Momentum: Issue #39

February 18, 2020


MOBILITY ON DEMAND ALLIANCE IN 2020

If 2019 served as the year to launch the Mobility on Demand Alliance (MODA), 2020 will serve as the time to expand how we think, talk and act about Mobility on Demand.

We closed 2019 out with the latest MOD Forum – Seamless Data: Is Data Sharing Something That’s Really Happening in Mobility on Demand? Part of ITS America’s larger Data series, members such as LADOT, Cubic, and TransDev joined officials from the Open Mobility Foundation, MobilityData, Anaheim Transportation Network, Spin and others to explore today’s rapidly evolving policy and practice on data sharing, collection and access in micromobility and mobility on demand services.

Bringing together public and private sector stakeholders to dive into the pressing issues facing MOD is clearly a critical role for the Alliance, an effort that will continue in 2020.

PLENARY EVENTS

State and Regional Forums:  On February 27, the MOD Alliance is teaming with ITS Heartland in Kansas City to kick off a series of state and regional forums to discuss MOD. While the focus in 2019 was national discussions and policy, it is critical to extend these conversations into the backyards of where MOD is happening, discussing the barriers, how can consistent policy be implemented, and what national trends are impacting local decisions. After Kansas City, the next forum is scheduled for Des Moines on April 27, with others in the works.

Global Trends with MaaS Alliance:  On March 16 in Chicago, the MOD and MaaS Alliances will host the second of bookend events focused on insurance. Following last fall’s robust discussions in Paris, Chicago’s event will feature a dynamic agenda focused on MOD, risk, regulatory environments and how the sector is responding.

At the ITS World Congress in Los Angeles in October, the second Global MaaS and MOD Forum will explore the building blocks of MOD, such as:

·       How cities, states and private mobility providers are looking differently at the type of infrastructure services and partnerships they manage as mobility services like ride sourcing with TNCs, micromobility like shared scooters or e-bikes, micro-transit, and dynamic cargo delivery transform how people and goods move; or

·       How more robust data services are changing how people define and conduct real-time mobility operations services and plan for longer term mobility needs, as well as how data is really fueling the “business” of mobility; or

·       How pricing services can better enable curb side management or how creating seamless trip planning and payment apps are reshaping the relationship with mobility customers.

The MOD Alliance welcomes ITS America members and others to join in these discussions. The outcomes of these events also help inform some of the Alliance’s other work – specifically policy and research.

MOD POLICY

In 2019, the Policy Working Group completed policy development in preparation for federal reauthorization of the FAST (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) Act. In December, the ITS America board approved the policy recommendations. 2020 will bring additional focus on MOD as not only Congress delves into how it is transforming how people move, but states and cities also expand and refine policies that better enable MOD.

MOD RESEARCH

State of MOD:  In partnership with AAA, MODA completed the first series of focus groups that will inform the State of MOD National Public Survey (more to come). The survey looks at MOD, its practices, public awareness and utilization with rural, suburban and urban residents from around the country. The Alliance plans to launch this survey, as well as the State of MOD National Practitioners Survey, with partners Cal Berkeley, AASHTO, and ITE this spring.

The MOD Alliance is excited to have AAA, Cubic and PTV Group sponsoring these efforts and welcomes additional member support, which should create a fully robust national censuses of the state of MOD. With plans for an annual survey, the Alliance hopes to provide members with a comprehensive analysis how the market is evolving and the tools and barriers to implementation.

Barrier Free:  The need for barrier-free vehicle access is a rising issue and one that cuts across multiple ecosystems. In partnership with the Autonomous Vehicle Alliance and AARP, ITS America and MODA are studying and defining what the understanding of what barrier-free vehicle access could be, with consideration of emerging trends like Mobility on Demand and automation, the varying and common needs between different customers, and the potential size of market.

Thank you to all for making this first year of the MOD Alliance a success. With each of you, ITS America and MODA are continuing to further the discussion on how MOD is transforming how we move.