Mobility on Demand and Automated Driving Systems: A Framework for Public-Sector Assessment (2022)

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95 REPORT CONCLUSION Converging trends in mobility, consumer preferences, technology, and travel patterns are leading to innovations in transportation. These trends include: • Development of shared mobility, • Commodification of transportation, • Digital information and fare payment integration, • Electrification, and • CAVs. Shared mobility is an increasingly popular transportation innovation that grants users access to different transportation modes on an as-needed bases. Shared mobility encompasses a variety of modes including shared micromobility, ridesharing, vehicle sharing, and UAM. Shared mobility may impact, or be impacted by, a variety of stakeholders including public agencies at the local, regional, state, and federal levels; private mobility operators; and consumers. Partnerships between stakeholders can support the widespread deployment of shared mobility. The commodification of transportation, including shared mobility, is leading to the development of MOD. MOD is characterized by five aspiration attributes: 1) commodifying transportation choices, 2) embracing the needs of all users, 3) improving the transportation system’s efficiency and reliability, 4) allowing transportation system operators greater flexibility, and 5) maintaining the ability for stakeholders to receive and use a variety of data. The growth of MOD, and its ability to increase access to shared mobility, has led to the development of the MOD ecosystem. This ecosystem consists of the demand side (e.g., consumers) and the supply side (e.g., mobility operators, public transit). Increasing shared mobility and MOD modal options are resulting in an increased need for digital information and fare payment integration. Apps and websites provided by various stakeholders can integrate digital information. Fare payment can be integrated on a range from no integration to full integration of fare models and payments. Integrating digital information and fare payment can be supported through programs including the ones currently managed by the FTA, as well as technological innovations, such as MaaS. MaaS is a growing trend in Europe and aggregates different transportation modes to improve travelers’ convenience and access to modes. Transportations trends including shared mobility, MOD, and MaaS are also supported by increasing electrification. Design changes allow for vehicles and devices (e.g., scooters) to be electrical-powered rather diesel- and gas-powered. EVs and electric devices can help offset emissions and pollutants associated with the transportation sector. The growth and deployment of EVs and electric devices can be supported strategies implemented by utilities and agencies at the local and state levels. In addition, the widespread deployment of charging infrastructure for EVs and electric devices can create awareness regarding these innovations and support their growth and deployment. These trends in shared mobility, MOD, integration, and electrification are also supporting the emergence of privately owned AVs and SAVs. AVs may be automated at increasing levels

96 REPORT ranging from SAE Level 0 to Level 5. These levels correspond to the amount of human control required for vehicle operations and are enabled by a variety of systems and technologies. AVs may operate in a variety of ODDs and for different use cases, depending on the level of automation. In addition to the necessary system and technological components, AVs may also have certain features added by vehicle manufactures or companies (e.g., cabin workspace). Three key dimensions are likely to influence the widespread deployment of AVs: • Business models, use cases, and partnerships: Different AV deployment models and scenarios; • Built environment: Built environment types, land uses, and infrastructure elements that can support AVs (e.g., electric charging infrastructure, dedicated lanes); and • Policies and regulations: Local, state, and federal government actions to guide AV deployment. The anticipated impacts of these key dimensions are based on existing observations and findings from MOD and pilot AV deployments. AVs may impact a variety of areas including travel behavior, the environment, user demographics, economy and labor, and social equity. MOD deployment already affects these areas; however, the extent to which transportation innovations will impact these areas is unclear. • Travel behavior: Similar to MOD, AVs may impact travel behavior by encouraging people to use different transportation modes and increasing connectivity within the transportation network. • Environment: AVs may use electric or other low-emission vehicles that are more environmentally friendly than traditional transportation modes (e.g., privately owned vehicles). • User demographics: MOD users typically have higher incomes and education levels. Studies have shown that AV users may also follow these same trends. • Economy and labor: Studies have shown that a variety of workers are employed in industries that vehicle automation will impact. These laborers will likely need to be considered by stakeholders during the deployment of MOD and AVs. • Social equity: MOD and AVs may enhance equity by providing different populations (e.g., older adults, low-income households) with a greater diversity of transportation options. However, MOD and AVs could potentially exclude these communities and only serve a select demographic. Pilot programs may provide a clearer understanding of how AV deployments may impact the transportation network. Pilots across the United States are currently deploying AVs in a variety of geographies and use cases. Despite differences, the pilots generally have the following three characteristics—serving passengers or testing only, operating on public or private roads, and using a low-speed shuttle or a conventional vehicle. Opportunities and challenges identified in the pilots are highlighting necessary and potential design considerations for AVs. To assess the potential impacts of MOD and AVs on these different areas, this paper developed a six-step impact assessment framework. The six steps in the framework include: 1) map the project based on the implementation scale (e.g., neighborhood, city, regional), 2) define project

97 REPORT objectives, 3) define project hypotheses, 4) define project metrics, 5) define data sources, and 6) define methods of analysis. The framework can be used to assess a variety of projects with a range of impact categories. The Shared Automated Vehicle Toolkit, which was developed in coordination with this report, provides examples of different topic areas that the impact framework may assess (e.g., multimodal integration). The toolkit provides further information on and additional strategies for addressing MOD and AV impacts.