The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced $8 million in funding for Mobility on Demand public transportation projects as part of its MOD Sandbox Program. FTA developed the program because it wants to research new transportation service options related to the personal mobility market.
Mobility on demand technology can make transportation more efficient, accessible and reliable. By using real-time data and predictive analyses, travelers can find transportation choices that best serve them. The grant funding will help transit agencies and communities integrate new mobility on demand tools like smart phone apps, bike- and car-sharing and demand-responsive bus and van services. Awards ranged from $200,000 to $1.3 million.
The 2016 11 MOD Sandbox Projects are:
- Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County, Ariz., will integrate fixed route, subscription based ride-sharing and social carpooling services, open payment and advanced traveler information into an existing data platform to augment transit first mile/last mile disconnects.
- Valley Metro Rail of Phoenix, Ariz., will create a smart phone mobility platform network that integrates mobile ticketing and trip planning for various mobility providers, including ride-hailing, bike sharing and car-sharing companies.
- Palo Alto, Calif., will develop commuter trip reduction software, a mobility aggregation multimodal trip planning app, workplace parking rebates and analytics to compare commutes in order to reduce vehicle commuting.
- Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Calif., will partner with Lyft to explore the viability of first/last mile solutions for trips to and from public transit stops to improve transit access to lower income areas.
- San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit, Calif., will design integrated carpool-to-transit program software to help travelers find carpool matches and reserve and pay for in-demand parking spaces for carpools at BART stations and identify wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
- Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, Fla., will write central dispatch software for on-demand paratransit that provides a cost-effective, door-to-door service through existing partnerships. Travelers will be able to select transportation service providers based on an estimated time of pickup, available payment types and physical limitations.
- Chicago Transit Authority, Ill., will incorporate Divvy, a 580 station bike share service, into CTA’s existing transit trip planning app so travelers can find and pay for bikes or docking stations near their transit stops.
- Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon will build on its existing trip planning app to incorporate shared use mobility options and more sophisticated functionality and interfaces, including options that address first mile/last mile issues.
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Texas, will integrate ride-sharing service into its GoPass ticketing app to solve first mile/last mile issues to improve access to DART stations, particularly in non-walkable areas not well served by transit.
- The Vermont Agency of Transportation will develop a statewide transit trip planner that will enable flex-route, hail-a-ride and other non-fixed-route services to improve access by non-traditional rural transit system and disabled users.
- Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation, Wash., will connect local and regional service with local ride-share companies in order to increase regional transit use and solve first mile/last mile service between traditional zones, guarantee rides home and increase rides to park-and-ride lots.
