country. This new report discusses key takeaways from demonstration projects from around the U.S. and outlines additional coordination opportunities, such as with providers of non-emergency medical transportation. Along with its accompanying Road Map for Implementation, this report highlights how the TDS can help DRT providers interoperate their services and enhance customer access to transportation.

This report assesses the impact and effectiveness of Northwest Center’s efforts in educating and encouraging Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood to adopt biking as a transportation option.

Through data analysis, surveys, and interviews, SUMC evaluated the impacts of this campaign and related bike infrastructure to understand if community members’ feelings, experiences, and perceptions towards biking had shifted. The report provides a holistic view of the campaign’s successes and serves as a valuable resource for stakeholders seeking to replicate micromobility initiatives in their communities.

A translation of the report is available in Spanish.

This policy paper analyzes new and existing federal funding programs and explains how state, regional, and local governments can leverage those funds to advance clean transportation projects. The paper serves as a resource to help transportation advocates and local communities to navigate the many funding opportunities that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act have created for transportation projects.

The paper advances the priorities of the Shared Mobility 2030 Action Agenda Network Funding Working Group to find new and creative ways to expand and sustain shared mobility infrastructure and services.

This paper provides an overview of how policymakers and planners are already framing micromobility as a tool to address climate change. SUMC reviewed the plans of more than 30 cities, highlighting language and policy approaches that address micromobility. After assessing the plans and their possible impact, SUMC identified exemplary language and approaches and divided them into four key areas of policy focus: modal shift, equity, infrastructure investments, and policy supports and incentives.

Within these broad groupings, SUMC have identified several specific actions that climate plans use to support micromobility as a climate tool: creating quantifiable goals, centering equity, diverting away from car trips, increasing access to micromobility, creating infrastructure for vehicle parking and charging, incorporating micromobility into transportation demand management initiatives, and outlining potential funding structures that support micromobility programs. SUMC encourages readers to adapt this language and the underlying approaches for their own policy frameworks for addressing the transportation components of climate change.

Micromobility can play a major role in transportation decarbonization, but its potential varies depending on the conditions in which it’s employed.

This report, produced by the Shared-Use Mobility Center and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, examines how cities can maximize the benefits of these vehicles with policies and infrastructure adapted to local contexts, making micromobility a complement to transit and a viable alternative to car trips. The report was produced with support from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and UL Solutions.

Micromobility, predominantly shared bikes and scooters, exploded in the years leading up to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. While guidance has been largely focused on government regulations, TCRP Research Report 230: Transit and Micromobility is one of the first extended explorations of what transit agencies need to know to effectively partner with or regulate micromobility.

The report includes case studies and best practices for transit agencies working on micromobility, new survey data on who is using it and how, information on transit-connected ridership in a variety of environments, and a practitioner-focused toolkit for agencies considering micromobility projects or collaborations. SUMC Research Director Colin Murphy led the research, in collaboration with a team of co-authors from Nelson\Nygaard and Populus.

A local philanthropic organization approached SUMC to identify mobility needs and solutions in West Dallas, TX, a low-density, low-income, predominantly Black and Hispanic area undergoing rapid gentrification. After extensive research and community engagement, SUMC provided a needs assessment with recommendations to the private sector and philanthropy to advance equitable, sustainable, and innovative solutions.

People use multiple modes of transportation: transit, carshare, micromobility including bikeshare and escooters, on-demand rides such as microtransit, and ride hailing. But we have just one purpose: to get where we need to go. Just as the availability of more modes makes it easier for people to get around without driving alone, better information about how to use these options together seamlessly can yield a transportation network greater than the sum of its parts. SUMC’s new policy paper, Towards the Promise of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in the U.S., provides a guidepost for us to get there, with MaaS topology, principles, case examples—and inspiration.

Getting to work can be difficult for over 30,000 daily commuters to Bedford Park, a Chicago suburb of just a few hundred residents that supports extensive warehousing and logistics operations. In 2019, the Bedford Park Last Mile Mobility Study identified challenges to accessing these jobs in ways other than driving solo. The 2020 Bedford Park Last Mile Mobility Action Plan expands on the study’s findings with nearly 50 specific actions, from repairing sidewalks and introducing innovative transportation solutions. It also emphasizes the need for collaboration among local stakeholders and transportation authorities to implement these improvements. By enhancing multimodal mobility, the plan lays out a more connected, equitable, and efficient system that benefits not only Bedford Park commuters but also the broader region through increased mobility and economic opportunities.

Preserving a paradise for all

The Big Island’s unique geography and its landscape is part of what attracts over 1.8 million visitors each year—and what can pose a transportation difficulty for its population. Working with the County of Hawai’i and the Ulupono Initiative, the Shared-Use Mobility Center released the Hawaii Island Shared Mobility Roadmap in March 2020 to address concerns about the economy, equity, and environmental sustainability as demographics, job access, and travel patterns shift.

Featuring a detailed summary of existing conditions pinpointing shared mobility opportunity areas, foundational and targeted Strategies, and a step-by-step implementation guide, this Roadmap can chart the way to the County’s transportation goals while increasing the overall quality of life.

This 2020 article in TR News summarized and updated TCRP Research Report 195 (2018). The original report featured one of the first uses of origin-destination trip data directly provided by a transportation network company. The mobility landscape had evolved rapidly since the report was written, and subsequent work by other researchers has expanded on many of its initial findings. The publication was used by regulatory authorities in cities like New York and Chicago and remains a key source of information on how TNCs are used in various urban settings in the United States.

The abundant growth of on-demand transportation—or, mobility on demand (MOD)—such as electric shared scooters and ridesourcing, underscores the acceleration of change in the wider transportation world. This report examines the component parts, the elements that comprise a business model for the private mobility services and innovative procurement practices used by their public partners. Understanding the business models underlying MOD can help public agencies assess which transportation challenges these offerings are best equipped to address, and which might be less appropriate applications of these emerging services. The current report will provide a granular description of business models, differentiating on mode and revenue source, which assists in assessing whether a particular business model addresses various transportation challenges.

The shared mobility industry is in a period of rapid experimentation and change. It is a fertile time to apply the experiments and channel the changes to support low-income and transportation-disadvantaged communities. In this paper, we communicate best practices for public-private partnerships that put equity initiatives into practice and support mobility for all. Equity and Shared Mobility Services is beneficial for any agency or group considering a mobility partnership, and includes a checklist for developing equity objectives, an equity analysis for low-income groups using shared mobility, and case studies with practical recommendations.

This 2019 guide by the Shared-Use Mobility Center serves as a planning and design resource for the creation of mobility hubs—places where people can seamlessly connect with multiple modes of transportation in a safe, comfortable, and accessible environment. Features include strategies for implementation, a breakdown of key design elements and amenities with detailed descriptions, references from sites around the world, and conceptual examples using sites in the Twin Cities.

A primary challenge in implementing Mobility on Demand (MOD) solutions has been reaching an agreement between public and private partners over data sharing. Drawing on lessons learned from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) MOD Sandbox program and beyond, this paper supports the decision-making process of transit agencies that are considering deployment of MOD or similar integrated mobility solutions in partnership with private-sector mobility service providers.

Based on observations from both inside and outside the Sandbox, approaches are available to agencies to address these challenges, and subsequently, obtain and analyze the data that are necessary to meet project goals. This white paper and the executive summary feature a decision tree to help guide agencies to an agreement that provides secure and useful data.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) was the first public transit agency to sign a service provision contract with a private transportation network company (Uber) to provide subsidized first/last-mile connections to transit stops. A 2019 case study by SUMC and Transit Center details the reasons why the agency took this step, how they responded to internal and external challenges as their pilot developed, and lists lessons learned with recommended actions for pilots going forward.

While PSTA was the first to embark on such a partnership, today they are numerous and are increasing in both variety and scope. The Direct Connect case study is a valuable tool for agencies in any step of the pilot process that illustrates some of the challenges with partnerships between transit agencies and transportation network companies (TNCs) and helps to shape agency approaches for future projects.

In 2016, the City of Los Angeles embarked on an electric vehicle (EV) carsharing pilot project through a grant from the California Air Resources Board. The city’s grant proposal, “L.A. Leading by Example: Partnering to Pilot EV Carsharing in Disadvantaged Communities,” was developed with support from lead technical partner SUMC and submitted to CARB in April 2015. It emphasized serving low-income residents and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Although implementing a progressive shared mobility pilot in a historically-steadfast car culture such as LA would prove to be challenging for a variety of reasons, BlueLA EV Carshare has already begun delivering results to Angelenos by reducing GHGs and providing a new mobility option. This case study evaluates lessons learned in Phase One of the BlueLA project, which concluded in spring 2019.

In early 2018, SUMC and the Federal Highway Administration released an international benchmarking study for implementing shared mobility services. The Report reflects over a year of research in which the team performed a study tour of three European cities: Munich, Germany; Paris, France; and Brussels, Belgium—areas with established and innovative shared mobility projects including bikeshare, mobility hubs, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), and other practices considered “new” in the U.S.

Filled with case examples and key findings, the group met with transportation experts from transit agencies, mayors’ offices, departments of transportation, universities, shared mobility operators, regulatory bodies, and EU representatives to observe and discuss effective strategies for application across the board. Read the report here.

SUMC teamed with UrbanTrans to produce the Bay Area Carsharing Implementation Strategy in February 2018. Developed as part of MTC’s Climate Initiatives Program, the Strategy focuses on specific approaches for growing carsharing membership and usage in the Bay Area as a way to reduce solo driving and vehicle miles traveled and meet overall emission-reduction targets. To support factfinding, the research team documented best practices, opportunities, and challenges in carsharing, reviewed relevant policies and studies, interviewed regional stakeholders, and held workshops with public, private, and community representatives.

This study by SUMC for the Transit Cooperative Research Program explores the impacts of app-based transportation network companies on the cities they operate in, including on public transit ridership, single-occupancy vehicle trips, and traffic congestion. SUMC’s findings, which build upon the learning shared in TCRP Report 188, were one of the first uses of origin-destination trip data provided by a major TNC. Read more about the study here.

In 2016, SUMC released an interactive toolkit to help cities expand bikesharing, carsharing and other forms of shared mobility throughout their regions, including in disadvantaged communities where transportation options are lacking.

Developed in partnership with 27 North American cities through the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, SUMC’s Shared Mobility Toolkit includes a Shared Mobility Benefits Calculator, a Shared Mobility Policy Database, and a Shared Mobility Mapping and Opportunity Analysis Tool. The Shared Mobility Toolkit Report acts as a guide and reference.

While private transit services such as airport shuttles, shared taxis, and private commuter buses have operated for decades in American cities, business innovations and technological advances that allow real-time ridehailing, routing, tracking, and payment have ushered in a new generation of private transit options. These include ridesplitting products like UberPool and Lyft Line, “microtransit” services, and a variety of public-private partnerships that are helping to bridge first-/last-mile gaps.

A 2018 SUMC-authored report published by the Transportation Research Board’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), Private Transit: Existing Services and Emerging Directions, explores the effects of these services in the US, addresses concerns over safety, equity, and other impacts, and proposes a way forward for agencies and jurisdictions to account for, regulate, and incorporate private transit into their planning.

With assistance from the McKnight Foundation, SUMC worked with leaders in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region to develop a Shared Mobility Action Plan for the Twin Cities to help scale up shared mobility and public transit to offset congestion and other challenges related to impending population growth, while maintaining the region’s affordability, livability and freedom of movement. The plan also features several strategies to help ensure that more transportation options reach disadvantaged neighborhoods. Specific recommendations in the plan are being implemented by the SUMC-led Twin Cities Shared Mobility Collaborative. 

Developed with input from numerous regional stakeholders, SUMC’s 2016 Shared Mobility Action Plan for Los Angeles County is designed to help the region capitalize on its expanding public transportation network and address ongoing challenges related to greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion. Following the release of the plan, SUMC has also continued to lead stakeholder engagement efforts in Los Angeles to build support for expanding shared mobility.

SUMC completed this pioneering study for the TCRP to examine the evolving relationship between public transportation — including paratransit and demand-responsive services — and tech-enabled forms of shared mobility such as ridehailing.  The report covers opportunities and challenges for public transportation as they relate to new mobility services and potential actions that public agencies may take to promote cooperation between public and private mobility providers.

SUMC completed a research analysis for the American Public Transportation Association based on information generated as part of the Transportation Research Board’s TCRP Report 188: Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit, which featured the first independent, multi-city evaluation of Uber trip data. The in-depth analysis draws from a wide variety of sources, including interviews with public officials, a survey of shared mobility users, and an analysis of Uber and transit demand in seven cities.