On-Demand Mobility
M
OBILITY ON DEMAND
autonomous vehicles. With all
(MOD) is a continuously
that is available, transit agencies
growing factor in the
are adressing several challanges
transit world. Th e MOD
including how to incorporate
service menu available
emerging services with current
to riders includes
systems, as well as how to continue
car-sharing, scooters,
bus operations with integrated
bicycles and emerging
fi rst-and-last-mile services. 24 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019
Making smart cities
Smart cities are aimed at making
transportation an ease for those
who rely on it. Buses remain an
important cog in the smart city
machine, with continued developing
technologies, buses are an
attractive choice for riders.
Jennifer McNeill, vice president
of sales and marketing at
New Flyer, explained the role of
buses in on-demand mobility,
“We think that there is actually
a real paradigm shift in North
America towards this idea of
mobility more as a service. More
than a thought of I’m taking a
bus or I’m taking a train or a
taxi, people want to get from
point A to point B. We are focusing
on integrated mobility
and supporting smart cities in
that way.”
McNeill said that trends in ridership
have a high variable. Some
cities are seeing bus ridership decreasing,
whereas others have seen
an increase.
MOD partnerships
“We have been talking to some
of our customers and we understand
while ride-sharing
is defiantly on the rise we also
understand that there have been
demographic or other changes
in their cities that require them
to re-imagine their transit system.
A number of key cities like
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C.,
and others are actually going
through this major change to
redesign their mobility services,”
said McNeill.
One clear leg up that transit
services, such as buses, off er is
With the continued emergence and increased
popularity of on-demand mobility services,
transit companies are working to provide
methods to incorporate additional services to
make reaching destinations easier.
By Maile Bucher
ADDITIONAL
MOBILITY services
provide options
to riders who may
live far from their
preferred station.
Bus Service in
the Age of
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)
/MassTransitmag.com