A Framework for Partnership Between Public Transit and New Mobility Services
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Bundled Mobility Passes: A Framework for Partnership Between Public Transit and New Mobility Services By Apaar Bansal B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering University of California, Berkeley (2014) Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees of Master in City Planning and Master of Science in Transportation at the MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2019 © 2019 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Author ..................................................................................................................................................................... Department of Urban Studies and Planning Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering May 23, 2019 Certified by .............................................................................................................................................................. Jinhua Zhao Edward H. and Joyce Linde Associate Professor of Transportation and City Planning Thesis Supervisor Accepted by ............................................................................................................................................................. Professor of the Practice, Caesar McDowell Co-Chair, MCP Committee Department of Urban Studies and Planning Accepted by ............................................................................................................................................................. Heidi Nepf Donald and Martha Harleman Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair, Graduate Program Committee 2 Bundled Mobility Passes: A Framework for Partnership Between Public Transit and New Mobility Services by Apaar Bansal Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on May 23rd, 2019 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees of Master in City Planning and Master of Science in Transportation Abstract The emergence and proliferation of “new” mobility has the potential to fundamentally disrupt urban mobility in the 21st century. This includes bikesharing, carsharing, or on-demand vehicles that can be summoned from a smartphone through transportation network companies (TNCs) and microtransit. Competition provided by these services to public transit has often soured the relationship between public authorities and new mobility. However, in the absence of a blanket ban on these services, the public sector needs to find a way to coexist with newer mobility forms, while still upholding system-wide benefits and values of public transportation. One way to coexist is through publicly-guided regulation, but going further than this is to find mutually-beneficial forms of partnership. This thesis proposes bundled mobility passes between public transit, bikesharing, and TNCs, as a potential framework in which the popularity of new mobility can be tapped to strengthen public transit revenue and ridership while at the same time enabling public institutions to regulate these services more effectively. By bringing together stakeholders, the Superpass hopes to cement public transit’s place in urban mobility by making the transit pass more appealing. In particular, Chicago is used as a case study for this concept. Enclosed within are the results of an engagement process with employers and employees in the Chicago area, to whom surveys were administered to gauge preferences towards a hypothetical bundled “Superpass” offered by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The surveys found widespread support among employers for such a pass. A discrete choice model was also made from the employee survey results to simulate the choices of employees under different pass scenarios. A scenario analysis found that from this Superpass, the CTA, bikeshare operator, and TNC operator can all at least increase either the number of passes they sell or the number of rides they provide to the market. The CTA, in particular, can potentially increase its pass holders by 6% to 35% and its revenue by 1% to 8% with a 30-day pass add-on bundle, and with a Metra Link-up add-on bundle it can increase pass holders by 11% to 36% and remain about revenue neutral. This thesis also presents an implementation framework for such a pass that could bring together the urban public transit system, the regional commuter rail, the bikeshare operator, the TNC operator, employers, and finally, employees, to ensure the success of this program. Thesis Supervisor: Jinhua Zhao Title: Edward H. and Joyce Linde Associate Professor, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning 3 4 Acknowledgements This thesis marks the culmination of three challenging but rewarding years at MIT, and I am indebted to many who have helped and supported me along the way. First, I would like to thank my advisors, Jinhua Zhao and John Attanucci. To Jinhua, for always giving me hope in hopeless situations and for spreading your infectious enthusiasm. To John, for giving me the chance these last three years to be an RA, for always giving your honest feedback, and for your time during our countless meetings to help move this research forward. Both of you have left an indelible mark on me in your own ways which I will carry as I leave MIT and I will be eternally grateful for having been given the opportunity to work on this exciting project. And to Fred Salvucci, it has been an honor to be in your presence and hear your wisdom over these years. Next, I am grateful to the Chicago Transit Authority for supporting me the last three years and for having an open mind to hear my ideas. I particularly thank Laura DeCastro, Tom McKone, and President Dorval Carter for their support and positivity during the course of this project. I also thank all the members of the Transit Lab for their friendship and help, especially, Ru, Mihir, Maud, Gabe, Jintai, Peyman and Nate. I also owe an enormous amount of gratitude to He and Mazen for all their help with this thesis. To Adham, Haleemah, Ayush, Priya, and Akash, your unwavering friendship has kept me sane these years in Cambridge. To Diego, you have been more supportive than I could ever repay. I also thank the rest of my MCP cohort for their passion and laughter, it has been a privilege to share the halls of DUSP with you. I wish to express my unending gratitude to my parents, who have been a source of comfort, support, and affection from across the world. It has been difficult to be away from home for so long, but I hope I am making you proud. To Neal, it was actually your original suggestion that led me to pursue this path and so in a way you had a big role to play in the creation of this thesis. Thank you for always pushing me towards the right path, I am much better off because of it. To Swati, Chinka, Amit, Shashank, and the little ones, I look forward to when our family is next together again. And finally, to my home city of Delhi, which inspired me to pursue this field of study and has kept me motivated to reach this far. 5 6 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 14 1.1 MOTIVATION ................................................................................................................................... 14 1.2 BACKGROUND ON CHICAGO MOBILITY ................................................................................................. 15 1.3 RESEARCH APPROACH........................................................................................................................ 17 1.4 OVERVIEW OF THE THESIS................................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2 THE CASE FOR PARTNERSHIPS WITH NEW MOBILITY ...................................................... 21 2.1 ROLE OF THE STATE IN TRANSPORTATION .............................................................................................. 21 2.2 BACKGROUND ON NEW MOBILITY ....................................................................................................... 23 2.2.1 BIKESHARING ................................................................................................................................ 24 2.2.2 RIDESHARING / TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES (TNCS) ........................................................... 25 2.2.3 MICROTRANSIT .............................................................................................................................. 26 2.2.4 CARSHARING ................................................................................................................................. 27 2.3 PUBLIC SECTOR RESPONSE TO NEW MOBILITY ....................................................................................... 27 2.3.1 REGULATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.2 PARTNERSHIPS............................................................................................................................... 28 2.3.3 BANS ........................................................................................................................................... 31 2.3.4 CHICAGO’S RESPONSE ..................................................................................................................... 31 2.3.5 OBSERVATIONS .............................................................................................................................