Home Skip to main content

Project Details

Title:Interest of Shared Mobility and Emerging Vehicle Technologies in Rural America
Principal Investigators:Ranjit Godavarthy and Jill Hough
Start Date:February 2020
End Date:December 2022
Status:Completed

Abstract

Vehicle technologies and technology-enabled mobility services have significantly transformed the transportation ecosystem in urban communities. Ownership of vehicles with advanced features such as adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, autopilot, etc., have increased among individuals as vehicle manufacturers are in the process of heading towards an increased number of automation functionalities with their newer launch of vehicles for the general public. Ridesourcing services such as Uber, Lyft, and others have already become an integral part of the urban transportation framework in most urban and suburban communities. The combination of market-ready vehicle technologies, ownership of smartphone and usage of smartphone applications, and the presence of technology-enabled, shared-use mobility services present a great opportunity to provide flexible and additional transportation choices in metro areas.

While technology-enabled shared mobility services offer more mobility options in urban areas, they have the potential to be more useful in rural and small urban communities as they could become the only available mobility service in some rural communities, or provide transportation services in a much more effective way by working with the local transit provider to better distribute resources. Shared-use mobility services such as ridesourcing, bikesharing, and carsharing have also been introduced in a few rural communities and a growing number of small urban communities. Information about the interest and potential willingness to use these services and adoption of various emerging vehicle technologies can improve understanding and provide guidance for planning appropriate shared mobility services to meet the transportation needs in rural and small urban communities. This study will analyze the interest and willingness to adopt various technologies and innovative transportation services by different demographic groups, and how they can be used to help effectively meet the mobility needs of residents in rural and small-urban communities.

Project Deliverables

NDSU Dept 2880P.O. Box 6050Fargo, ND 58108-6050
(701)231-7767ndsu.ugpti@ndsu.edu