In the past few decades new technologies and business models have disrupted the status quo of personal transportation in large cities and added a plethora of mobility options at residents’ fingertips. The rise of ridehailing giants such as Uber or Lyft changed the taxi industry forever. The growing segment of micromobility operators like Lime, Bird, and Revel have introduced a fun form factor for zooming around cities. Shared electrified autonomous vehicles were thought to hold promise in achieving Vision Zero and solving our congestion woes.
That new wave of mobility added to the traditional public transportation options and today urban residents have a plethora of mobility options at their fingertips.
In rural communities, the situation looks very differently. Lacking reliable alternatives, people tend to rely on their personal cars to move around. When looking at seniors or people with mobility issues, the options are curtailed even further as the pattern shifts from being a driver to travelling as passengers. They heavily rely on the goodwill of friends and family members who shoulder a significant portion of the transportation burden. In the United States, 80% of caregivers reported that they provide transportation for their older family members, and one in four have arranged outside transportation services.
The question we begin to look at here is, “ How can new technologies and business models be adapted for rural areas and population segments that have limited physical mobility?”
Is microtransit the solution for an aging demographic in rural areas?
Microtransit is an increasingly popular solution that can provide service in areas that are underserved or lack access to fixed route public transit. Demand-response transportation (DRT), through which passengers book a ride through a call center or a smart phone app, has been around for decades. The flexibility to designate the pick-up/drop-off location and a time most convenient to them can be an expensive challenge for operators. The recent twist on DRT is that new technology is able to improve scheduling and routing optimization, delivering a better overall fleet orchestration.