Principal Investigator(s):
Thomas Fisher, Professor/Director, Metropolitan Design Center
Co-Investigators:
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Fernando Burga, Assistant Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
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Alireza Khani, Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering
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Mary Vogel, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Changing Landscapes
Project summary:
This project involved the development of innovative sharing-economy strategies to address rural transit challenges in Greater Minnesota. Many transit services and transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft do not provide services to commuters outside metro areas, forcing most residents in Greater Minnesota to own automobiles. Meanwhile, many communities have school bus systems and substantial vehicle capacity that remain parked and unused much of the day. This project used a human-centered design approach to engage a community in Greater Minnesota with a population of less than 10,000 people to develop a pilot for rural community transit that could be a model for similar communities across the state. The project sought to answer the question of whether a shared mobility services approach to rural transit transportation in Greater Minnesota could meet people's needs at a lower cost, with more convenience, and with greater positive impacts on the local economy than current transit practices and services. This project developed a menu of strategies that uses existing community assets to promote walking, biking, car sharing, bus sharing, and car and van pooling.