Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future (2021) / Chapter Skim
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Research Report S E C T I O N 1
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9 Need for the Research and Context from Practice Transit agencies are confronted with new challenges and opportunities as technology, demographic, land use, and economic trends all converge to change urban mobility. De-industrialization, the rise of the service economy, and workplace trends like teleworking and the gig economy have impacted urban travel patterns.
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10 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future so it was important to look for literature that focused on different angles, cases, and outcomes within the same general topic area. One clear gap in the existing literature is information on how new mobility services are affecting how transit providers approach bus network redesigns; however, other aspects of the research -- namely, the interviews and discussion group -- shed light on this topic.
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Introduction and Purpose of the Report 11 (continued on next page) HRT Medium Transform Transit Project/Transit Strategic Plan Bus network redesign with regional high-frequency network and microtransit zones.
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12 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future these interviews (and materials provided by the transit agencies) and reflects the status of the transit agency's bus network redesign at the time interviewed.
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Introduction and Purpose of the Report 13 sharing; carsharing; ridesharing/carpooling; ridesourcing and ride-splitting (both of which are provided largely by TNCs) ; and microtransit.
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14 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future equity considerations, public and stakeholder engagement, financial considerations, and capital improvements undertaken as part of a bus network redesign. • Chapter 4: Support and Collaboration covers collaboration within the transit agency, including transit agency planning and administrative staff, bus operators, and union leadership; collaborating with other stakeholders; gaining community buy-in; and working with transit agency boards and elected officials.
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15 Introduction A bus network redesign, as explained in TCRP Synthesis 140, is the process in which a transit agency modifies the structure of its bus network in response to the results of a holistic network analysis. Although this is currently one of the "hottest trends" in mass transit, it is not a new concept (Vock 2017)
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16 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future outside forces can prompt transit agencies to develop more ambitious, holistic plans. Such forces include increased or decreased funding or the establishment of other transit services, such as new investment in fixed guideway services, including light rail, some types of BRT services, or even new heavy rail rapid transit lines.
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Background on Bus Network Redesigns and New Mobility 17 • Accrue other important benefits. Transit agencies may also be motivated by goals that span beyond improving their service, such as the desire to reduce dependency on personal cars and promote environmental sustainability (Kalantari et al.
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18 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Bus network redesigns raise several fundamental choices that must be considered; discussing how the public and stakeholders feel about a particular trade-off as input to the planning process is a common trend in bus network redesigns. One is the trade-off between providing transit service in as much of the service area as possible or focusing it upon those corridors and areas that are known to have a high demand for fixed route transit service.
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Background on Bus Network Redesigns and New Mobility 19 In 2018, there were 21 active carsharing operators in the United States, with over 1.4 million members and over 15,000 shared vehicles. Of these 21 operators, 13 are for-profit businesses that together account for nearly 100% of all carsharing program members and vehicles.
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20 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future (69%) , and "improve customer experience" (61%)
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Background on Bus Network Redesigns and New Mobility 21 for highly utilized transit service (Tsay et al.
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22 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Conclusions Having provided an overview of bus network redesigns -- including their goals and the impetus for conducting them -- along with an overview of new mobility, this chapter ties the two together to show how bus network redesigns and planning for new mobility are being integrated. While new mobility is still nascent, it is playing a much larger role in transit agency offerings and is being considered as a viable complement to fixed route transit service; it is therefore looked at as a key consideration as transit agencies conduct their bus network redesign planning.
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23 Introduction This chapter provides an overview and examples of many of the key components of conducting a bus network redesign: • Bus network redesign planning process • Goals and objectives • Metrics • New mobility and bus network redesigns • Equity • Public and stakeholder involvement • Financial considerations • Capital elements to support redesigned bus service Bus Network Redesign Planning Process Overview At the heart of a bus network redesign is the process of bus service planning, which looks at how resources can best be allocated across a transit system, so they create an effective network, provide service where needed, maximize ridership, and obtain many other objectives. Whether bus service planning is being done at a system level or on a small scale within a larger system, the service planning process at a high level remains the same: gather information, analyze and recommend, and engage stakeholders and the public.
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24 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future for transit demand as well as reviewing travel flows, often from external sources, such as the regional travel demand model and/or purchased cell phone data)
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 25 of new service types to plan around them. By initially defining what is meant by certain types of service (i.e., high frequency, local, coverage)
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26 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Bus network redesigns are often pursued as something that should be cost neutral, that is, that the planned system has the same number of service hours as the current one, with the key difference being where and when those service hours are provided. Often the final plan does not adhere to that goal and additional funding can be required to close some gaps and appease stakeholders.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 27 tied to current services when there are opportunities to provide mobility and accessibility in a better way. In many cases, while these two planning approaches are different, the results of both methods may not differ to a great extent.
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28 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future While transit agencies look at new employment and other activity centers as part of their bus network redesigns, these new areas may not have sufficient density or be pedestrian unfriendly, so setting design standards can keep the focus -- especially in a blank slate bus network redesign -- on areas where transit can be more effectively offered. • HRT Transform Transit Project updated the transit agency's service types and design guidelines.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 29 reserve some of those operating costs to improving service during middays and on weekends. The following are examples: • LA Metro determined that 85% of Los Angeles County residents used transit at least once in the prior year, and that short distance midday and evening trips represented the greatest opportunities to grow ridership.
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30 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future While these questions are effective in explaining the decisions that must be made in an environment with limited resources, the limited reliability of input on stated preference questions should not be overlooked. The following are examples: • MDOT MTA.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 31 factor" of a new system unless the transit agency is willing to make drastic changes to coverage to reallocate that service to significantly improved core service, force transfers between higher-frequency service, and/or reallocate the limited service hours between different times of day and different days of the week. In other words, without a willingness by the transit agency -- which depends heavily on the desire of the community -- to make big changes, reallocation of existing resources can take things only so far.
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32 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Goals and Objectives Through a bus network redesign, transit agencies seek to satisfy one or several overarching goals. As discussed in Chapter 2, examples of these goals include but are not limited to the following: • Improving transit service for current and potential riders.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 33 Figure 5. Commonly cited big-picture objectives.
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34 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future 1 on Sunday. Once the bus network redesign was implemented, there were over 20 bus routes in addition to the now three rail lines, and these maintained that level of service 7 days a week (Houston METRO 2016)
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 35 spending traveling along the system, including walking to and from the stations and traveling on the bus as well as evaluating transfer rates (though an increase in transfer rates does not necessarily imply longer travel times, as transfers may be between faster and more frequent service)
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36 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future transit systems and change travel behavior. An exception to this is the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 37 Table 5 provides an overview of how transit agencies interviewed for this project incorporated new mobility planning into their bus network redesigns and/or into other concurrent plans. Of the transit agencies that were interviewed for this research, seven transit agencies incorporated some form of new mobility planning into their bus network redesign planning, and another six planned for new mobility through a separate or parallel effort.
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38 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future the trip request process both easier and more real time -- this shared ride type of service is having a renaissance. Transit agencies may choose to subsidize new mobility services in instances where traditional transit service is poorly suited to meet travel needs in an efficient or cost-effective manner.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 39 Source: Gwinnett County Transit Division. Figure 6.
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40 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future insight on integrating on-demand services at a transit agency. While the initial 2016 microtransit pilot was in downtown Kansas City, which is well served by existing services, KCATA's subsequent microtransit pilot was conducted in suburban communities in Kansas City, Kansas, with limited fixed route service and has been far more successful in attracting ridership, including many riders who are using the microtransit service to access KCATA's fixed route bus service.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 41 incorporating microtransit in parts of UTA's service area that are similar to the microtransit pilot -- areas with low-productivity fixed route bus service or no current transit service but that demonstrate demand for transit service. Incorporating TNCs, Micromobility, and Carshare to Enhance Access Micromobility (i.e., bikeshare and scooter share)
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42 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future for on-demand services, believed the public viewed traditional bus services in a low-density, suburban area as not the best solution, and that the community believes more comprehensive coverage can be provided in a cost-effective way through flexible services. This situation is not unique and was manifested in another urban area conducting a bus network redesign where elected officials wanted their jurisdiction to have microtransit because they viewed that as the "prize," when fixed route service would actually have provided better service for their constituents.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 43 future integrations of mobility options, that the governance (as opposed to the technology) of MaaS is a key challenge, and that, prior to transit agencies in the United States undertaking a central role in the provision of MaaS solutions, that they should understand and leverage their own infrastructure and data and rethink their organizations to enhance innovation (APTA 2019)
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44 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future which tends to be when transit ridership and frequency are the lowest. It additionally found that TNC usage and transit ridership have an unclear correlation to one another; some cities, such as Seattle, saw both high transit ridership and high TNC usage, while others, such as Washington, DC, saw an increase in TNC usage with a decrease in transit ridership (Feigon and Murphy 2018, 8; Shared-Use Mobility Center 2016a)
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 45 Equity Equity considerations are integral to bus network redesign planning efforts. Transit agencies are required to ensure that their planning activities comply with FTA regulations that pertain to Title VI and the ADA.
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46 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future While this section covers how transit agencies can plan for these communities, outreach to these communities during the bus network redesign planning and education process is covered in Chapter 4. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Transit riders -- especially bus riders -- trend lower income and higher minority in comparison with overall regional demographics.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 47 service planners examined service changes in each census block group that was identified as having potential disparate impacts to minority communities or disproportionate burdens to low-income communities in each iteration of the draft plan through the final plan and modified plans to address identified issues. Because of their careful planning and their Title VI analysis throughout the bus network redesign process, coverage in these communities actually expanded as a result of the redesign.
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48 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future service would reduce the frequency of wheelchair users being unable to board a bus as a result of all tie-downs being in use. While Cap Remap resulted in a simpler system with more consistent fixed route spans that also simplified their complementary ADA service, it did result in a smaller paratransit service area.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 49 Engaging Disadvantaged Populations A bus network redesign will not be successful if the community it is meant to serve is not generally onboard with the concept of conducting such a wide-ranging service plan. Outreach is necessary to all members of the community, but studies show that outreach is even more important for specific subgroups, particularly historically disadvantaged groups, such as lowincome, persons of color, seniors, and people with disabilities.
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50 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future • Faith-based groups • Neighborhood groups • Refugee community representatives • Senior citizen groups • Transit advocates • Transit agencies • Universities and school districts The research revealed the following examples of outreach and public engagement through stakeholder groups to reach a diverse audience: • Gwinnett County Transit Division worked with a local community organization to help engage the local Vietnamese and Korean communities to ensure their needs were considered in the process. • Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 51 preference to consult the public after final scenarios were developed, likely as part of the education process for implementation (Byala et al.
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52 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Clear Information and Discussions of Trade-offs Community engagement can go a long way to gaining the support of the community, as illustrated by the example of Houston METRO's bus network redesign effort. Houston METRO worked with the public to communicate the financial trade-off that must be made when performing a redesign.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 53 engaging the public. Others cited creating platforms to show riders how their trip would change, such as a side-by-side trip planner using current and planned General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)
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54 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future and consultants. Within this "mix," respondents indicated that consultants were responsible for most of the work (85%)
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 55 than the current system requires, expanded and new transfer facilities, and bus stop signage and curb space investments, including ADA accessibility investments, to accommodate the new service. Additionally, other capital costs, such as bus-priority treatments, that can maximize and leverage the service plan must also be considered.
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56 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future the COVID-19 pandemic) , it wanted to roll out a retail network to allow riders to easily acquire and/or refill their transit cards, which is viewed as being particularly important for the unbanked population and is a key recommendation of the Title VI analysis of the new fare policy.
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Components of Bus Network Redesign Planning 57 Additional or New Vehicle Types If a bus network redesign plans more service at peak times -- when all of the transit agency's non-spare fleet is already in use -- additional vehicles will be required. With many redesigns focused on cost-neutral operations, additional vehicles are not a common expense.
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58 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future improvements for bus operations, and challenges where desired improvements or projects have not been realized. • JTA's bus network redesign included a bus stop optimization that removed 30% of bus stops in an effort to speed up the service, accompanied by investments in updated signage (Jacksonville Transportation Authority n.d., 12)
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59 Introduction Even if the resulting bus network will be better for riders, it is difficult to muster the political will to implement a comprehensive bus network redesign. Compared with other bus planning efforts, public and stakeholder engagement should be robust during a redesign, with more touchpoints throughout the process.
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60 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Internal agency collaboration on the bus network redesign among planning and other administrative staff was strong in many transit agencies: • Gwinnett County Transit Division attributes their success to internal persistence, with internal champions consistently pushing the same agendas. • Houston METRO's CEO appointed a core management team, including a project lead, two project managers, and a board liaison.
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Support and Collaboration 61 drivers to coordinate on scheduling. In another, the consultants leading the redesign met with operators and went to operator safety meetings through a detailed in-reach "syllabus" that engaged the operators in all divisions at all stages of the process.
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62 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future (Byala et al.
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Support and Collaboration 63 succeed, according to interviewees. A broad coalition of stakeholders signals that a project has obtained widespread interest and support.
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64 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future through Georgia House Bill 930, which gave Gwinnett an additional option to raise funds for Connect Gwinnett through a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. If passed, this tax would generate capital and operating funds for Gwinnett County to directly build and operate the recommendations of the plan, other than operating the rail extension, which would be done by MARTA.
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Support and Collaboration 65 • MDOT MTA. When the BaltimoreLink bus network redesign was implemented in 2017, the transit agency worked with the city on simultaneously implementing bus stop optimization, bus-priority lanes, and TSP.
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66 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future the BaltimoreLink redesign was implemented, MDOT MTA received a U.S. DOT Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER)
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Support and Collaboration 67 underway bus network redesign efforts, boards were most often involved in final approval for route recommendations (71%) , policy guidance for the bus network redesign visions (74%)
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68 Introduction How a transit agency chooses to implement its bus network redesign can be as important to its success as all the other components of its preparation. A proper launch ensures that the changes to the system are understood by the public, which therefore ensures that they system will continue to attract and retain riders.
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Bus Network Redesign Implementation 69 • LA Metro's plans for implementation are to fix the core network and make changes that will benefit the most people using current resources. Future phases will include a capital program to support the service plan and internal operations as well as additional service if more funding can be secured.
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70 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Specifically related to the implementation of microtransit of DRT, several transit agencies interviewed noted the usefulness of conducting pilots before permanently implementing DRT programs. One transit agency specified that discontinuing fixed route bus service is often ripe with internal and external politics and, to this end, suggested it is wise to establish pilot DRT projects in areas where no transit service exists.
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Bus Network Redesign Implementation 71 • Capital Metro implemented a robust outreach and education process prior to implementation. The transit agency had a new GTFS feed ready about a month before launch, and that allowed riders to compare their trips pre- and post-bus network redesign.
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72 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future Experimentation and clearly defined goals can help transit agencies successfully integrate new mobility services into existing fixed route transit services. A 2016 TransitCenter report emphasizes multimodal rather than mode-specific mobility, a rebalancing of street infrastructure to prioritize efficient movement, fare integration, data exploration, and use of on-demand services as elements that transit agencies should consider as they explore partnerships with new mobility providers (Tsay et al.
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Bus Network Redesign Implementation 73 Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) elements must also be addressed, including ITS data preparation for GTFS and for updating the onboard ITS systems -- namely APCs and AVL -- to include updated bus stop sequences and routing.
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74 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future frequently enough that passengers do not require a schedule. They have a board-adopted goal for passengers per hour.
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75 The research described in this report summarized bus network redesigns, including their planning and implementation as well as how transit agencies have incorporated new mobility into their planning processes. There were several key findings that represent common themes, challenges, and considerations observed across this research.
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76 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future board member. This high-level backing and guidance are key to buy-in across internal departments, cooperation with stakeholders and the local jurisdictions, and a face of support and leadership (i.e., a "champion" of the bus network redesign)
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Conclusions and Next Steps 77 implementation. Sometimes the sheer volume of changes can make people think it would never be implemented, so they may hold their comments and not provide input until late in the process.
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78 Redesigning Transit Networks for the New Mobility Future often more appealing to this population, but it is a much less expensive trip to provide for the transit agency. – Additionally, many disabled people and seniors rely on paratransit service, and the service area is based on the fixed route network.
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Conclusions and Next Steps 79 study of changes in travel behavior as a result of the introduction and rising prevalence of these modes in the near term. Because the impact of new mobility on travel behavior has been shown to vary geographically across the country, gathering robust data on a variety of place types will be important.
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