First Zipcar, Now Uber: Legal and Policy Issues Facing the Expanding “Shared Mobility” Sector in U.S. Cities

Innovations and technological disruptions in the “sharing economy” are shifting the contours of urban travel in the United States. Carsharing organizations such as car2go and Zipcar have grown exponentially over the past decade, expanding their memberships from 52,347 in 2004 to 1,181,087 in 2015. Ridesourcing companies like Lyft and Uber, which were entirely absent from most U.S. cities as recently as 2010, are now global powerhouses, each reportedly worth billions of dollars. Private investors, after avoiding investments in urban transit services for more than half a century, are now offering venture capital for Bridj, Chariot, and other companies. This Article explores the dynamics of “shared mobility” and the policy issues facing the participants in that sector through a review of the evolution of four prominent types of shared mobility providers: (1) carsharing organizations; (2) transportation network companies such as Lyft and Uber; (3) privately operated “microtransit” operators; and (4) crowdsourced intercity bus lines. The analytical portion of the study in Part I describes and critiques how these sectors have evolved and summarizes the notable legal and policy issues they face. Part II develops a typology that categorizes their services and shows how each has disrupted the transportation sector. The last section also offers conclusions and suggestions for further study

Exoplanet Science Priorities from the Perspective of Internal and Surface Processes for Silicate and Ice Dominated Worlds

The geophysics of extrasolar planets is a scientific topic often regarded as standing largely beyond the reach of near-term observations. This reality in no way diminishes the central role of geophysical phenomena in shaping planetary outcomes, from formation, to thermal and chemical evolution, to numerous issues of surface and near-surface habitability. We emphasize that for a balanced understanding of extrasolar planets, it is important to look beyond the natural biases of current observing tools, and actively seek unique pathways to understand exoplanet interiors as best as possible during the long interim prior to a time when internal components are more directly accessible. Such pathways include but are not limited to: (a) enhanced theoretical and numerical modeling, (b) laboratory research on critical material properties, (c) measurement of geophysical properties by indirect inference from imprints left on atmospheric and orbital properties, and (d) the purpose-driven use of Solar System object exploration expressly for its value in comparative planetology toward exoplanet-analogs. Breaking down barriers that envision local Solar System exploration, including the study of Earth's own deep interior, as separate from and in financial competition with extrasolar planet research, may greatly improve the rate of needed scientific progress for exoplanet geophysics. As the number of known rocky and icy exoplanets grows in the years ahead, we expect demand for expertise in 'exogeoscience' will expand at a commensurately intense pace. We highlight key topics, including: how water oceans below ice shells may dominate the total habitability of our galaxy by volume, how free-floating nomad planets may often attain habitable subsurface oceans supported by radionuclide decay, and how deep interiors may critically interact with atmospheric mass loss via dynamo-driven magnetic fields

Uber Economics: Evaluating the Monetary and Travel Time Trade-Offs of Transportation Network Companies and Transit Service in Chicago, Illinois

The potential diversion of passengers from public transit to transportation network companies (TNCs) is attracting considerable attention in metropolitan regions. Despite this, relatively little microeconomic analysis has been made available to explore how service attributes affect choices between the services offered by TNCs and public transit. To fill this shortfall, this study evaluates prices and service levels for Lyft, Lyft Line, UberX, UberPool, and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) services in Chicago. Analysis of 3,075 fares and estimated travel times for 620 trips in the 4- to 11-mile range shows TNCs tend to be relatively costly when expressed in relation to the additional amount spent per unit of time saved. The average traveler using these four TNC services, across the entire sample, spends the equivalent of $42–$108 per hour saved—well above the $14.95/hr. the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) recommends assigning to the average transit passenger when conducting analyses about the value of time. However, for travelers on business and those between locations poorly served by transit, including trips between neighborhoods with less transit service than the downtown district, the analysis shows a significant share of passengers will likely find TNCs cost-effective options based on the U.S. DOT standard. The approach taken illustrates how the mobility benefits and competitive issues associated with TNCs can be systematically evaluated by reviewing the price and travel time characteristics of each trip

Variations in the rates of passenger usage of portable Technology on intercity buses, trains and planes: Implications for transportation planning

Over the past several years, the use of portable electronic devices by passengers on intercity transportation services has risen markedly. To support the use of such devices, carriers have installed Wi-Fi systems, power outlets, and cell-phone signal boosters for passenger use. To fill a void in research about the effects of portable electronic technology on intercity travel behavior, this study evaluates newly collected data for 7,028 passengers on bus, train, and air trips. It explores how usage differs by mode and time of day, as well as the implications that these differences have on various sectors of the U.S. transportation system. Field researchers conducted visual surveys to measure the use of two basic types of devices: (1) those providing audio capability, such as cell phones, CD players, and digital music systems, and (2) those providing visual or audiovisual capacity, such as laptop computers, Blackberries and other high-end smart phones, DVD players, and I-Pods with screens. The data collection involved field observations in 14 states as well as the District of Columbia. The data suggests that the ability to use portable technology may be a driving force in the growth of “curbside” bus operators that are Wi-Fi equipped, such as Boltbus and Megabus. Twenty minutes into a trip, 38.7% of passengers are using some form of technology—twice the share of Greyhound, three percentage points more than on conventional Amtrak trains, and twenty percentage points more than airlines. Portable technology use on weekday runs of Amtrak’s high-speed Acela Express, however, is even higher. An average, 47.8% of passengers on these trips are using technology at randomly selected points. On both Acela and conventional Amtrak trains, where the seating configuration is relatively spacious, passengers tend to use visual devices with LCD screens. On curbside bus operations, however, there is an almost equal mix of audio activities and visual/LCD-screen related activities. Interpreted broadly, the research suggests that the ability to use portable electronics may be a factor offsetting the longer travel times associated with certain bus and train trips, and providing a new incentive for travelers to use transportation services that operate to and from the downtown areas of major cities

Survey of Current High-Speed Rail Planning Efforts in the United States

Characteristics of the corridors being considered by state and regional agencies for high-speed rail service (HSR) in the United States were surveyed. Through use of a data set of 21 systems at various stages of development, the study shows that initiatives under way involve 64 corridors, tracks of 21 freight railroads, and 15,552 unique mi of route. Findings show that these corridors reach 163 of the 250 largest metropolitan areas in the continental United States. More than 87% of the existing railroad mileage identified for high-speed service is operated by freight-oriented railroads, with 74% being single track. The choice of technology and the need to acquire nonrailroad land to support the development of corridors differ sharply between interstate and intrastate routes. These and other findings illustrate the many opportunities—and challenges—facing proponents of HSR throughout the country

The S-Curve of Technological Adoption: Mobile Communication Devices on Commuter Trains in the Chicago Region, 2010–2015

Urban transit riders’ use of mobile communication devices has grown markedly in recent years. Studies evaluating the usage of these devices have generally focused on only one or two points in time, limiting their ability to describe long-range trends. To foster insights into this issue, this study evaluated data from 15,531 passenger observations collected on 156 commuter trains on the metropolitan commuter rail system of Chicago, Illinois, from 2010 through 2015. The data show that the rate of technological usage is following an S-shaped pattern among passengers. The share of passengers using mobile communication devices at observed points grew sharpest during the first three years, rising from 25.6% in 2010 to 47.8% in 2013, a compounding annual rate of 23.1%. Between 2013 and 2015, the share rose to 56.2%, an annualized rate of just 8.4%. Over the five-year period, the share of passengers conducting visually-oriented activities on their devices increased at a faster rate than usage as a whole, whereas the share of passengers engaged in audio-only tasks has dropped. Multiple regression analysis shows that the rate of device usage on trains is highest on outbound trips (traveling away from downtown) and positively related to the income associated with the route traveled, with differences of more than five percentage points between lines of varying levels of affluence