By Mary Velan
Gov1
Communities across the country are handling the boom of ridesharing companies in their own unique ways. Here are some ways municipalities are adapting to the new urban mobility landscape.
State of Mobility
Cities big and small have experienced an uptick in residents using private transportation services that provide flexible, on-demand trips at affordable prices. This new breed of urban mobility services fall between traditional public transportation networks and private cars in price – creating the middle-tier microtransit movement. Services such as Uber and Lyft are being accompanied by commuter buses such as Leap Transit and Bridj as well as vanpools like Via.
Because users can share each ride with other users, prices remain affordable, yet convenience surpasses that of unreliable public transit networks. This affordability is allowing many users to forego owning and maintaining a personal vehicle, which supports the development of walkable communities while reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions.
What many cities are grappling with currently is working these private companies into existing transit systems. If microtransit services were integrated with public transportation systems, cities could significantly reduce cars on the road while greatly improving services to all residents. The microtransit services fill in the gaps many public transportation systems may have, while targeting a very niche population able to pay for rides yet uninterested in owning their own vehicles, CityLab reported.
Fighting City Hall
While residents greatly support the boom of ridesharing and microtransit service companies, many cities continue to place strict regulations on these providers. The rideshare company Uber, for example, is continually battling state and local regulatory efforts across the country where officials want the private sector drivers to comply with the same standards set for taxi drivers and chauffeurs such as insurance, licensing fees and background checks.
As a result, many cities have seen companies like Uber leave their markets due to overregulation. The providers argue their drivers are part-time and use their own vehicles and should not be held to the same expectations as taxi drivers. Less regulation has allowed these companies to keep prices low for users as well, Route Fifty reported.
Finding A Solution
To help taxi services compete with rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft, Long Beach, California, is encouraging taxis to operate more like the flexible services. The Long Beach City Council approved a pilot program that removes taxis’ faire floor, which will allow the cabs to discount fares depending on current ridership conditions – helping make fares more competitive to those offered by rideshare companies. Furthermore, the local taxis will:
- Adopt a mobile order app
- Increase its fleet size from 175 to 199 cars
- Add additional capacity at peak times
The goal is to ensure local residents have more options when seeking a ride, without forcing the private companies out of town. Long Beach officials said the arrival of ridesharing companies has transformed local travel culture and they do not want the new program to undo those achievements, Forbes reported.
Statewide in California, a new bill was introduced that would legalize paid carpooling and ridesharing services. The bill would change an existing California law that doesn’t allow passengers in a commercial ride to each be charged separately for ridesharing. Changing the law would encourage public transit and carpooling use to help the state lower emissions and traffic congestion.