Understanding Commuter Transportation Terms actweb.org

Category Subcategory Description Marketing or Matching Process Driver Motivation Rider Motivation Public Benefits Insurance Provided By Ownership Equity

Carpool Family Pool Family members, usually spouses, drive No matching software or other marketing • HOV lane access • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Car owners; no special Personal auto N/A together to work and return home together. is utilized. Spouses or partners must have • Financial/gas savings • Financial/gas savings • Energy conservation insurance needed Family pool trips are often combined with common routes and work schedules in order • Spending time with significant other • Spending time with significant other • Parking demand reduction other errands before and after work (e.g., to ‘pool’. • Air quality improvement grocery shopping, dropping kids off).

Employer-based Employers or transportation management Employers, TMOs, or another entity will • HOV lane access • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Car owners; no special Personal auto Some employers will partner organizations (TMOs) encourage employees encourage employees at a worksite or an • Shared cost • Financial/gas savings • Energy conservation insurance needed with public agencies to provide to carpool. Poolers either meet at a common employment center to carpool together. • Employer/TMO-provided • Employer/TMA-provided • Parking demand reduction special programs for low-in- spot near their home, such as a park & ride Employers may use ridematching software to incentives: incentives: • Air quality improvement come workers, including guar- lot, or the volunteer driver picks up the riders identify employees with common commute • Preferred parking • Preferred parking anteed ride home programs. at their homes. Poolers will sometimes share times are origin points. The employer, TMO, • Prizes/giveaways • Prizes/giveaways the costs of the trip or take turns driving. or agency may offer preferred parking, • Financial incentives • Financial incentives prizes/giveaways, or other small incentives.

Slugging People looking for a ride to work will gather /casual carpooling is very organic HOV lane access • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Car owners; no special Personal auto No equity protections. Slugging (Casual at a common park & ride location. Drivers and only occurs in areas with a well-man- • Financial/gas savings • Energy conservation insurance needed is generally utilized by com- Carpooling) pick people up from these groups based on aged HOV lane system and sufficient • Parking demand reduction muters travelling more than 20 their common work-area destinations. The population density. • Air quality improvement miles to and from work. same is true for the trip home: riders gather at a common location and pool together back to their park & ride location.

Ride-matched Local/regional public agencies provide Riders and drivers are recruited in a variety • HOV lane access • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Car owners; no special Personal auto Some programs geared toward Carpool ridematching services linking commuters of ways, including mass media (radio/print/ • Shared cost • Financial/gas savings • Energy conservation insurance needed low-income workers; most who have common routes to and from work highway signage), surveys, or targeted • Other incentives: • Prizes/giveaways • Parking demand reduction programs offer guaranteed ride as well as common schedules. Poolers will means such as employer-based marketing • Preferred Parking • One-time financial incentive • Air quality improvement home program. sometimes share the costs of the trip or take (see above). Ridematching software is • Prizes/giveaways turns driving. usually used to identify drivers and riders • Small financial incentives (not who share a common route and work sched- exceeding cost of commute) ule. Ridematching is generally paired with a guaranteed ride home program.

Real-time Drivers will use a phone- or tablet-based Some regional governments have programs • HOV lane access • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Car owners; no special Personal auto Little evidence to suggest eq- Carpool app to locate commuters in real time who that contract with real-time carpool providers • Shared cost • Shared cost • Energy conservation insurance needed. In uity issues are being addressed are looking for a ride along a common route. such as CarMa, NuRide, and Zimride. They • Real-time flexibility • Real-time flexibility • Parking demand reduction most states true car- through real-time carpool as In some cases, micro-payments are used for offer a variety of incentives and promotions • Prizes/giveaways • Prizes/giveaways • Air quality improvement pooling is exempt from drivers (and passengers) have cost-sharing (but not profit). In other cases, for both drivers and riders. The incentives do commercial insurance the option to reject offering or drivers are incentivized through coupons or not exceed the cost of the commute. requirements so long accepting rides. However, there prizes. At no point does the driver profit from as financial transac- is certainly space for real-time this activity and the incentive is cost-sharing, tions are shared costs ridesharing to be used as a job not profit. versus profit. access tool. Category Subcategory Description Marketing or Matching Process Driver Motivation Rider Motivation Public Benefits Insurance Provided By Car Ownership Equity

Ridesharing Any form of Ridesharing is a catch-all term most See ‘carpool’ and ‘’ categories. See ‘carpool’ and ‘vanpool’ categories. See ‘carpool’ and ‘vanpool’ See ‘carpool’ and ‘vanpool’ See ‘carpool’ and See ‘carpool’ and See ‘carpool’ and ‘vanpool’ traditional commonly applied to workplace-oriented categories. categories. ‘vanpool’ categories. ‘vanpool’ categories. categories. carpooling or carpooling or vanpooling but may also in- vanpooling. clude household pooling. The drive services/ car service industry (TNCs, taxis, etc.) does NOT offer traditional ridesharing.

Vanpool Vanpool Groups of 7-15 people are provided a mini- Vanpool providers utilize a variety of Drivers are volunteer and in some • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Insurance is provided Vehicle is owned and Vanpool providers that use fed- van or 9-15 passenger vehicle to commute marketing techniques, including working cases may get to ride for free. Other • Financial/gas savings • Safest mode of public by the vanpool provider. maintained by the eral funds to partially capitalize to and from work. The provider might a with employers & TMOs, social media, print small perks include limited use of the transportation provider. a fleet must adhere to civil public agency, a private entity, or a private and radio ads, and other mechanisms to vehicle on nights and weekends. The • Energy conservation rights legislation that requires entity working on behalf of a public agency. link people with common routes and work driver is required to take and follow • Parking demand reduction them to offer and promote The vanpool provider takes care of vehicle schedules. certain safety procedures. Drivers • Air quality improvement services to all populations maintenance, insurance, and other capital share some of the same benefits including low-income and issues. The driver of the vehicle is a volun- as riders. handicapped individuals. teer and part of the group.

Real-time A real-time vanpool opens empty seats to Marketing is done via social media and Vanpool providers that use federal • HOV lane access • VMT/congestion reduction Insurance is provided Vehicle is owned and Vanpool providers that use fed- Vanpool riders who may occasionally want to van- websites, as well as through employers. funds to partially capitalize a fleet • Financial/gas savings • Safest mode of public by the vanpool provider. maintained by the eral funds to partially capitalize pool. The service is generally smartphone- must adhere to civil rights laws • Flexibility transportation provider. a fleet must adhere to civil or tablet-based. requiring them to offer and promote • Energy conservation rights legislation that requires services to all populations includ- • Parking demand reduction them to offer and promote ing low-income and handicapped • Air quality improvement services to all populations individuals. including low-income and handicapped individuals.

Transportation TNC Transportation network companies (like TNCs have used guerilla marketing tech- Profit is the primary motive of drivers. • Where there is critical mass, it very Little research has been done Laws vary on provision Varies: in some cases Concerns have been expressed Network Com- and Lyft) provide an online platform that niques, often using social media to target As such, it is not only possible, but easy and quick to get a ride. on the impact of TNCs. While of insurance; litigation it’s a personal auto, in that some drivers refuse to pany (TNC) allows entrepreneurial drivers to find pas- millennials and those who live in urban likely, that TNC drivers are generating • Rides usually cost less more research is needed, the is ongoing in a handful other cases it’s a for- provide rides in disadvantaged sengers who are seeking one-way rides. The cores. Marketing campaigns for drivers have trips rather than reducing trips. than taxis. research that has been done of cases. Some states hire sedan or limo. areas. Additionally, use of the companies use an app-based platform and revolved around the opportunity to make • Provides an additional indicates the following: are moving to require service requires ownership of riders pay the driver using a virtual wallet. money. For riders, they claim better reliability (and more flexible) • Trips are being generated, both the driver and the a smartphone or tablet, which Trip are generally cheaper than taxis, and lower trip cost compared to taxis. mobility option increasing VMT and pulling TNC to provide levels of may exclude many low-income but the driver profits from the transaction. people off transit and insurance. households. Additionally, Drivers are not volunteers, rather they are bike/ped vehicles are not required to be ‘hired’ to provide transportation service. • Increased economic activity handicap-accessible. However, – riders are using TNCs to opportunities exist for these get to places services to be used to provide • Riders are using TNCs job access. when intoxicated • Insurance and safety issues remain a concern Category Subcategory Description Marketing or Matching Process Driver Motivation Rider Motivation Public Benefits Insurance Provided By Car Ownership Equity

TNC with Similar to a TNC, except the marketing and Marketing is geared toward commuters. Profit is the primary motive of drivers. • Where there is critical mass, it very Little research has been done Laws vary on provision Varies: in some cases Concerns have been expressed ‘carpool’ option pricing is geared toward commuters. Prices Prices are lowered in order to make them As such, it is not only possible, but easy and quick to get a ride. on the impact of TNCs. While of insurance; litigation it’s a personal auto, in that some drivers refuse to are lowered to incentivize riders. competitive with other options such as likely, that TNC drivers are generating • Rides usually cost less than taxis. more research is needed, the is ongoing in a handful other cases it’s a for- provide rides in disadvantaged transit. trips rather than reducing trips. • Provides an additional (and more research that has been done of cases. Some states hire sedan or limo. areas. Additionally, use of the flexible) mobility option. indicates the following: are moving to require service requires ownership of • Trips are being generated, both the driver and the a smartphone or tablet, which increasing VMT and pulling TNC to provide levels of may exclude many low-income people off transit and insurance. households. Additionally, vehi- bike/ped cles are not required to • Increased economic activity be handicap-accessible. – riders are using TNCs to However, opportunities exist for get to places these services to be used to • Riders are using TNCs provide job access. when intoxicated • Insurance and safety issues remain a concern

Shuttle Employer-based Employers purchase and operate shuttles, Shuttles are typically marketed through Provides a job First/last-mile connections Increases transit ridership Generally subject Varies: in some cases Required to serve all communi- Shuttles often as a part of first- and/or last-mile employers and transit agencies. to Federal Transit service is contracted ties and be ADA compliant. service. Drivers are generally hired (or Administration rules and vehicle is owned by contracted) and the service is often and safety guidelines. the contractor. In other provided in coordination with a TMO or Insurance provided cases the employer or local transit agency. through a number of transportation manage- mechanisms. ment organization owns the vehicle.

Airport Shuttles These services provide door-to-door shuttle services use traditional Provides a job Reduces need for rental vehicle Reduction in rental car use Subject to FMCSA Shuttle provider gen- Required to serve all communi- transportation to and from . Service commercial marketing techniques. reduces parking needs and rules as well as local erally owns the shuttle. ties and be ADA compliant. is generally operated by private for-hire VMT. and state ordinances. In some cases the companies with paid drivers, but may also Shuttle providers must services is contracted. be run by a public sector agency, hotels, maintain very high or other commercial entities. In all cases, levels of insurance drivers are hired or contracted. coverage.

Taxi Taxi For-hire taxi drivers are required to follow None Provides a job Easy and generally quick access to Offers a mobility option for Subject to taxi-cab Varies: in some cases, Required to serve all communi- taxi cab commission rules related to insur- a ride. those without vehicle access commission rules. the driver is the owner, ties and be ADA compliant. ance, hours, and often where and when to or suitable public transit. Rules vary, but insur- in other cases a provide service. ance standards are company owns all of very high. the vehicles.

Sedan/Limo For-hire black car and limo services usually These services often market via yellow Provides a job 1st class on-demand car service. Offers a mobility option that Subject to taxi-cab Generally owned by Required to serve all communi- Service cater to high-end and executive riders. pages, word of mouth, and working with adds to traveler choices. commission rules. limo or sedan company. ties and be ADA compliant. Limos and sedans often have their own state hotels and companies. Rules vary, but insur- or local rules to follow. ance standards are very high.