Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Interest of Shared Mobility and Emerging Vehicle Technologies in Rural America
Authors:	Ranjit Godavarthy and Jill Hough
Publication Date:	Dec 2022
TRID #:	01870323
Keywords:	advanced vehicle control systems, ridesourcing, rural areas, shared mobility, surveys, technological innovations, vehicle sharing
Type:	Research Report

Abstract

Shared-use mobility services such as ridesourcing, bikesharing, and carsharing have been introduced in a few rural communities and a fair number of small-urban communities. Input about the interest and potential willingness to use these services, and adoption of various emerging vehicle technologies, could help improve understanding and planning for appropriate shared mobility services to meet the transportation needs in rural and small-urban communities. This study analyzed the the interest and adoption patterns for shared mobility and emerging vehicle technologies in rural and small-urban communities. The study also explored the characteristics of shared mobility users in rural America by analyzing the 2017 National Household Travel Survey. Among all rural respondents, about 1.8% use rideshare services, about 0.2% use carshare services, and about 0.3% use bikeshare services. Another important finding from the study is that a significant portion of rideshare users (29.9%), carshare users (28.8%), and bikeshare (20.1%) users are also public transit users. Regarding the adoption of advanced technologies, both Fargo and Dickinson were observed to have high adoption rates for advanced technologies such as smartphones, trip planning apps, and Amazon Prime. Rideshare service has a high adoption rate in Fargo but moderate adoption rate in Dickinson.