STRIDE Project D4

STRIDE Project D4

Mobility-on-Demand Transit for Smart, Sustainable Cities

Research Team

Xilei Zhao, Ph.D., University of Florida
Xiang Yan, Ph.D., University of Florida
Virginia P. Sisiopiku, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham
Nikhil Kaza, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Noah Kittner, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Noreen McDonald, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Xia Jin, Ph.D., Florida International University
Jeffrey LaMondia, Ph.D., Auburn University
Andrea Broaddus, Ph.D., Ford Motor Company

UTC Project Info
Final Report
Technology Transfer Final Report

What is the current issue? The popularity of shared mobility services such as ridehailing and micromobility has triggered the development of Mobility-on-Demand (MOD) initiatives by transportation agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. Integration of these services with more conventional transit services is key to the success of the MOD initiatives, but gaps in knowledge exist in their spatiotemporal usage patterns, how they shape individual travel behavior and attitudes, and under what conditions these new mobility options can be effectively integrated into the existing transit network. To fill these gaps, the team of researchers will leverage big data analytics to analyze scooter trip characteristics and apply machine learning to predict scooter use across different neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. and Gainesville, FL. They will also conduct a four-city (Gainesville, FL; Miami, FL; Birmingham, AL; and Auburn, AL) stated preference survey to investigate traveler preferences for MOD transit systems.

What did the research produce? It is expected that the results will inform the design of MOD transit systems and contribute to building smart, sustainable, and equitable cities in the Southeastern U.S. More specifically, the following will be created:

  • Predictive models (and the accompanying software codes)
  • MOD transit simulator
  • Individual behavioral insights derived from survey results
  • Policy recommendations for transit and health agencies