Partnerships for Equitable
Pandemic Response and Recovery
TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT SELECTION COMMISSION*
CHAIR
Doran J. Barnes
Foothill Transit
VICE CHAIR
Jeanne Krieg
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Jameson Auten
Lane Transit District
IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
Paul J. Ballard
Trinity Metro
MEMBERS
Mallory R. Avis
City of Battle Creek Transit
Alva Carrasco
WSP USA
Dorval Ronald Carter, Jr.
Chicago Transit Authority
Desmond Cole
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Francis “Buddy” Coleman
Clever Devices Ltd.
Ryan I. Daniel
St. Cloud Metro Bus
Faye DiMassimo
Chatham Area Transit
Suzie Edrington
Capital Metro–Austin Public Transit
Carolyn Flowers
InfraStrategies LLC
David Harris
New Mexico Department of Transportation
Betsy Kachmar
Consultant
Joseph Leader
Consultant
Bacarra Mauldin
Memphis Area Transit Authority
Erika Mazza
Consultant
Elizabeth Presutti
Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority
Daniel J. Raudebaugh
Center for Transportation and the Environment
Jeffrey Rosenberg
Amalgamated Transit Union
Bernard Schmidt
Jacksonville Transportation Authority
Vicki L. Shotland
Greater Hartford Transit District
David C. Wilcock
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Kimberly J. Williams
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Nigel H.M. Wilson
MIT
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Nuria I. Fernandez
FTA
Neil J. Pedersen
TRB
Stephanie Pollack
FHWA
Paul P. Skoutelas
APTA
Jim Tymon
AASHTO
TOPS COMMISSION STAFF ADVISOR
Arthur L. Guzzetti
APTA
SECRETARY
Christopher J. Hedges
TRB
__________________
* Membership as of November 2022.
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2022 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
OFFICERS
CHAIR: Nathaniel P. Ford, Sr., Chief Executive Officer, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL
VICE CHAIR: Shawn Wilson, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Baton Rouge
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Neil J. Pedersen, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC
MEMBERS
Michael F. Ableson, CEO, Arrival Automotive–North America, Detroit, MI
James F. Albaugh, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Boeing Company (retired), Scottsdale, AZ
Douglas C. Ceva, Vice President, Customer Lead Solutions, Prologis, Inc., Jupiter, FL
Marie Therese Dominguez, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, Albany
Ginger Evans, President, Tower Consulting, LLC, Arlington, VA
Michael F. Goodchild, Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara
Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Transportation, Trenton
Stephen W. Hargarten, Director, Injury Research Center, Associate Dean, Office of Global Health, Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Chris T. Hendrickson, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
Randell Iwasaki, Leader of State and Local Transportation, Amazon Web Services, Walnut Creek, CA
Ashby Johnson, Executive Director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Austin, TX
Joel M. Jundt, Secretary of Transportation, South Dakota Department of Transportation, Pierre
Drew Kodjak, Executive Director, International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC
Carol A. Lewis, Professor, Transportation Studies, Texas Southern University, Houston
Julie Lorenz, Secretary, Kansas Department of Transportation, Topeka
Michael R. McClellan, Vice President, Strategic Planning, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA
Patrick K. McKenna, Director, Missouri Department of Transportation, Jefferson City
Russell McMurry, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta
Craig E. Philip, Research Professor and Director, VECTOR, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Steward T.A. Pickett, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY
Leslie S. Richards, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia
James M. Tien, Distinguished Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Michael R. Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
Carlos M. Braceras, Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City
Tristan Brown, Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Ann Carlson, Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Steven Cliff, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board, Sacramento, CA
Nuria I. Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Germantown, MD
William H. Graham, Jr. (Major General, U.S. Army), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
John T. Gray II, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Robin Hutcheson, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Washington, DC
Eleftheria Kontou, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, and Chair, TRB Young Members Coordinating Council
Billy Nolen, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Stephanie Pollack, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Susan A. Shaheen, Professor and Co-Director, Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, Berkeley
Karl Simon, Director, Transportation and Climate Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Jim Tymon, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC
__________________
* Membership as of November 2022.
Partnerships for Equitable
Pandemic Response and Recovery
A Synthesis of Transit Practice
Cecilia Viggiano
Naomi Stein
Allison Van Twisk
EBP US, Inc.
Boston, MA
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and APTA. APTA is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Commission to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Commission defines funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners.
TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs.
TCRP SYNTHESIS 167
Project J-07, Topic SH-23
ISSN 1073-4880
ISBN 978-0-309-68774-4
© 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
Cover photo credit: Laketran 2020.
NOTICE
The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
Published reports of the
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
are available from
Transportation Research Board
Business Office
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
and can be ordered through the Internet by going to
https://www.mytrb.org/MyTRB/Store/default.aspx
Printed in the United States of America
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP SYNTHESIS 167
Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Mariela Garcia-Colberg, Senior Program Officer
Emily Griswold, Program Coordinator
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
TCRP PROJECT J-07 PANEL
Elizabeth Presutti, Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), Des Moines, IA (Chair)
Jameson Auten, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Kansas City, MO
Mallory Avis, Battle Creek Transit, Battle Creek, MI
Raymond Chan, Greater Dayton RTA, Dayton, OH
Roderick B. Diaz, Southern California Regional Rail Authority, Los Angeles, CA
Mark Donaghy, Petersburg, KY
Rachel Dungca, Metro Transit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Anthony, MN
Christian T. Kent, Christian T. Kent, Transit Management Consulting, LLC, Virginia Beach, VA
Beverly Neff, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego, CA
Edward F. Watt, WattADR, Rockaway Park, NY
David C. Wilcock, VHB, Boston, MA
Tara Clark, FTA Liaison
Arthur L. Guzzetti, APTA Liaison
William Terry, National Transit Institute Liaison
TOPIC SH-23 PANEL
Carmen Alba, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, CA
Wiley Brooks, Alabama Department of Transportation, Montgomery, AL
Julia Castillo, Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA), Urbandale, IA
Roderick B. Diaz, Southern California Regional Rail Authority, Los Angeles, CA
Marilyn J. Dillon, EMBARK, Oklahoma City, OK
Lyn Hellegaard, Missoula Ravali Transportation Management Association, Missoula, MT
Cara Marcus, National RTAP Program, Woburn, MA
Robert Buckley, FTA Liaison
Danielle Nelson, FTA Liaison
Nancy Doherty, National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) Liaison
William Reckley, Community Transportation Association of America Liaison
ABOUT THE TCRP SYNTHESIS PROGRAM
Transit administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which information already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and practice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviating the problem.
There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the transit industry. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful information and to make it available to the entire transit community, the Transit Cooperative Research Program Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing study. This study, TCRP Project J-07, “Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute a TCRP report series, Synthesis of Transit Practice.
This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems.
FOREWORD
By Mariela Garcia-Colberg
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
The COVID-19 pandemic caused demand for transit to dwindle and services to be disrupted and reduced. In response to this fact, transit agencies were able to quickly pivot to deploy resources for other temporary “incidental uses” and respond to the public health crisis and need for essential services. Through these incidental uses of vehicles and facilities, public transit agencies across the country kept workers actively employed while expanding equitable access in unprecedented ways. Through creative partnerships at the state, regional, and local levels, access to essential services like meal delivery, delivering laptops and hotspots to schoolchildren, and transporting essential health workers were expanded.
This synthesis objective was to identify and document COVID-19 public transportation incidental use and other cross-sector partnerships for essential services to vulnerable populations, how the partnerships developed, and what critical services were provided to the community. A literature review was done, and completed survey responses of practices from 113 transit agencies were collected. Additionally, four transit agencies were also interviewed for the case examples. The agencies provided information on the state of the practice, emphasized lessons learned, and emphasized challenges.
Cecilia Viggiano, Naomi Stein, and Allison Van Twisk from EBP US, Inc., collected and synthesized the information and wrote the report under the guidance of a panel of experts in the subject area. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand.
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