Shared Mobility: Current Practices and Guiding Principles

Chapter 6. Guiding Principles For Public Agencies

Shared mobility enables users to gain short-term access to transportation modes on an as-needed basis for either passenger trips or goods delivery. The advent of carsharing, bikesharing, ridesourcing, and other innovative mobility services is changing how travelers access transportation. In North America, the first carsharing and bikesharing programs launched in 1994. Shared mobility services have grown rapidly since then. In addition to carsharing and bikesharing, there has been burgeoning activity and new launches in P2P carsharing; fractional ownership; bikesharing; scooter sharing; dynamic ridesharing; ridesourcing; e-Hail taxi services; microtransit; and CNS.

Numerous studies of shared mobility have documented several environmental, social, and transportation-related impacts, such as reduced vehicle use, ownership, and vehicle miles/kilometers traveled. Cost savings and convenience are frequently cited as popular reasons for shifting to a shared mode. Additionally, shared mobility could extend the catchment area of public transit, potentially playing a key role in bridging gaps in existing transportation networks and encouraging multimodality by addressing first-and-last-mile issues relating to public transit access. Finally, shared mobility could provide economic benefits, such as increased economic activity near multimodal hubs and cost savings to users.

Because of the environmental, social, and transportation-related benefits frequently associated with shared mobility, local and regional governments are common partners due to their role in transportation planning, public transportation, and parking policy. It is helpful for public agencies to recognize several guiding principles when considering the role and implementation of shared mobility in a community. It important to note that these principles reflect current understanding at the time of this writing, which will undoubtedly continue to evolve. These guiding principles are:

• Shared mobility impacts everyone, not just users. Because of its impacts on the transportation network and the environment, shared mobility affects an entire community, particularly at the local and regional level.
• Shared mobility can be confusing for the public and policymakers. Clear and consistent definitions can help to clear confusion about modes and service models.
• Public agencies should embrace public and private collaboration. Public-private partnerships can lead to a stronger, more robust transportation network that contributes to access, livability, and quality of life.
• Public participation is key. It is important to inform and involve the public in planning processes and to listen to the public's concerns in implementing shared mobility services.
• Public agencies should collect data and consider compulsory reporting requirements. Data are critical to understanding and managing the impacts of shared mobility on the transportation network. Public agencies should establish data repositories and collect data to evaluate impacts and system performance. Public agencies may consider requiring data reporting by the private sector for this purpose.
• Incorporate shared mobility into transportation planning. Transportation planners and policymakers should incorporate shared mobility into models and plans, particularly in light of their potential impacts on the transportation ecosystem and land use in the future (e.g., reduced auto ownership).
• Transportation should be accessible and equitable. People are entitled to reasonable access to transportation services. Public agencies should ensure social, interregional, and intergenerational equity to meet the basic transportation needs of travelers.
• Shared mobility continues to evolve and tracking these developments and its growth and impacts is important in managing these emerging services and developing sound policies for managing rights-of-way and public-private partnerships.
• Shared mobility is having notable impacts on many cities by enhancing transportation accessibility, increasing multimodality, reducing vehicle ownership and VMT/VKT (in some circumstances), and providing new ways to access goods and services. In the future, the growth and mass marketing of automated vehicles (AVs) will likely impact all aspects of the surface transportation network. The uncertainty associated with AV impacts on user sociodemographics, VMT/VKT, modal shift, and land use make these new technologies challenging to model and understand. Although some forms of shared mobility (e.g., bikesharing) will likely remain more common in urban environments, shared AVs could result in notable growth beyond cities into suburban and rural locations. In the future, AV services could also greatly improve road safety and enhance mobility options for special needs populations, such as children, older adults, and lower-income populations. While many of the shared modes discussed in this primer could address a range of sustainability goals, more research is needed-particularly on the city and regional level and across the growing ecosystem of shared mobility services. While shared mobility holds promise for addressing a number of social and environmental goals, it is important to note that policy challenges remain in mainstreaming these strategies and ensuring public safety, adequate insurance, and fair labor practices, depending on the service model.