Between Public and Private Mobility: Examining the Rise of Technology-Enabled Transportation Services

TRB Special Report 319: Between Public and Private Mobility: Examining the Rise of Technology-Enabled Transportation Services analyzes how innovative transportation services, including ridesharing, carsharing, bikesharing, and microtransit, are changing mobility for millions of travelers. Such services could reduce congestion and emissions from surface transportation if regulated wisely to encourage concurrent, rather than sequential, ride sharing. Rapidly growing transportation network companies (TNCs), like Uber and Lyft, however, are disrupting conventional taxi and limousine services and raise policy challenges regarding personal security and public safety, insurance requirements, employment and labor issues, and accessibility and equity.

The committee’s report offers guidance to state and local officials responsible for policy setting and regulation of for-hire transportation services in each of these areas. The report also addresses the need for greater consistency in regulations across jurisdictions and calls for TNCs to share more information about the volume, frequency, and types of trips being provided to allow for informed regulation and planning of transportation services.

Report appendixes are available online only:

• Appendix A: Taxonomy of Established and Emerging Personal Transportation Services
• Appendix B: Taxi, Sedan, and Limousine Industries and Regulations, by Bruce Schaller
• Appendix C: Bikesharing Safety and Helmet Use

Supplemental information includes a:
• Press release
• Recorded webcast taped on January 13, 2016 at the TRB Annual Meeting
• Report in Brief
• Slider on 10 Facts about Using Uber, Lyft, or Taxis
• TRNews article

DOI: 10.17226/21875

E-Newsletter Type: Recently Released TRB Publications

TRB Publication Type: TRB Special Reports

This Summary Last Modified On: 2/1/2018