UNIVERSAL MOBILITYAN IMPLMENTATIONRESOURCEJANUARY 2023

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
MOBILITY MANAGEMENT
Primary Authors: Judy Shanley and Enjoli Dixon
The National Center for Mobility Management is a national technical assistance center fundedthrough a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration and operated
through a consortium of three national organizations—the American Public Transportation
Association, the Community Transportation Association of America, and Easterseals Inc.

THE SHARED-USE MOBILITYCENTER
Primary Authors: Al Benedict and Alex Rosander
The Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) is a public-interest organization working to replace carcentric transportation with people-focused shared mobility to fight climate change, promote
equity, and strengthen community. By connecting the public and private sectors, piloting
programs, conducting new research, and providing policy and technical expertise to cities andregions, SUMC seeks to extend the benefits of shared mobility for all.

This research is based on the joint efforts between the Shared-Use Mobility Center and the National
Center for Mobility Management. The Shared-Use Mobility Center and the National Center for
Mobility Management are Federal Transit Administration Technical Assistance Centers. Content inthis document is disseminated in the interest of information exchange. Neither SUMC nor NCMM
assumes liability for its contents or use. For questions please contact Al Benedict,albert@sharedusemobilitycenter.org, or Judy Shanley, jshanley@easterseals.com.
Accessibility Statement: Visit sumc.org/universalmobility for an online version and please contact
us if you would like this report in another format.

Table of Contents:
1) What is Universal Mobility?
2) The Development Processa) Working Group Objectivesb) Members3) Element 1: Understanding Passengersa) Engaging the Communityi)
Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist(1) Engagementb) Customer Servicei)
Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist(1) Customer Servicec) Evaluation and Performance Metricsi)
Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist(1) Evaluation and Performance4) Element 2: Universal Designa) Introductionb) Facility Designi)Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)

Resourcesiv)

Checklist(1) Facilities Designc) Operationsi)
Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist1(1) Operations5) Element 3: Service and Planning Coordinationa) System Fragmentationi)
Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist(1) Service Planning and Coordination

6) Element 4: Mobility Data and Technologya) Understanding Mobility Datai)
Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist(1) Understanding Mobility Datab) Technology and the Customer Experiencei)Challenges
ii)
Recommendationsiii)
Resourcesiv)
Checklist(1) Technology and the Customer Experience7) Implementing this Universal Mobility Toolkit
8) Checklist
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Customer Service
Engagement
Evaluation and Performance
Service Planning and Coordination
Understanding Mobility Data
Technology and the Customer Experience2What is Universal Mobility?
Evolving rider demographics, travel patterns, and transportation innovation characterize thechallenging environment in which we seek to design and deliver efficient, high-quality transportation
services. As planners and transportation officials consider the expanding range of transportation
options, the concept and practice of universal mobility must be the foundation for mobility
innovation.
Universal mobility is a design practice that ensures that all transportation products and services areinclusively designed and available for all user groups. Inclusive design is a design practice that
ensures a product, service, or environment is usable by all people regardless of if they have different
backgrounds, abilities, and characteristics. In a time when emerging technologies and mobility
trends are constantly changing the transportation landscape, considering universal mobility is
crucial to establishing an equitable, sustainable, reliable, and convenient transportation system.
However, universal mobility is much more than just design. It is an attitude and culture that believes
in and affirms inclusive practice. When applied in the transportation sector, this means that
attention to inclusiveness is considered in every phase of service delivery.

Figure 1: Individuals using mobility devices to travel along street |Source: Pedestrian Space | Annika Lundkvist,ÖrebroThe definition of universal mobility ties together two well-known concepts within the mobility
space: universal design and inclusive mobility. Universal design focuses on the design andcomposition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest
extent possible by all people regardless of age, size, ability, or disability. Inclusive mobility sees
mobility as a fundamental human right; it leads with the ability to move about one’s community by3any mode of transportation. Inclusive mobility considers how to make a diverse range oftransportation modes available and accessible to all users. By intertwining the concept of Inclusive
mobility with universal design, the need to think about how data, passengers’ wants and necessities,
and coordination play a role in the provision of accessible transportation comes to the forefront.
This learning module identifies and discusses various elements of universal mobility that arenecessary to achieving universal mobility: Understanding Passengers, Universal Design, Service
and Planning Coordination, and Mobility Data and Technology. Together, these elements
capture the considerations needed to plan and implement universal mobility.

Figure 2: Universal Mobility Elements | Source: Universal Mobility Working GroupNew mobility strategies may be planned for and implemented without regard for all user groups.
This quick implementation may occur for several reasons. Early adoption can be a reaction by transit
agencies who want to use common strategies in the industry – a sort of "keep up with the Joneses"
thinking or to take advantage of new funding streams related to innovation that have short
implementation times. Regardless, universal mobility is often neglected in the early planning stagesof a pilot project or new service, leading agencies to undertake costly retrofits and build-in
accessibility considerations after the fact.

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In light of the difficulties surrounding the planning and coordination pieces of an accessible mobility
system, the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and the National Center for Mobility Management(NCMM), in collaboration with other transportation professionals, developed this resource intended
to support mobility service innovators, planners, designers, and implementers in their effort toincorporate universal mobility practices into their planning process. This resource can also be useful
to human services professionals and end-users as a guide of talking points and considerations toengage in discussion with transportation professionals about service and innovation.

The Development Process
In phase 1 of creating this universal mobility resource, SUMC and NCMM convened a working groupcomposed of a diverse range of mobility and transportation professionals to discuss challenges andstrategies toward reaching universal mobility. The working group brought together leaders in thetransportation and accessibility fields to examine what universal design means in the context of acomplete trip and identify ways to scale successful models that maximize mobility benefits for allusers.
These conversations played an integral role in understanding common barriers that inhibit users
from accessing usable, convenient, and safe services from the on-the-ground perspective of mobility
practitioners. Through continued research, working group discussions, and collaborative meetings,
information was synthesized, an understanding of key universal mobility principles and accessibility
issues was formed, and subsequent recommendations were developed.

Working Group Objectives
The working group was at the center of this process. Through targeted group discussions, theworking group helped inform the challenges and recommendations to achieving a universal mobility
system. The working group was guided by these objectives:●

Tracking promising practices that encourage inclusive, accessible service●

Identifying barriers that limit the scalability of accessible service models●

Identifying needed interventions and tools to address barriers●

Recommending ways that mobility management can support and advance inclusive mobility
innovation●

Suggesting strategies that support the sustainability of mobility innovations●

Validating and deploying new metrics that capture the value of mobility services●

Facilitating opportunities to coordinate efforts across federal agencies under the
Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM).

5

Members
SUMC and NCMM would like to acknowledge the working group participants and thank them forsharing their time and expertise to inform this work.
●●●●

Bob Franklin, Customer Access & Accessibility Department Manager, BART
Carol Tyson, Government Affairs Liaison, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
Caroline Rodriguez, County Manager, Executive Director, High Valley Transit District
Carrie Diamond, Co-Director National Aging & Disability Transportation Center / SeniorDirector Transportation & Mobility Easterseals, Inc.

●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Chad Ingle, Fixed Route Services Manager, Kootenai County, Idaho
Chuck Dyer, Project Manager, Ohio Department of Transportation
Donna Smith, Manager of Accessibility Services, Sound Transit*
Don Chartock, Deputy Director, WSDOT Public Transportation Division
Frank Lee, Former Transportation Director, Center for Pan Asian Community Services
Laura Saltzman, Transportation Policy Analyst, Access Living
Lina Aragon, Customer Service Administrator, Palm Tran Conference of Minority
Transportation Officials (COMTO)

●
●
●
●

Matthew Schriefer, Transportation Planner, Evansville MPO
Namecca J. Parker, Acting Assistant GM of Operations, NJ TRANSIT
Olivia Hook, Manager of Development, Oklahoma Transit Association
Paul Hamilton, Senior Manager of Paratransit Services, Regional Transportation District(RTD)
Perian Carpenter, Mobility Manager, Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit
Quemuel Arroyo, Chief Accessibility Officer, MTA
Richard Price, Program Manager, Transit Policy and Technical Assistance, AASHTO (Formerly
AASHTO)
Yochai Eisenberg, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Disability and Human
Development, University of Illinois Chicago

●
●
●
●

*Donna Smith, Manager of Accessibility Services, Sound Transit passed away unexpectedly during
the production of this toolkit. We honor Donna and her years of service at Easterseals and Sound
Transit to promote universal mobility and accessibility in the transportation industry.
We would like to recognize Rik Opstelten, from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Program
Officer for the Shared Use Mobility Center (SUMC) who supported our work to develop the toolkit.

6Element 1: Understanding Passengers
From the rider perspective, accessing transportation services can be difficult if there is not
appropriate infrastructure and communication systems in place to accommodate user needs. In
order for a transportation system to accommodate mobility for all user groups, it is important thatthose planning, designing, or operating the system not only have an understanding of passengers’
travel needs, but also an established process for how to address those needs. Furthermore,communities should be positioned to guide transportation investments and upgrades as theincorporation of their feedback and needs is essential to mobility solutions reaching their intended
outcomes.
Understanding the passenger involves diverse social service and community-based organizations
working together to provide accessible and sustainable transportation services and facilities. Some
coordination strategies include community forums, ride-alongs, walking tours, or third-party
assessments to aid in understanding how to better plan for the passenger.
To address user needs and fully understand passengers' travel perceptions and choices, mobility
systems should establish high-quality communication processes, carry out consistent community
engagement, and be open to change. Thus, the Understanding Passengers element discusses
Customer Service, Engaging the Community, and Evaluation and Performance Metrics.

Engaging the Community
Ongoing community engagement is essential to understanding passengers because it is how you get
to know and empathize with the community’s needs and wants. Thus, it is a fundamental step inplanning, implementing, or updating universally accessible services and facilities. While community
engagement is not a new concept in the transportation field, the emergence of new technologies,
community-based shared mobility projects, and inclusive design frameworks have put a renowned
focus on user impact. Meaningful community engagement helps projects reflect the needs andrealities of the community they seek to serve with helpful and inclusive solutions. Using various
individuals’ knowledge on accessibility barriers to inform changes to existing services and facilities
will strengthen the quality and impact of transportation investments.
Community engagement is a process that needs to be budgeted, both in terms of time andassociated financial costs. Community engagement will help inform projects and guide othercommunities looking to implement similar mobility solutions. When there is understanding of how
people get around and what influences their transportation choices, mobility practitioners are better
equipped to customize services and expand mobility among their targeted audiences.

7

Figure 3: Engagement for Indego, Philadelphia’s bike share system |Source: Better Bikeshare Partnership

Challenges
Following are some specific challenges around community engagement and the unintended
consequences when it is not carried out.
1. Agencies may be unaware of the types of mobility options/models that may best align with
their community (both in relation to passenger needs and geographic context). Without anunderstanding of passenger needs it becomes difficult to provide mobility options that areconvenient, usable, and address mobility challenges.
2. Lack of understanding and evaluation framework to understand rider travel patterns,
destinations hotspots and mode choice preference. This is an important part of the mobility
needs assessment and should be coupled with an evaluation of current mobility services to
identify opportunities and needs.
3. No budget or system is in place to collect rider feedback, or when there is, that information
is not communicated across a transit agency from its operations team to the planning office.
4. Riders are indicating that the new mobility solution is not helping meet their mobility needs.
This can occur when new mobility solutions are implemented without first understanding
the mobility need, meeting with riders, and conducting community engagement.
8

5. Ridership is low and the mobility service is not reaching its intended users. This can occur
when the target audience does not have awareness, ownership, or trust in the mobility
solution.

Recommendations
Following are some recommendations to help address community engagement and implement
mobility solutions that benefit all users, including persons with disabilities and older adults.
1. Establish guiding principles for the community engagement your team is conducting.
Principles can help ensure that the team’s mobility project is connected to the community,
their wants, and their needs. Check out SUMC’s Community Engagement Module to learn
about establishing guiding principles.
2. Do not seek or assume a singular position from the community. Because communities are
made up of a variety of people with varying needs and perceptions, the idea of allcommunity members having one unified vision is not realistic and weakens the engagement
process.
3. When engaging the community, commit to a transparent and action-oriented process.
Project teams have a history of coming into communities to gather feedback withoutestablishing two-way consistent communication channels or sharing how they plan to use
the information provided in the decision-making process. Because of this, a project team’s
processes can have a perfunctory or transactional quality.
a. Even if the planning and design process may be long, find ways to generate tangible
outcomes in the short term to demonstrate progress and action towards the larger
objective.
b. Invest in low-cost ongoing community engagement exercises.
4. Establish partnerships with local community-based organizations (CBOs) and meet withthem on a regular basis. The community organization will have insights into mobility needsof the community and they can also serve as a direct access point to meet with and learn
directly from riders. Check out LA Metro’s Community-based Organization Partnering
Strategy to get an idea of how to best partner with CBO’s in your area.
5. Develop community transportation needs assessments to better understand individuals'
pain points, wants, and abilities when looking to pilot new mobility projects.
a. The transportation assessments are shaped and led by the communities; Theyempower residents to guide transportation investments in their communities using
various research methods. By analyzing publicly available data, developing anddistributing community-sensitive travel surveys, and conducting interviews,
communities are equipped to evaluate their existing transportation options andidentify safe, accessible and environmentally sustainable solutions. Check out the
Needs Assessment Implementation Toolkit for more information on how to carry out
and craft community transportation needs assessments.
96. Develop rider personas to understand and empathize with different goals and frustrations arider may have. Personas are a common tool used in UX Design, in which there are fictional
characters that have their own goals, needs, and frustrations surrounding a specific topic.
The project team can then reference these personas throughout a project to ensure that thedesign solutions will meet the end user’s needs and provide a good user experience. In
addition to informing the final design solution, personas can inform interview or focus group
participants and communication design. Read about the four new rider personas taking overtransit.
7. Define a marketing and outreach strategy to ensure a mobility pilot reaches the intended
users. Measure the effectiveness of these strategies through 1:1 communication with riders
and surveys. Check out this marketing and outreach tool created by the Champaign County
Regional Planning Commission.

Resources
•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Community Engagement Learning Module: This resource outlines community
engagement processes, strategies, general considerations, best practices, and casestudies.
Elevated Chicago - Community Engagement Principles & Recommendations: This
resource outlines a set of principles entities should consider when conducting
community engagement. Each principle offers inspiration, tools, and resources to help
foster meaningful engagement.
Incorporating UX Design into Transportation Solutions: This resource offers urban
planners an understanding of UX designers' thoughts about problem solving mobility
and design issues. Additionally, it outlines strategies UX designers use to make services
more universal, accessible, and inclusive.
Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation DecisionMaking: This resource offers promising practices for mobility practitioners to promote
and incorporate meaningful public involvement during the transportation decision
making process and project lifecycle. These practices include some relevant to meeting
the requirements of meaningful public involvement and participation under Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, NEPA, and other federal regulation.
Engage the Community: A Guide for Developing a Community Engagement Plan:
This resource offers information about fostering project identity, addressing institutional
inequalities, building capacity with residents, creating community buy-in, and developing
sustainable ridership.
CPACS Ride - Lessons Learned in Four Phases - Phase 4: Planning &Implementation: This resource documents the Center for Pan Asian Community
Services (CPACS) involvement with engaging their community when looking to
implement a mobility on demand (MOD) solution for people with disabilities and older
adults, through a service called CPACS Ride.
The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM): Obtain strategies to facilitate
agency participation in mobility management.

10

•
•

TP4A - Transit Planning 4 All: This website offers a compilation of inclusive planningresources and guides to meaningfully engage the community.
Persona Type Resources: Several resources are available on developing user personas
and how they can help to inform how intended the mobility needs of intended users:

Checklist
Engagement
Developing a systematic customer engagement outline will ensure that the agency's relationshipwith the rider is not a one-time event. The proper engagement strategy will result in repeat riders
and established trust between communities and mobility practitioners.
Community Partnerships
Community partnerships can be beneficial in the following ways: 1. Providing inclusive design, 2.
sustainable funding opportunities, and 3. increased ridership.
●

What partnership organizations could be developed to assist in the design to maximize thecustomer experience?

●Has your agency developed customer focus groups to aid in project development?

●

Does your agency have a community level board to review all aspects of design, operations,and customer service as it relates to the passenger?

●

What is the goal that community partnerships will achieve?

●

What can each community stakeholder bring to the table?

User Fit of Mobility Options
An agency can ask the following questions when trying to evaluate, plan, and execute transportation
options that include the best mobility for the passengers in the community. They can help dailyriders navigate the planning process to find the best fit of mobility options that will be used totransport passengers to their daily destinations.
●

Is your agency educated on the mobility options available in the community?

●

Do the mobility options connect in the overall transportation system of the community?

●

Are there ways to engage passengers with all mobility options to analyze the best fit for thecommunity?

●

Are daily riders included in the planning and decision-making process to select the best
mobility option?

●

Is there a tool kit to analyze the communities needs of mobility per the user demographic?

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Customer Service
Establishing good customer service processes and wayfinding signage is integral to individuals
reusing a mobility option and deeming it accessible. Moreover, an agency's response to mobility
service concerns or requests can influence whether users feel their transportation system is cateringto their needs. If individuals feel like drivers, customer service personnel, and the overall systemcare about their feedback, well-being, and right to mobility, they will likely return and recommend
the services to others.
●●

Information: For passengers to access information, those who interact with customers
should have the most current information on services provided in the system. Establishingsystems that ensure communication between drivers, operations, and planning staff enablestransportation employees to address individuals’ concerns and provide a better travel
experience.
Operators: Operators are the frontline workers in public transportation systems andtherefore leave the first impression on the passenger. Customer requests and needs shouldbe acknowledged, and concerns must be reviewed, addressed, and solved. Lack of operator
response to customers can result in a request or concern escalating to a more significant
issue or complaint, potentially resulting in a loss of ridership. The operator should have theconfidence and skill set to quickly assess and understand the diverse customers in thecommunity it serves. When developing the training programs, including modules that
discuss customers' perceptions of public transportation and their expectations as customers
can help the operator understand the passenger from another perspective.

●

Complaint Process: When addressing concerns or complaints is siloed or done on a one-byone basis, it is challenging to identify concerns that stem from the same problem. Customers
should be a fundamental aspect of the transit organization, and their feedback is importantto the growth and development of the agency. Establishing a customer comment/complaint
procedure to ensure that system users have an easy and accessible way to provide feedback
is beneficial to the agency. Entities involved in planning and implementing mobility solutions
should be available to hear any customer feedback, including complaints, comments,suggestions, or concerns.

●

ADA Compliance: The Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act requires that all public
transportation, vehicles, and facilities, are accessible for all. When an agency or provider
does not provide this right to the customer, a complaint may occur as the agency is nolonger compliant with ADA standards. The compliance issues may include violations
pertaining to customer environments, facilities, and vehicle components. Under ADA
regulations, the customer can request a reasonable modification for a fixed route system.
The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 's Shared Mobility FAQ offers further informationon accessibility requirements.

12Figure 4: Travel trainer providing group training to older adults | Source: NADTC

Too often, new modes or pilot projects are introduced into project areas without a good grasp of thetarget audience's needs and capabilities. Poor communication processes between an agency andtheir target audience can result in confusion or unsafe conditions. Policies and structures in place
for customer complaints help make the organization more effective and transparent. If customers
consistently feel their voices are not heard, the transportation system will not feel inclusive. If
transportation systems are not operating inclusively, they may suffer from loss of funding,partnerships, and ridership.

Challenges
The following are obstacles that can arise when proper customer service is not provided or updates
regarding system information are not disseminated universally to passengers in a timely manner.
●

Customers rely on vehicle operators or station guides as sources of accurate information.
When operators are not trained and updated on elements such as route information, farepayment upgrades, and special customer requests, it can result in compliance issues as wellas leaving a customer stranded.

13●

When there is no structure or policy for customer complaints, it shows a lack of transparency
among the agency or organization.

●

Misinformation can result in confusion about how to use a service, or at worst, unsafe travel
conditions for the customer.

●

When customer requests and/or needs are not being acknowledged the agency is impacted
in many ways. The reputation of the agency or organization is put at risk, the agency can facea potential loss in ridership, and the customer may be prevented from independently
traveling to work, school, or medical appointments.

●

If concerns are not being reviewed, addressed, and solved, it may be a possible violation of
Title VI per FTA guidelines. Additionally, this causes a loss of trust and support for the public
transportation system.

●

Lack of operator response to customers can result in loss of ridership or concern escalating
to a larger issue or complaint. Lack of an established customer complaint process prevents
a way of tracking duplicate or consistent complaints regarding the same issues that have notbeen addressed or resolved.

●

Agencies are required to provide and maintain accessibility services for all passengers. If
customers consistently encounter services that aren’t accessible for their use, thetransportation system will not feel inclusive.

●

If transportation systems are not catering to all users regardless of age or ability, this could
result in a loss of funding, partnerships and ridership

Recommendations
The following are recommendations on how to better provide customer service through a variety ofavenues within a public transportation system.
1. Set up systems that ensure communication between drivers, and operations and planningstaff. Implement software and support technology to enhance and enable your employees
to provide a higher level of customer service.
2. Ensure that customer service training is integrated into all new employee training programs.
An integral part of onboarding should be about understanding the passenger. This will keep
the focus and goal of the employee to have a customer-first attitude. Develop training
modules and provide real-world examples in training classes.
3. Utilize the FTA’s technical assistance centers to aid in customizing the operator customer
service training. An example of a technical assistance center that provides this training is the
National Rural Transportation Assistance Program (National RTAP).

14

4. Develop a review panel to address concerns or complaints with a database to track concerns
and complaints. This will allow the agency to see if a concern is a consistent issue that needs
to be thoroughly evaluated.
5. Participate in forums that focus on customer service and how to address passenger needs.
This will allow an organization to evaluate trends to determine if complaints are systemic
issues.
6. Develop and integrate wayfinding signage, maps, educational materials, or technology-based
applications to facilitate easier navigation throughout the mobility system.
7. Evaluate ADA guidelines and design on customer environments, facilities, and vehicle
components. Assess whether being compliant with the ADA is enough for a service to betruly accessible. Use the ADA guidelines as a foundation and work with the community todetermine the optimal level of accessibility. Develop possible solutions to provide accessible
service.

Resources
●

●

●
●

●

●

National RTAP: Communicating with the Public: This toolkit is intended to provide
guidance on each of the ways a rural transit agency gives information to and engages withthe community it serves.
National RTAP: Driver Recruitment, Training, and Retention: This toolkit introduces both
requirements and suggested practices in the areas of driver recruiting/hiring,
retention/motivation, and training.
U.S. DOT: Transit Management Information Dissemination: This guide provides anexample on how to effectively relay information in a timely manner to employees and users.
WMATA: Customer Complaint Process: Offers a transit agency example on how theycollect customer complaints through an online portal, call center, and paper form available
at transit stations. WMATA’s goal is to resolve all complaints within five business days,
however some complaints may require additional investigation and follow-up time.
National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (nadtc.org): Offers a wide-range ofresources promoting the availability and accessibility of transportation options for older
adults, people with disabilities and caregivers.
Shared Mobility Frequently Asked Questions | FTA (dot.gov): This resource offers
information on accessibility requirements specific to shared mobility.

Checklist
Customer Service
Information
The following questions on the checklist below can aid in assessing the best practice to get
information accurately to customers.
●

Are all riders able to access the most current information from drivers or station guides?
15

●
●
●
●

●

Is the information outdated resulting in misinformation for the customers?
Does your frontline staff have the tools necessary to provide accurate system information?
Are individuals with disabilities able to acquire the correct information to use the system
successfully?
Is the passenger information developed through an inclusive process to be presented
equally for all (in a variety of languages, formats depending on disabilities and all areas of
the community)?
Has the agency developed a policy to conduct to gain feedback from passengers?

Operators
Operators need to be trained to have the confidence in providing the correct information to assist
customers which secures a positive experience.
●
●
●
●
●

Are the operators responsive to customer requests or concerns?
Are customers' concerns being reviewed thoroughly resulting in a solution?
Does your entity have Operator customer service training regarding how to address
customer requests?
Do operators complete customer sensitivity training?
Do drivers have a positive, customer-first attitude to ensure successful passenger
experiences?

Complaint Process
These questions below can help an agency brainstorm to create a basic complaint process that
includes how to file a complaint, and what happens after a complaint is filed.
●●●●

What is the structure of the customer complaint review process?
Is there a system or database to track duplicate or consistent complaints regarding the same
issues?
Is compliance training given to high level management based on actual examples ofcomplaints?
Is the customer complaint process accessible for all?

ADA Compliance
These questions below can help an agency develop guidelines to aid in becoming more inclusive.
Collaborating with diverse partners to design a more accessible space can ensure a more inclusive
passenger experience.
●●●●

Does your entity provide accessibility services for all passengers?
Is your system designed to be inclusive? Facilities, vehicles, customer environment?
Are there partnerships in the disability space to aid in designing the accessible passenger
experience?
Does your entity employ an ADA coordinator/officer?

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Evaluation and Performance Metrics
Establishing performance metrics and developing a rigorous evaluation framework is necessary tounderstand if a mobility project or service is reaching its target users and meeting its intended
outcomes. Agencies should review peer agencies' approaches to evaluation, community
engagement findings, and need assessment insights when establishing performance metrics.
Performance metrics should consider quantitative and qualitative outcomes to measure the qualityof life and transportation security.
The insights gathered throughout the evaluation process can help entities establish a framework foraddressing the impacts of new mobility solutions across different geographies and users. This
framework can help advance future universal mobility applications and inform communities looking
to implement similar mobility projects. Project performance insights inform what adjustments
should be made so that mobility program and infrastructure upgrades better serve the mobility
needs of all user groups.

Figure 5: Three teenagers riding bikes on a curb bump-out installation which creates a barrier from vehicle traffic|Source: Street Plans

17

Challenges
Several challenges are associated with establishing, updating, and evaluating mobility services.
Summarized below are a handful of challenges uncovered through the working group discussions.
●

Too often, new modes or pilot projects are introduced into project areas without a solid
grasp of the target audience's needs and capabilities.

●

If a project has multiple partners who have different goals, strategies, and performance
metrics, it can be difficult to create a cohesive vision for evaluation and ensure that all
parties' needs are met.

●

It is sometimes unclear what the unintended consequences of a mobility service,infrastructure, or product change may be.

●

Establishing metrics, collecting data, and analyzing a project’s performance are perceived toincrease the cost and project timeframe.

Recommendations
These recommendations are based partly on the Setting Goals and Performance Metrics Learning
Module and discussions among the working group. The needs assessment discussed earlier in thisElement should serve as the base for planning and implementing a mobility project or improving
existing services. Regular evaluation is needed for existing projects, as there is always going to be atime to reassess how a service currently operates.
1. Clearly define the service area, target users, cost, and other parameters when planning a
project.
2. Measuring a service’s success solely on reduced costs or the number of trips does not
capture the more qualitative aspects of a person’s transportation security. Think abouthuman-centered outcomes when establishing performance metrics and how the mobility
service or amenity hopes to improve quality of life outcomes.
3. Collect baseline data on the existing service before the pilot, including human-centeredoutcome and satisfaction questions. These baseline data are essential to measuring theimpacts of a mobility pilot.
4. After establishing project goals, list evaluation criteria, data types, and sources, and outline
how these will be evaluated. Having an idea of these metrics and required data sources will
also help when procuring new technology and mobility solutions so that there is an idea ofwhat data is critical to request from the private vendor or operator.
5. Collect comparison data from a similar group with a comparable service that is unchanged.
This requires extra time and funding, but for entirely new mobility pilot and technology
solutions being tested, it will allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the mobility
pilot impacts.
6. Request and follow-up on the private vendor or operator reference to better understand the18

types of data they can and will provide and the available evaluation tools.
7. Establish a data-sharing agreement during the procurement process. Note specific datatypes that need to be based on the performance metrics but also build some flexibility, giventhat additional data needs will likely surface during the pilot.
8. Pilot simulations can help understand the impacts of a mobility project and how services canbe adjusted before implementation to help mitigate unintended outcomes. Piloting amobility solution in a small area is still vital because while simulations can help, operational
experiences will likely uncover additional challenges.

Resources
●

●

●
●

●
●

●

FTA Mobility Performance Metrics for Integrated Mobility and Beyond Report:
Published in 2020, this resource offers a wide range of information on the importance andapplications of performance metrics.
SUMC MLC: Mobility Learning Center: Setting Project Goals and Performance Metrics(sharedusemobilitycenter.org): This resource provides information and a framework forestablishing goals and performance metrics and how to evaluate them.
SUMC Microtransit Learning Module: This learning module offers a planning frameworkand discusses the role of performance metrics.
Clean Mobility Options Mobility Project Toolkit - Clean Mobility Options: The Clean
Mobility Project Toolkit offers resources to help plan and implement a mobility pilot specificto lower-income and disadvantaged communities.
MOD Sandbox Demonstration Evaluation Reports: These independent evaluation reports
on mobility innovation projects also discuss the role of performance metrics.
Objective Data Driven Data Sharing for Transit Agencies in Mobility Partnerships: This
report offers a framework to understand and enter into a public-private partnership andhow to plan for data requirements.
Making Transit Count: Performance Measures that Move Transit Projects Forward: This
guide published by the National Association of City Transportation Officials offers insight intochoosing the right performance measures that lead to better designs, projects, and street
management.

Checklist
Evaluation and Performance
Whether a project involves introducing a new bike-share service, upgrading transit facility
infrastructure, or establishing a mobility-management center, establishing performance metrics will
help agencies evaluate how well the project has met its overall goals and objectives.
●●●

What staff will oversee the management of this mobility project or service?
What are your performance requirements?
What parameters and metrics have you established to measure your project or services
performance?
● How well does the mobility service or project meet the needs of individual travelers?

19How effectively and efficiently does the service performs while meeting the needs ofindividual travelers?
● How does the mobility service or project impact the region/community regarding
sustainability, accessibility, environment, etc.?
What data sources have you identified to functionalize those performance metrics?
● Are the data available?
● What would be the format and unit of a given data element?
● Are you able to obtain the data?
● Is the data for the metric inaccessible due to privacy, cost, or agreement constraints?
How do you plan to measure customer satisfaction? What efforts have you undertaken tocollect feedback?
How do your performance parameters align with the overall project or service goals?
Has your team collected data on several indicators that estimate the broader effect thisservice or project will have on mobility and accessibility?
Have you established evaluation criteria?
Have you established systems to report your mobility performance measures and findings?
●

●

●
●
●
●
●

Element 2: Universal Design
The Universal Design Element includes two overarching components: facilities and operations.
Facilities are the physical and architectural characteristics of a transit building that facilitate ease ofuse, navigation, and access. Along with the transit building, universal design of facilities
encompasses the neighborhood infrastructure or paths of travel that individuals use to get to andfrom a transit building or service. Thinking about facilities as a continuum can help create cohesionof accessibility in and around a transit system. The second component, operations, pertains to thefeatures and characteristics related to an individual using a service and taking a trip. Operations
encompass multiple steps including, how individuals learn about services, schedules, and costs;
procedures for purchasing tickets and paying fares, how individuals board and deboard from atransportation mode; and riding the service. A focus on universal design will ensure that theagency’s system is accessible to all. The following elaborates on these components.

Introduction
As services are designed and implemented, and as buildings are developed or modified, it isimportant to ensure that they are universally designed from the beginning. Addressing universal
design as projects are launched or as physical structures are built is efficient, cost-effective, and ismore likely to align with the overall features and characteristics of a system. Universal design
supposes that the services provided and the infrastructure that supports services are fullycompliant, or even go beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act (Part38—Accessibility Specifications for Transportation Vehicles).

20Figure 6: Woman in wheelchair exiting transit vehicle |Source: Senior Transportation Connection, Cleveland, OH

Regardless of whether an agency is evaluating its accessibility conditions related to facilities oroperations, two key elements of the process are critical:
1.

2.

The agency needs to have a forum and a consistent opportunity to gather perspective,
feedback, and insight from the disability community. Community members with disabilities
should be critical decision-makers and informants. This can be referred to as accessibility
information retrieval.
It is equally important that agencies have a reliable and transparent means of sharing
information about the accessibility of all components of its system. It is especially important
to share and disseminate information about accessibility progress with individuals andhuman services organizations whose expertise can continuously inform the system. These
entities become important partners in building a system that adheres to the principles ofuniversal design and represents the tone and characteristics of universal mobility. This canbe referred to as accessibility information dissemination.

Facility Design
The first component of universal design is facility design – how facilities look and how their physicalfeatures support accessibility. All the physical design features of a transit facility, bus stop, ormobility hub enable riders to use services before they even get on a transportation service. Fixedfacilities can include the buildings and infrastructure that comprise the transportation system, andthe transit stations, stops, and amenities that support transportation services. Facility design
focuses on those features that enable a rider to access the transportation service. The buildings or
stations an agency operates should be responsive to the needs of a diverse range of individuals withdisabilities, including those with sensory or cognitive disabilities. Often, we think about the physicalattributes of a facility, such as ramps that enable entry into the facility or elevators that bringpassengers to different building floors. However, having information systems, including signage andcommunication systems that are also universally designed, is critical to respond to the needs ofindividuals with sensory disabilities, such as those who are blind or those with hearing disabilities.
21

Figure 7: Person boarding a fixed-route bus at bus stop | Source: NADTC

Neighborhood Infrastructure is another integral piece of facility design that refers to roadway andpedestrian infrastructure, the streetscape, and paths of travel. The way that passengers get to afacility or station is as important as the universally designed features of the station itself. Suppose
individuals cannot access the service because the path or pedestrian route into a facility is a barrier.
In that case, the features built into vehicles and facilities will not matter, because riders will not havethe opportunity to use the service. The path of travel around a transit service should adhere to ADA
Regulations. Although ensuring that the pathway around a facility is free from obstructions is
legislatively mandated, it is sometimes uncertain which jurisdiction has the authority to ensure thatthe pathway is accessible. If the city government owns the sidewalks and property around a transit
facility, a transit agency might not believe it is responsible for ensuring ADA compliance with that
infrastructure. Regardless, when paths of travel are inaccessible, this can result in reduced ridershipsince pathway obstacles may deter individuals with mobility challenges from using traditional
services.

22Figure 8: Woman in powerchair using curb cut that is marked with handicapped sign and truncated domes | Source:
NADTC

Another neighborhood infrastructure consideration is the physical location of a facility. It is
important to assess the geographic location of where transit services are provided. Stations,customer service locations, and venues at which tickets are purchased must be convenient to riders,
including those for whom mobility is a challenge. The physical location of transit services should bein close proximity to a diverse range of customers in geographically diverse communities. The ideaof a transit hub, where multiple transportation options come together or where riders can also
access non-transit services can be a way to attract riders to a public transit service.
Universally designed facilities and accessible neighborhood infrastructure create an opportunity formore riders to use a wide range of transportation services. This opportunity facilitates access to
education, employment, health care, and other vital community services that are key determinantsof independence in our society. Transit agencies, as community partners, have a vital role insupporting this opportunity for all individuals.

Challenges
In many ways, the transportation industry is still learning about universal design, including how to
implement accessibility from the beginning and respond to the variety of transit-related needs ofindividuals with disabilities, particularly for those riders with cognitive or sensory disabilities.
Designing the physical attributes of facilities or the building design features of a transportation
23

mode may be more easily achievable than creating services that respond to individuals with sensory
and cognitive disabilities. It may be beneficial for agencies to identify their challenges and address
them as they move forward with a universally designed system.
●

Too often facilities and infrastructure related to transit service are not universally designed
as they are built or implemented. Universal design becomes an afterthought.

●

Transportation planners and engineers may lack the knowledge or skill about universal
design to fully integrate its tenets in design.

●

Agencies may devalue the significance of building in universal design from the beginning andunderestimate the return on investment of ensuring projects and services are universallydesigned from the beginning.

●

There may be ambiguity regarding who has the authority to ensure that the neighborhood
infrastructure around a transit facility is accessible and ADA-compliant. This ambiguity, in
addition to federal or local regulations, may lead to agencies having limitations in what
funding they can use to improve facilities, which can hinder making a facility moreaccessible.

●

Agencies may be penalized for accessibility violations under the ADA; however, there are few
opportunities for agencies to be recognized for their work to go above and beyond ADA
requirements.

Recommendations
It would not be practical or realistic for transit agencies or planners to simultaneously address all of
the features of their facilities or neighborhood infrastructure. Doing so may be costly and result inservice disruption. Integrating activities to aid universal design in strategic planning, transportation
improvement plans, and coordination activities may make more sense for transit agencies. Cost andtime should not be the sole catalysts in deciding when or how to improve universal design.
Recommendations should focus on the challenges an agency faces that inhibit fully inclusive
facilities and infrastructures.
1. Ensure that universal design is built into facilities by creating opportunities for transit agency
administrators and planners to work with designers, architects, and engineers as projects
are considered and launched.
2. Consider inviting individuals with disabilities, including those with sensory or cognitive
disabilities, to offer feedback regarding planned projects or service improvements along
every step.
3. Identify training and professional development opportunities across your agency – for all
staff – to educate them about ADA requirements and universal design strategies that go
beyond the ADA requirements. Participate in community forums that provide an opportunity
to learn about universal mobility and the needs of a diverse range of riders.

24

4. Articulate the value of universal design, including its impact on ridership, revenue, andavailability of services across a community. Calculate the return on investment bothmonetarily and on the value to the community.
5. Publicize your work to create a universally designed system through local human service
forums and connections with non-profit organizations in your community. Take credit forbeing responsive to individuals with disabilities.
6. Leverage flex funding to improve accessibility when possible. Flex funding allows agencies touse grants from Federal Highway Administration sources to improve transit connectivity.
This way, highway program funding can be transferred to public transportation projects.
Pedestrian projects within a half-mile of a fixed-route transit stop or bicycle infrastructure
projects within three miles of a fixed-route transit stop that maximize transit-supported
infrastructure and improve transit access are generally eligible for funding. For additional
funding information, see the Shared Mobility Funding Strategies Learning Module.

Resources
●
●

●

●

●
●

Learn about current ADA regulations. Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations andGuidance. US Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration.
Understand the regulatory requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Code ofFederal Regulations, Title 49, Transportation, PART 38—American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Accessibility Specification for Transportation Vehicles. Authority of public agencies underthe ADA.
Acquire design guidance. The Transit Street Design Guide provides design guidance for thedevelopment of transit facilities on city streets, and for the design and engineering of city
streets. National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Transit Street Design.
Obtain technical assistance. A Series of Topic Guides Providing Technical Assistance forTransit Agencies, Riders and Advocates on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
and Transportation. Compiled by the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
(DREDF).
FTA/FHWA Flex Funding: Learn about flexing federal funds to promote safer routes totransit and better community connections through complete street infrastructure.
Flexible Funding for Transit Access: This site provides simplified resources for various
practitioners (i.e. project sponsors, localities, regions, State DOTs, and transit providers) tounderstand how to use the flex funding provision.

Checklist
Facilities Design
Facilities design includes a focus on the building or physical assets an agency has, along withconsideration of the path of travel or neighborhood infrastructure that enables a rider to get to andfrom transit facilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides regulatory guidance
regarding architectural and design considerations. An agency can ask the following questions whenassessing the universal design of its facilities.
25

Fixed Facilities
●
●
●
●
●

Are the stations and boarding stops where riders begin or end their journey fully accessible
without additional equipment or supports?
How do you evaluate the accessibility of your facilities? Are individuals with disabilities
involved in these assessments?
Do you use Access Board and/or ADA standards as the foundation for your facility
assessment?
Do your facilities enable accessibility for individuals with all types of disabilities, including
those with physical, motor, sensory, or cognitive disabilities?
Do you have informational services at the facility that are accessible to all types of riders?

Neighborhood Infrastructure
●
●
●
●
●
●

Are the public rights-of-way and sidewalks fully accessible around transportation stops toenable ease of access and safe pedestrian mobility?
Do you have clear plans and procedures for ensuring that pedestrian access to transit
stations are accessible?
Are individuals with disabilities involved in decision-making and assessment regarding pathsof travel?
Do you use ADA Transition plan data regarding ADA challenges in your assessment of theaccessibility of neighborhood infrastructure?
If you are not responsible for the pathway leading to a transit stop or station, do you workwith those professionals who do provide this oversight?
Are you involved in community committees and advisory councils that can help inform youraccessibility strategies (inside and outside of your facilities)?

Operations
The second component of universal design pertains to individuals taking a trip and using atransportation service. Universal design impacts every trip component, including how an individualwith a disability learns about transportation service, how they access the service outside of a station,
how they navigate throughout a station, and most importantly, the experience of the ride itself – theservice and vehicles. Universal design concerns the complete trip. Operations can include thoseservice components related to the knowledge and interactions of transit personnel in the stationand on the service. It also consists of the service setting and the ability of individuals with disabilities
to navigate comfortably on the service and access critical information related to such things as
emergency procedures or stop information.
Transportation service is a continuum of operations that includes:
1.
2.
3.
4.

How individuals learn about services, schedules, and costs;
Procedures for purchasing tickets and paying fares;
How individuals board and deboard from a transportation mode; andRiding the service.

26

If one of these points in the continuum is not accessible, the entire trip can become inaccessible. A
universally designed system considers all of these elements in a holistic way.

Challenges
It can be difficult for transportation planners and providers to think about the varying and diverse
needs of riders in a holistic way. All individuals, regardless of whether they have a disability, havepreferences and perceptions that can influence their satisfaction with transit operations.
Nevertheless, the industry is legally obligated to ensure accessibility across a continuum of service
and across all of the access points for riders. The following represent some of these challenges.
●

It can be difficult to view transit operations as a continuum, with all of the elements that anindividual must use to access a service including learning about transportation service,acquiring payment methods and paying for fares, boarding and alighting a service, andriding a transportation mode.

●

Some states, regions, and communities lack true coordination between transit agencies andhuman services organizations that represent the interests of individuals with disabilities.

●

Transit agencies and providers may not have relationships with those community
organizations who can support their work around universal mobility and accessibility.

●

Mobility management networks are lacking in many states, regions, and communities,
therefore, the opportunity for transit agencies to develop relationships and garner the
support of mobility management professionals is limited.

●

Although the requirements of ADA and US Access Board Standards are documented,
accessibility solutions in other areas, such as building relationships with human services andengaging individuals with disabilities as decision-makers, are not as well defined.

●

Often there is siloed service between traditional fixed route and paratransit or specialized
transportation.

Recommendations
Universally designed operations focus on steps or procedural factors necessary for an individual toaccess and use transportation services. Planning for administering all of these factors in an
aggregated way will ensure that the entire trip is universally designed. These recommendations can
support the focus on a continuum of accessibility across the entire transportation journey.
1. Invite a team approach to address universal design across operations that includes those
staff responsible for the multiple components of a trip, such as those professionals involvedin marketing information about the system, the agency staff who design and maintain thescheduling and payment systems, and the personnel who buy and maintain the vehicles. In
these conversations, it is also important to communicate with consumers (i.e. those using
the services).

27

2. Minimize fragmentation and territorialism across agency roles by creating synergistic
opportunities to address universal design. These might include activities such as responding
to grant programs that necessitate collaboration across agency departments, sharing
educational opportunities and training, and seeking forums for production of cooperative
work products.
3. Engage community human services organizations in every facet of operations – don’t justrely on an annual public engagement forum. Educate consumers and advocates on theoperational elements that characterize a transit system.
4. Create spaces where transit agencies, private mobility providers, and human service
organizations come together to engage in coordinated mobility planning efforts.
5. Consider engaging in community mobility management activities to share information about
the multiple components of operations. Build relationships to learn about accessibility
across the continuum of service.
6. Participate in ADA forums locally or nationally that can help clarify regulations, obtain
examples from peer agencies, and establish a relationship with ADA experts to support
agency operations.
7. Holistically view your agency services by creating connections across fixed route service andparatransit service. There can be fragmentation between agency staff who design anddeliver traditional versus ADA service. However, by creating opportunities to learn acrossthese services and share practices and strategies, an agency is creating “one-system” that isaccessible to all. This collaboration may even result in improved accessibility acrossoperations that can facilitate ridership by individuals with disabilities, thus, reducing thedemand for paratransit service.

Resources
●
●
●
●
●

Learn about accessibility across a continuum of operations. National Aging and Disability
Transportation Center (NADTC).
Obtain strategies to facilitate agency participation in mobility management. The National
Center for Mobility Management (NCMM).
Acquire information to facilitate accessibility for a range of individuals with disabilities. How
to Make Transportation Accessible to Disabled People.
Access resources and strategies related to accessible transit technology. National Center
for Applied Transit Technology (NCATT)
Implement policies and practices related to web and electronic accessibility. Web
Accessibility Initiative (WC3 Standards).

Checklist
Operations
Operations include all of those steps that enable a rider to use the transportation service. This
continuum of service starts with the ways that the community, particularly riders with disabilities28

learn about transit service, costs, and planning a trip. The continuum includes considerations fortransit service, vehicles, and features of those vehicles that affect riders. Finally, a universallydesigned system and its operations includes opportunities for feedback and communications
following their trip.
Marketing, Communications, and Outreach
●

●
●
●
●

Are the ways that riders learn about your services accessible? Do you use multiple media
formats to reach diverse audiences? For instance, do you have print material in addition todigital content that can be accessed by screen readers for individuals who are blind or havevisual disabilities?
Is the agency staff communicating about your services representative of the diverse range ofriders who use your service?
Are your marketing and/or sales staff knowledgeable about the range of disability conditions
and the implications of these disabilities on rider needs?
Can riders learn about your services through various forums, such as websites, community
meetings, or relationships with mobility management professionals?
In the materials that your agency produces, are individuals with disabilities included as
representative riders of your system?

Vehicles
●
●
●
●
●
●

Are all riders able to access and ride the range of vehicles in your service network without
additional equipment or supports?
Do you have plans in place to enhance the accessibility of existing vehicles?
Are your procedures to procure new accessible vehicles sound? Do they align with ADA
requirements?
Does your procurement staff have the necessary expertise to engage in discussions withvendors about accessibility needs and features?
As new and innovative service modes or vehicle types are considered, is accessibility and afocus on universal design always part of these considerations?
Are individuals with disabilities involved in your decision-making and plans about new orexisting equipment?

Riding the Service●●●●

Are the staff who operate and support your services educated about the traveling needs ofriders with disabilities?
Can individuals with disabilities easily board and exit vehicles safely?
Can individuals with disabilities access information on their route such as signage about
stops, emergency procedures, seating, etc.?
As passengers are using the service, do the features of the vehicle align with the ADA
Standards?

29

●
●
●

Do you have a process to obtain feedback from all riders, including those with disabilities,
immediately following their riding experience when the information is fresh on their minds?
If there are disruptions or changes in service, and as new services may have to be
implemented, is there a deliberate focus on the riding needs of individuals with disabilities?
When emergency services are put in place, are these clearly conveyed to diverse riders
through multiple formats? Can you solicit the input of community human services agencies
or mobility managers and consumers to get ideas regarding how best to communicate thisinformation?

After the Trip●●●●

Are there opportunities for riders with disabilities to provide feedback regarding their travel
experience?
If riders with disabilities experience challenges while using the service, do you have clear
plans and procedures related to customer complaints and resolution?
Have you considered a rider ambassador type program that enables riders with disabilities
to share their expertise and knowledge of your system with prospective riders?
Can individuals with disabilities provide your agency with accolades and positive feedback
regarding their riding experience?

30

Element 3: Service and Planning
Coordination
Service and planning coordination is essential to addressing the current mobility assets, needs, andchallenges in a city or region. Once assets, needs, challenges, and opportunities are identified,various transportation entities are better aligned to craft and carry out strategies to improve theusability and accessibility of the overall transportation network. Too often, agencies planning for andproviding mobility services have operated in silos rather than taking a coordinated approach toexpand overall mobility. This element explores how mobility system fragmentation, a foundational
barrier to achieving universally accessible transportation, arises from a lack of service and planning
coordination.

Figure 9: Staff Looking at Transportation Planning Maps, | Source: NADTC

Coordination involves multiple entities working together to deliver efficient, accessible, safe
transportation services and curate safe travel environments. Coordination may include sharing
resources, aligning services, improving communication streams, and thinking about all aspects of atransportation journey.
Ongoing coordination of transportation services improves system connectivity and reliability andencourages the use of shared mobility options. It helps break down barriers so that all community
members can exercise their right to mobility. The service and planning coordination element outline
various mobility challenges arising from a lack of coordination between mobility players. These
challenges and recommendations are not isolated and must be considered across the Universal

31

Mobility Elements in this learning module. In many cases, the challenges and solutions related tocoordination are complex and overlap with other elements discussed in this module.

System Fragmentation
System fragmentation occurs when there are various transportation services in an area that operate
privately or publicly and at different governance levels: municipal, township, county, or regional. The
lack of coordination between local, regional, and private operators often generates a patchwork ofservices that creates inconsistent travel experiences. Furthermore, a lack of coordination between
those operating mobility services and those planning for mobility systems can make attempts to
support seamless and accessible journeys for all users fall short.
From the agency's perspective, a fragmented system makes it difficult to inventory the available
mobility options; therefore, duplicative services or areas with limited mobility services often exist.
Thus, the user has to navigate inconsistent mobility options with different service parameters andrequirements, making it difficult to plan and travel.

Challenges
Agencies or organizations that develop, fund, and provide transportation services are often
fragmented, with little coordination between mobility providers. Fragmented systems present
challenges at both the agency and transit user levels.
Below is a list of challenges that arise within uncoordinated or fragmented transportation systems:● Payment: In fragmented transportation networks, one may need to use multiple modes tocomplete a trip. Differing fare payment systems among mobility operators cause challenges
in using multiple services to get around. Additionally, travel is likely to become more
expensive if there is the need to use various uncoordinated modes to complete a trip.

32

Figure 10: New Fare Payment Option, |Source: METRO● Inter-jurisdictional Travel: For those living on the fringes of city limits or near county lines,
the ability to travel across jurisdictions is necessary but may be complicated by the absenceof mobility services or varying service hours among mobility options. In areas where state
regulation allows for local jurisdictions to opt-out of transit systems, it becomes increasingly
difficult for passengers to travel to destinations across county lines or in other jurisdictions.

● Eligibility: Service area and rider eligibility requirements can differ between providers,making it difficult to identify and coordinate services.

● Awareness of Available Mobility Options: Due to the number of specialized services thatrun out of human service organizations and the influx of private mobility companies
entering the transportation market, it is easy for cities, agencies, and community members
to lack an understanding of the current mobility operations in place. Without systemic
direction and interagency coordination, the influx of new mobility options will continue toincrease the complexity of travel rather than improve performance and customer
experience.

● Micromobility Management: Over the past few years, there has been an influx of
micromobility devices coming to cities with the promise of offering a sustainable mode of
travel that helps bridge gaps in current transportation systems. Micromobility often takes
the form of bikeshare and scootershare, and provides a convenient way to travel shortdistances and connect to public transit. However, the dockless nature of many of thesemicromobility devices has led to safety and accessibility concerns. Frequently, these devices
have blocked sidewalks and pathways, posing significant travel obstacles for various types oftravelers, including, but not limited to, those who must navigate public spaces with assistive
mobility devices, strollers, or visual disabilities. Further coordination is needed between local

33

governments, micromobility operators, other service providers, and the disability
community to address this.

Figure 11: Scooters Blocking Sidewalk, |Source: Curbed |Brock Keeling● ADA Accessibility: ADA transition planning intends to guide municipalities in their transition
to a more accessible state. ADA transition plans identify existing programs, services,
facilities, policies, and communications that require changes and outline the steps necessary
to become accessible. Creating and implementing these plans is crucial to creating safe
environments (i.e., streets and sidewalks) so that people of all ages and abilities can navigate
and participate in their communities. However, follow-through of these plans becomesdifficult because of the disconnect between players who plan for, coordinate, and operate
services and facilities that may require improvement. Thus, accountability regarding theremoval of accessibility barriers falls short and can result in a disconnect between thepathways used to access transit and the transit services themselves.

● Existence and Maintenance of Basic Infrastructure: When working toward universal
mobility, the upkeep of existing infrastructure needs just as much consideration as its
presence. Uneven and damaged sidewalks create hazardous conditions for many users,
particularly those with mobility limitations, as it presents another obstacle to navigating
travel. In winter, uncleared snow and accumulated ice can be hazardous to users byimpeding pathways and preventing pedestrian and wheelchair access. Additionally,
deteriorated paint along crosswalks and bike lanes hinder safe travel because theseamenities, which provide spatial whereabouts of alternative transport users, become lessvisible. Without continual equipment and infrastructure maintenance, there is a reduction inbike and pedestrian infrastructure use, effectiveness, and safety, inhibiting overall
accessibility. Unfortunately, responsibility for the maintenance of these seemingly basic
34

pieces of infrastructure varies: sidewalks are generally the property owner's responsibility,
the roadway is the municipality's responsibility, and the bus shelter is the transit agency.
Further coordination is needed to ensure accessible mobility connections remain between
facilities owned and maintained by different jurisdictions.

Figure 12: Mobility Scooter Traveling Through Snow |Source: University of Toronto● Paratransit Implications: As on-demand mobility opportunities become more prominent, it
is important to consider the implications that those services might have on existing fixedroute service and corresponding paratransit service eligibility guidelines. When a fixed-bus
route service is replaced with a microtransit zone, complementary paratransit service
offered within ¾ mile of the fixed-route is at risk for those transit agencies that strictly
adhere to ADA equivalent service requirements. However, this is less of an issue for transit
agencies that extend equivalent service to a county or city boundary.

Recommendations
1. Establish a regional mobility management coordinator to survey available mobility options
and oversee the different mobility options and payment eligibility criteria to inform andassist riders. Mobility management coordinators can help cultivate partnerships and ensurethat there is consistent communication between transportation providers, planners, andother community stakeholders.

35

2. Develop a strategic regional mobility plan in collaboration with the municipalities, public andprivate transportation providers, and community service providers that offer a coordinatedapproach to transportation policy.
3. Establish a regional or metropolitan body to coordinate transportation and land use
planning and convene at the local level to consider the varied mobility needs.
○

A metropolitan or regional transportation body in charge of public transportation
services can be positioned to address fragmentation in transportation networks.
However, most metropolitan areas and regions lack a regional development
framework coordinating policy, regulatory, investment, and development decisions.
This coordination works best when a local champion and agency lead regional
mobility management across the region’s transportation providers and services.

4. Find ways to facilitate interaction between transportation providers. Working groups canserve this purpose to bring awareness to what others are doing, talk through issues, andbuild support for coordination. Working groups may help coordinate transportation options
among agencies serving common eligibility and human service mobility operators.
○

Organize a service provider and user working group to connect more people toavailable services that fit their needs.

5. Develop coordinated fare policies. Standardizing the fare payment process across providers
can reduce customer confusion and support a more seamless, cost-efficient trip.
6. Explore interlocal agreements between transit agencies and municipal governments.
Interlocal agreements allow municipalities to outsource transit services in geographies that
don’t provide their own transit services. Often local governments can provide multijurisdictional service through interlocal agreements.
7. Open mobility data can help coordinate trips across jurisdictions as they allow for better
communication between mobility operators (see Understanding Mobility Data for moredetails).
8. Increase awareness of mobility options to benefit agencies and users.
○

Inventory the available mobility services in a city or region. This inventory should be
used to identify service gaps based on transit user mobility needs and challenges.

○

Engage in intentional marketing of mobility services to specific populations andensure the information is in various formats, including in languages other thanEnglish.

9. Implement the tenets of the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) at thestate, regional, and local levels. This Federal initiative, led by the Federal Transit

36Administration (FTA), encourages coordination, resource sharing, and shared funding fortransportation across 11 Federal agencies.
10. Local governments must create policies and regulations for micromobility services that work
for all parties.
○

Enact municipal ordinances that clearly outline where micromobility devices can andcannot be parked. Ensure that allowable parking for micromobility does not impede
curb ramps, bus stops, or disabled parking zones. Follow this by outlining
enforcement policies.

○

Adopt Mobility Data Specification (MDS) protocols to help local municipalities
standardize and manage micromobility programs (see Understanding Mobility Data
for additional details).

○

Cities should include local disability communities in the planning processes
surrounding the integration of micromobility devices into the transportation system.
For instance, before launching their free-floating e-scooter pilot program, Seattle
DOT co-designed the e-scooter permit process by engaging business owners, bicycle
advocates, and disability advocates. This coordination resulted in educational
resources that convey the importance of properly parking these devices.

11. Designate an employee responsible for coordinating ADA compliance. The ADA coordinatorshould be aware of engineering challenges associated with accessibility or have a working
relationship with relevant staff members. There should be opportunities for ADA personnel
to interact with those transportation professionals who are designing and delivering theservice.
12. Methods should be in place to communicate inaccessible, unsafe, or deteriorating
infrastructure conditions relevant to completing a trip.
○

Establish quarterly meetings between local transit agencies and public works
departments to create a strategy for improving and maintaining bus stops andpedestrian facilities.

○

Establish an online tool or application where the general public can inventory
pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and identify areas of concern or needed
improvement.

13. On-demand services that operate with accessible vehicles have the opportunity to provide
more mobility opportunities with greater flexibility. However, the complementary paratransit
service should not be eliminated. To continue to serve these areas, transit agencies shouldlook to expand geographic eligibility to a city or county beyond the ¾ mile radius of a fixedroute. Additional strategies for an on-demand service are having a call-center to accept trip37

requests, allowing users to book in advance (important for scheduling medical
appointments), and using a mobility manager to communicate available mobility options.

Resources
●

●

●

●

●

●

●

Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM): A Federal effort to improvetransportation coordination across 11 Federal agencies, their state counterparts, and their
grantees.
NCMM: Resource for Mobility Managers: The National Center for Mobility Management
provides various resources on mobility management that could help users looking toestablish or engage in mobility management practices.
Easterseals: Mobility Management Certification Program: This resource offers an
opportunity to learn about the complexities of mobility management and the unique way it
can support both transportation programs and human services providers in your service
area.
National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (nadtc.org): Offers a wide-range ofresources promoting the availability and accessibility of transportation options for older
adults, people with disabilities and caregivers.
Great Lakes ADA Center: The Great Lakes ADA Center's mission is to increase awarenessand knowledge with the ultimate goal of achieving voluntary compliance with the Americans
with Disabilities Act. This is accomplished within targeted audiences through provision ofcustomized training, expert assistance, and dissemination of information developed byvarious sources, including the federal agencies responsible for enforcement of the ADA.
While not an enforcement or regulatory agency, it is a helpful resource supporting the ADA's
mission to "make it possible for everyone with a disability to live a life of freedom andequality."
Transportation for America - Micromobility: General Provision: This resource provides
guidance to local governments as they craft micromobility policies to ensure that operational
and accessibility issues are properly addressed.
Where the Sidewalk Ends: This resource offers insight into the state of municipal ADA
transition planning for the public right-of-way in the Chicago region.

Checklist
Service Planning and Coordination
Those who reside in rural areas must travel to urban areas to access specialized medical care. Those
without access to personal vehicles must heavily rely on public transportation options to accessthese essential services; however, if those services cannot provide transportation acrossjurisdictional or county boundaries, certain population groups will be at a disadvantage.
●●

Are there options for riders to travel across county lines or jurisdictional boundaries whenusing transportation services?
Are there interlocal agreements in place to facilitate regional travel?

Agencies can meet more individuals’ needs through communication and sharing resources.
Coordination plans help transportation providers in the region identify strategies to achieve goals,
38establish measurable outcomes, and determine where there is duplication of services, opportunities
for consolidation, etc.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

Do you have a process to identify and resolve coordination issues?
Does your municipality have an ADA transition plan in place?
What communication methods are in place to facilitate interaction between municipalities,
transit agencies, and the general public?
Is there regular information sharing among providers and user groups?
When a new mobility service is introduced to a community, is there coordination between
cities or other regulators, private mobility operators, and transit agencies?
Do you have a staff member dedicated to coordinating service across agencies?
Does your region have a mobility management coordinator?

39

Element 4: Mobility Data andTechnology
Mobility data is essential to universal mobility because it can help
alleviate barriers around accessing and using transit, as well as help
create an interoperable mobility system that accommodates allusers, including individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.
The Mobility Data and Technology element offers suggestions on
how to build staff capacity around data applications, provides aframework to understand the role of mobility data, touches on theimportance of involving the mobility user when developing
community-focused technology solutions. It is important to realizethat leveraging mobility data to expand mobility for all users should
not occur in isolation and needs to be implemented with the otherrecommendations noted throughout this learning module.
There are two components to this Element:●●

Understanding Mobility Data discusses how agencies canbuild staff capacity and understanding of mobility data andtechnology solutions. This section also includes examples of
how open mobility data can help address specific issues
related to shared mobility access and monitoring.

Figure 13: Trip-Planner Graphic

Technology and the Customer Experience discusses the importance of aligning technology
resources to meet all users' needs.

Understanding Mobility Data
An inclusive and well-functioning mobility system requires understanding how mobility services
operate in real-time and assurance that mobility service and accessibility information is available tothe public. This is where mobility data comes into play. However, not all mobility data's use andimplications are the same. For example, data that are available through private operator systems
are often specific to that mobility operator, making communication difficult across agencies andother mobility services. On the other hand, the focus of this section is the applications of open data
and the role it plays in promoting mobility interoperability. The Mobility Data Interoperability
Principles (MDIP) offers a good definition for open data and mobility data interoperability.
●

Open Data Standard is a specific ontology, schema, or format used by the mobility industry
to facilitate consistent communication between devices. A commonly used open data format
is GTFS, which allows for the discoverability of transit services and is open and available tothe public.
40

●Mobility interoperability is defined as the ability of any mobility technology component toexchange data in an open standard or schema with other components in that mobility
technology system.

When in place, mobility data helps cities enforce transportation regulations and modify existing
regulations to ensure the smooth functioning of transportation services. It also provides a wide
range of insights on usage patterns and travel needs which can be leveraged to improve theplanning and operations of mobility systems. Interoperable mobility data can also help integrate
services across multiple modes or providers of the same mode (e.g., DRT), increasing mobility accessand alleviating duplicative services. Subsequently, communicating real-time mobility data to the
public can make it easier for people to move around urban and rural spaces. These benefits are farreaching, impacting all mobility users, including persons with disabilities and older adults.

Figure 14: Mobility Hub demonstrating multi-modal system, including carshare, bikeshare, transit, pedestrianamenities, wayfinding, and transit |Source: CoMoUK

Building Understanding and Capacity
For agencies to use mobility data, they must first understand what it is and its implications. Smaller
agencies, or those with limited budgets, can look toward larger governing agencies to help support
these efforts. For example, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) was awarded an
FTA Accelerating Innovation in Mobility (AIM) grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) tobuild a regional Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform. MnDOT worked with many of the smaller rural
agencies in the service area to help develop their understanding and capacity for using mobility data
and avoid creating an undue burden on those communities.

41

Having data management systems in place and understanding mobility assets and challenges
enables agencies to take on more complex technology-driven solutions. While data can be leveraged
to create more inclusive and accessible transportation systems, mobility providers must have theability to share data across multiple platforms and tools. Open data helps to promote thiscommunication and interoperability across mobility systems. When in place, these interoperable
systems enable transit providers to plan services responsive to rider needs and can help to improve
service quality and efficiency.
Mobility Data Applications
Following are some example issues that surfaced during the working group discussions and the rolethat mobility data can play toward promoting universal mobility. For more information on thesedata specifications and others, see The Role of Data Specifications in Creating an Interoperable
Transportation System case study.
●

●

●

●

●

Where are sidewalks available, and are there impediments? Both the presence andquality of sidewalks are critical to the complete trip. A bus or rail station that is accessible isonly a part of a person's trip and cannot fully be considered accessible if there are no clear
paths for people to access those mobility services. Two data specifications help to address
this issue as they outline criteria to manage curb space and other sidewalk-related
information; CurbLR and Curb Data Specification (CDS). CurbLR communicates curb-use
regulations from local governments to mobility, delivery, and freight services and thebroader public. CDS also provides a formula for sharing regulations between local
governments, mobility, delivery, freight services, and the wider public.
How do I identify where e-scooters and other shared modes block sidewalk access?
The Mobility Data Specification (MDS) outlines how cities and private mobility providers, likemicromobility operators, communicate information, while CurbLR and the Curb Data
Specification (CDS) help cities communicate curb regulations.
Service capacity constraints limit our agency's ability to provide service. While underdevelopment, the Transactional Data Specification (TDS) is a backend tool that enables
coordination/interoperability among providers once the user requests a booking. The
Operational Data Standard (ODS), a new standard, outlines how transit agencies can relay
information areas like non-revenue service and personnel.
What mobility services are available for me to plan a trip? GTFS and some of its
extensions, including GTFS-Flex and the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS), are
known as “discovery specifications” because they help transportation users learn about what
mobility services are available to them at a given period.
What mobility services are available to support my first-last mile connections? GTFSFlex adds the capability to model various demand-responsive transportation (DRT) services
to GTFS, which currently only models fixed-route public transportation and GBFS is available
for micromobility services. Micromobility services, like scootershare and bikeshare,rideshare, and microtransit services have discovery specifications designed uniquely to help
users discover their respective services.

42●How can human service transportation providers serve the community, and how
might one qualify to use these services? There are two specific GTFS extensions:
Capabilities and Eligibilities. Many human service transportation providers offer service
characteristics tailored to specific rider groups or they may require passengers to meet
specific eligibility requirements. These Capabilities and Eligibilities extensions help themcommunicate more specific parameters of this nature to their customers.

The world of mobility data is like a set of building blocks. It is important that people understand andare comfortable with mobility solutions. Ensuring people understand the implications of technologydriven solutions and how those solutions can further the goal of mobility interoperability anduniversal mobility. Using mobility data does not occur in a vacuum and must align with the other
Elements discussed in this Learning Module. For example, implementing any data specifications
noted above without understanding user mobility needs and current mobility services will likely notcreate the on-the-ground support needed for implementation and adoption by the communities.
More complex mobility data specifications require greater interagency coordination and community
involvement.

Challenges
Mobility data can promote universal mobility by addressing challenges around discovery, access,and management of shared mobility and supporting infrastructure. Here are some of the challenges
that surfaced during our discussions with the Universal Mobility Working Group around how to use
mobility data and what specific issues it can help to address.
●

Partner agencies do not understand the value, uses, and ownership of data to enable multimodal data platforms to create data silos. As a result, data may not be available when andwhere they are needed, either because people are unaware of them or they are in an
incompatible format.

●

Agreed-upon frameworks are essential for communicating transportation data and creatinginteroperable systems. Transit agencies may not be able to access private mobility data that
could help them better understand the mobility landscape in their communities and target
their services to meet user needs.

●

Some private mobility operators have been hesitant to share data due to concerns about
privacy, public records requests, and competition.

●

As discussed in the service and planning coordination element, micromobility sidewalk
clutter and insufficient ways of managing usage can present significant issues for persons
with disabilities. While there is a coordination aspect to it, the regulatory and enforcement
can be assisted with the MDS data specification. By using MDS, agencies can manage
micromobility operations from a planning perspective.

●

The Transactional Data Specification (TDS) is a backend tool that enables
coordination/interoperability among providers once the user requests a booking. It iscurrently being piloted or planned in several communities across the U.S., ranging from rural
43

applications to urban settings. The TDS implementation is challenging for a number ofreasons, such as the limited awareness among transit operators on its applications, thelimited support from private mobility operators to adopt the TDS, and differing rider
eligibility criteria among mobility services - making it difficult to coordinate trips acrossmultiple agencies.
●

An accessible transit station is not accessible if the sidewalk and other paths are missing orin disrepair. This challenge is amplified as trip planning platforms rarely offer information on
the station, stop, sidewalk, or street conditions.

●

It is challenging to have a meaningful discussion on equity and service access if agencies
don't have access to site location and usage data.

Recommendations
Mobility data will not solve all of the impediments to realizing universal mobility. However, it canhelp address issues around the discoverability of services, accessing those services, and managing
supporting infrastructure. The communication that open mobility data promotes across mobility
platforms helps to create an interoperable mobility system that better meets the needs of all of its
users. Here are some recommendations to promote mobility interoperability and further universal
mobility.
1. Agencies should invest in training existing personnel and hire additional personnel tomanage IT if needed.
2. Smaller agencies with limited budgets can look for support from neighboring agencies orlarger oversight agencies that may have additional resources to help understand and apply
mobility data. DOTs and regional MPOs are a good starting point as they can provide tools
and resources to smaller agencies, particularly in rural areas.

3. Building support and awareness among regional mobility operators through working groups
and other convening opportunities is one of the first steps to a successful open mobility datasolution. These opportunities allow neighboring transit agencies and other mobility
operators to share experiences, discuss challenges, and learn about opportunities toimplement data solutions to improve the discovery and coordination of mobility services.
4. Develop data-sharing requirements for public-private partnerships:
a. Convene with peer agencies who have established public-private partnerships to geta better idea of the considerations and challenges they have experienced regarding
access to data and to understand what data are most important to a pilot’s success.
b. Agencies should also use broad language when defining their use rights in datasharing license agreements with mobility providers to allow flexibility and avoid
contract renegotiation.
44

c.

Ensure the right to share data with other public sector entities, such as DOTs or
MPOs, that have a role in planning, right-of-way management, and service
coordination.

d. Prioritize mobility providers who use open-source data standards like the General
Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS),
the Transactional Data Specification (TDS), or the Mobility Data Specification (MDS).
5. Encourage the use of data standards and specifications to support the exchange of mobility
data and interoperability between systems. Agencies can leverage technology tocommunicate trip planning information to travelers better. First and last-mile connections totransportation services are vital, and users should have a convenient way to access up-todate information on accessibility conditions. DRT providers can interoperate their services toreduce service redundancy and increase the opportunity to book a trip. Before
implementing an integration solution(s), make sure to consider the following:a. What type of data needs to be integrated?
b. Which applications need to be integrated, and how?
c.

How data will flow within and outside of an agency?

d. How to implement open standards and specifications?
e. What policies can be introduced to encourage vehicle sharing, shared funding, andaccountability mechanisms that reward entities for creating continuums?
f.

How to document promising practices and guidelines around mobility datainteroperability?

g. Understand that mobility data applications do not occur in a vacuum. The Service
and Planning Coordination Element and other Elements discussed in this module are
critical for adopting mobility data solutions.

Resources●●●

The Role of Data Specifications in Creating an Interoperable Transportation System:
This resource provides an overview of the role and applications of open data. The case study
offers a summary table of some of the most commonly used data specifications.
White Paper: Objective-Driven Data Sharing for Transit Agencies in Mobility
Partnerships: This resource can help transit agencies determine the right data-sharing
approach for their project and consider the benefits and trade-offs of various options. It
details current data-sharing practices and real-world scenarios, aiming to guide agencies inestablishing mobility partnerships with local operators.
A Practical City Guide to Mobility Data Licensing: This resource can help aid entities as
they craft their data-sharing rules and negotiate with mobility providers.

45

●

●
●

●

●

●
●

CPACS Ride – Lessons Learned in Four Phases – Phase 2: Procurement: This resource
highlights the Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS) experience planning andexecuting software procurement to support their CPACS Ride microtransit project.
National RTAP’s GTFS Builder: This website offers several resources to understand how to
use GTFS and build GTFS data files.
SUMC MLC: Mobility Learning Center: Mobility Data Specification: A Data Standard for
Shared Mobility Providers, Los Angeles, California, 2018
(sharedusemobilitycenter.org); This resource provides information about the Mobility
Data Specification (MDS), a tool developed by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation(LA DOT) to manage shared mobility providers. The open specification allows for two-way
communication between service providers and the jurisdictions in which they operate. LA
DOT plans to expand it to include other shared modes such as carsharing and ridesharing.
The article also discusses some of the data that is shared through the MDS and the intended
audience for the specification. This information may be helpful for anyone interested inunderstanding how LA DOT is managing shared mobility providers and the data theygenerate.
SUMC MLC: Mobility Learning Center: Open Mobility Foundation Releases Candidate
for New Curb Data Specification (CDS), 2022 (sharedusemobilitycenter.org): CDS
specifies how cities and curb users, like taxi and delivery companies, share curb regulations
and exchange data. This new specification consists of three application programming
interfaces (APIs): The Curbs API, the Events API, and Metrics API.
SUMC MLC: Mobility Learning Center: State Agency Releases Operational Data
Standard, CA, 2022 (sharedusemobilitycenter.org): The Operational Data Standard is a
new standard that outlines how agencies can provide community information like personnel
and non-revenue service.
Mobility Data Interoperability Principles (MDIP); MDIP offers several open data andmobility interoperability resources, including a helpful glossary of the most common terms.
Modernizing Demand-Responsive Transportation for the Age of New Mobility: This
resource discusses Transactional Data Specification and its role in helping increase mobility
access specific to older adults and persons with disabilities.

Checklist
Understanding Mobility Data
Agencies should understand potential providers’ data-sharing approaches and aim to select apartner that aligns with their needs.
●
●
●
●
●

Do you have a data-sharing agreement before launching a new service/project?
Do you use the same data-sharing licensing format for each mobility provider you workwith?
What is your staff’s capacity to understand and implement open data solutions?
Are there partner agencies that have experience with similar questions and challenges?
Are there overarching agencies that provide support and resources on open mobility
solutions?

46●Are there opportunities to implement open data solutions to help address particularchallenges and mobility needs?

Technology and the Customer Experience
New technologies and mobility data-driven solutions are continually emerging. Within the last
decade, smartphone technology advancements have led to mobility-on-demand solutions that were
not previously possible. While these technological solutions are important, they are a piece of themore extensive mobility system that needs to work together. Even more critical, these technology
solutions are not always applied to projects with the end user in mind and thus are not sensitive totheir personal or cultural means. Technology makes it possible to, among other things, diversify
transportation options, offer new services, plan for the complete trip, and obtain/share user data.
Still, these technology applications should consider the end user and strive to improve the customer
experience. Technology solutions implemented without this understanding often sit idle, given thelimited interagency support and misperceptions from the community they aim to serve.

Figure 15: Person using a mobility-as-a service mobile application as they wait for transit |Source: SUMC

There are good examples of where technology has been implemented with the transit user in mind,
and these examples demonstrate that this needs to be a deliberate process that is budgeted andplanned. Understanding the mobility users’ needs extend to the tools themselves, such as the app
used to find and book services and assuring that there are multiple ways to access the technology
solutions. Meaningful community engagement takes time. Equally important, and similar to the
Universal Design Element, when technology solutions are developed in a vacuum, the costs
associated with retrofitting them to accommodate all users after the fact can often exceed the costs
if they were developed with input from the community throughout the process. When the47

community is involved in this effort and the needs of all individuals are considered, then the end
product, whether it be a mobility service or a mobility app, works better for all users.
Hopelink, a Seattle-based social service non-profit, is developing a One-Call/One-Click mobility
services platform centered on an inclusive planning process in partnership with the King County
Mobility Coalition (KCMC). Any individual needing a trip within the boundaries of One-Call/One-Clickcan access and use its platform at no cost. In the near term, data specifications will include theGeneral Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) and GTFS-Flex; later on, KCMC might also integrate theGeneral On-Demand Feed Specification (GOFS), GTFS-Eligibilities, and GTFS-Capabilities. These
discovery specifications can help customers identify information about available transportation
services, such as schedules, fares, seating, and accessibility features. In the future, the Transactional
Data Specification (TDS), under development, could allow interoperability among providers so when
the rider requests to book a trip with one provider they are actually tapping the resources of otherproviders within the system.
Move PGH began in July 2021 to integrate public transportation with other shared mobility services
like carshare, scootershare, and bikeshare. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure hasdeveloped this program in partnership with different technology vendors, like Spin and the Transit
app. Move PGH seeks to create a mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) experience for people acrossPittsburgh by:
1. Making transit services and different modes of shared mobility discoverable through theTransit app. This adds a new element to trip planning as users can get a more holistic view ofdifferent transportation options.
2. Creating dozens of Mobility Hubs where public transportation and shared mobility services
are co-located. The City of Pittsburgh hopes this creates an environment where sharedmobility becomes a more viable and appealing option to residents and visitors.
3. Piloting a Guaranteed Basic Mobility (GBM) program for 50 low-income residents. In the GBM
pilot, users have one year of free access to the mobility offerings in Move PGH.

Challenges
Community engagement is also discussed in the Understanding Passengers Element, but below aresome specific challenges related to planning and implementing technology and mobility datasolutions.
●

Agencies can face difficulties engaging the transit user and building trust with thecommunity.

●

Services are not always equitably available throughout a city and to persons with disabilities.

●

There may be a misperception that it costs more to involve the community in the planning
process.

●

Applications and end user tools are not built with all user requirements in mind.
48

●The impact that technology can have on promoting equity is not always apparent.

●

Transit agencies are often behind on technology adoption. With transportation innovationtied to technology, agencies will require training and perhaps new personnel to manage
these incoming initiatives.

●

The transportation sector is constantly evolving. New technologies are emerging to drive
innovation, increase operational and service efficiencies, user safety, and convenience.
However, the pace in which technology advancement is occurring makes it difficult foragencies, especially those without as many resources, to fully understand their capabilities
and application. Certain agencies may also lack the funds to adopt and maintain theinfrastructure required for these technology applications.

Recommendations
There are many resources on how to hold meaningful community engagement, including thosehighlighted below and the resources listed in our Understanding Passengers Element. These
strategies can be effective and should be practiced from the beginning of a project and throughout
its implementation. Following are the recommendations we heard from our targeted discussions
with the Universal Mobility Working Group specific to the use of technology. Still, theserecommendations should be considered within a larger community engagement plan.
1. Budget for meaningful community engagement and input from transit users. Build
meaningful partnerships with community groups to better reach mobility users. Recognizethat people’s time is valuable in these efforts and offer financial support for their time andexpertise.
2. Regularly follow up and communicate project progress with those who offered their timeand shared their knowledge during engagement efforts.
3. Engage people with disabilities from the beginning of a project and throughout its
implementation to ensure the technology and mobility data solution meet their needs.
4. Pilot projects and mobile apps with a small group of people first create a mechanism forobtaining feedback and reporting back to the community regularly. Doing so is critical, given
mobility access changes directly impact a person’s ability to travel. Technology solutions will
require time to implement and fully understand what unintended consequences they may
have on the more extensive mobility system.
5. Agencies should work closely with their technology provider(s) and advocate for
improvements to address transit user needs. Community engagement and understanding
passengers are critical to learning about traveler needs and how mobility services impact
their daily lives.
6. When piloting a technology, make sure there is a process for drivers to offer feedback andcreate a dialogue with the operations team to understand how planning decisions might
impact riders.
49

7. Provide trip planning support information, including information on transportation services
available and accessibility conditions, to travelers for their trip.
a. Incorporate accessibility information into trip planning platforms or applications.
b. Establish a crowdsourcing app where the public can provide information on current
accessibility barriers throughout the system.
i.

c.

Initiatives that incorporate participatory data collection have become moreprevalent over the years. In recent years the National Science Foundation
funded Project Sidewalk, a web-based crowdsourcing platform where users
can label in-accessible sidewalks in some North American cities, including
Seattle.

Develop a database of infrastructure obstacles and safety.

Resources
Listed are resources offering strategies to hold meaningful community engagement specific toplanning and launching technology and mobility data solutions.
●●●

Transit Planning 4 All (TP4A) - Community Engagement Strategies: This website offers awide range of resources and materials to plan for and carry out meaningful community
engagement.
Shared Use Mobility Center - Community Engagement Learning Module: This learning
module gives an overview on community engagement and offers strategies to holdmeaningful community engagement.
Incorporating UX Design into Transportation Solutions: This resource outlines strategies
to obtain user feedback on technology solutions and how to improve user experience.

●

●

●

Potential Impacts of Technology on the Customer Experience: This resource reflects on
the delicate balance of using technology while also prioritizing the customer experience andprovides key considerations for agencies procuring technology solutions.
Hopelink One-Call/One-Click and inclusive planning: This resource discusses the inclusiveplanning process undertaken by Hopelink in Seattle in its efforts to develop and launch a
one-call/one-click center.
Shifting the Mobility Paradigm with Move PGH, Pittsburgh, PA: Learn about the MovePGH MaaS pilot. Move PGH in Pittsburgh is arguably the most ambitious MaaS-oriented
project in the United States. Hosted through Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility andInfrastructure (DOMI), Move PGH seeks to make shared mobility more convenient,accessible, and equitable by offering users an array of transportation options in one app,
Transit, and at centrally located mobility hubs. Alongside this, DOMI is also developing a
Guaranteed Basic Mobility program that offers fare-free shared mobility options to lowincome residents.

50

●

●

ELEVATED CHICAGO Community Engagement Principles & Recommendations: This
resource outlines 8 principles—with recommendations and strategies to support each—agencies can use as a guideline to create more meaningful and mutually beneficial
engagement with user’s mobility projects are intended to serve.
The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology (TCAT): TCAT focuses on pedestrian accessand access to transportation, universal access to collaborative work/play environments, andcommunity engagement in the creation of access solutions.

Checklist
Technology and the Customer Experience
While technology is often presented as the solution to streamline efficiencies or improve thecustomer experience, stakeholders and project managers should consider the real-life implicationsof technological solutions on an individual’s ability to access essential services or participate inproject-related engagement efforts.
●
●
●
●
●

What can the organization now achieve by introducing this technology?
Were community residents engaged in the planning process before implementing atechnology solution?
Does your project consider unbanked users?
Is the use of technology assisting in meeting goals related to customer experience?
Do you have metrics in place to measure customer experience?

Offering information on the station, stop, sidewalk or street conditions plays a large role in an
individual’s ability to access shared services like transit. Technology can be leveraged to ensure realtime accessibility information is readily available to travelers.
●●●

Are trip-planning applications available in your planning area?
How is traveler information (i.e., delays, incidents, weather-related messages, travel times,
emergency alerts) relayed to users and passengers?
Do the trip planning applications available in your area obtain accessibility condition
information that is pertinent to people both with and without disabilities?

Whether the functions needed to run a successful pilot service are performed in-house orcontracted out, agencies must be prepared to overcome operational and service issues that stemfrom incorporating technology-based solutions. While it’s become common for transit agencies topartner with transportation technology companies when launching a new on-demand microtransit
service, these companies are constantly in flux.
●●

Does your agency have the staff capacity, knowledge, and funding to adopt, maintain, andoperate the infrastructure needed to pursue mobility software solutions?
Do you have processes to keep your mobility services running when software vendors haveoutages? What course of action do you take?

51

Implementing this Universal Mobility
ToolkitThis Universal Mobility Tool is not intended to be implemented in its entirety nor is the expectationthat all components will be considered or tried at one time. We organized this toolkit in “chunks” ofdimensions and purposely included checklists to facilitate implementation. The steps to facilitate anaccessible and inclusive organization, with accessible and inclusive services, involves incremental
steps. Universal mobility is important for transit and non-transit agencies to implement because of
its far-reaching impacts in a community. The participation of a range of diverse perspectives canenhance the acknowledgement that universal mobility is good for everyone and will add value to acommunity. The following are some considerations for implementation
1) Include individuals with disabilities, and others from diverse sectors in all facets ofimplementation. Universal mobility benefits from the perspectives and experience of arange of community participants, particularly those with lived experience, such asindividuals with disabilities.
2) Understand current needs. These components assume that you have “taken stock” inwhere you are regarding each dimension. Examining needs in relation to each of these
dimensions helps you plan and prioritize your activities.
3) Prioritize implementation. Don’t let current resources be the predictor of which
strategy your agency will address first. Assess each component based on factors
important to your organization such as the impacts on the services you provide (thiscould mean the impacts on costs or revenue, policy, or regulatory implications of astrategy, etc.). There is often not one compelling characteristic that drives which
dimension should be implemented first, or second, etc.
4) Assess and amend. Universal mobility is not a one and done process. Workgroupmembers agreed that universal mobility needs to be systemic, systematic, and a naturaland ongoing condition within an organization. Continuously reflecting on whether yourstrategies related to universal mobility reflect your objectives can enable an organization
to make real-time corrections and amendments.
5) Build universal mobility into strategic Plans. Most agencies have strategic plans andlogic models or theories of change that guide their internal management processes.
Universal mobility tenets and activities should be integrated into these business
functions.
6) Integrate universal mobility in other organizational plans. Whether it’s atransportation improvement plan, a human service coordinated transportation plan, orsome other blueprint for an organization, consider how universal mobility work can alignwith activities suggested in these plans.
527) Leverage existing projects and initiatives. For instance, the ITS4US Deployment
Program is a $40 million multimodal effort, led by the US Department ofTransportation’s, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office ( ITS JPO) andsupported by OST, FHWA, and FTA. Projects identify ways to provide more efficient,affordable, and accessible transportation options for underserved communities that
often face greater challenges in accessing essential services. The program aims to solve
mobility challenges for all travelers with a specific focus on underserved communities,
including people with disabilities, older adults, low-income individuals, rural residents,
veterans, and limited English proficiency travelers. This program will enable communities
to build local partnerships, develop and deploy integrated and replicable mobility
solutions to achieve complete trips for all travelers8) Invite the participation of partners. Universal mobility should be considered byprofessionals from the transportation services sector, as means of enhancing
accessibility. However, because universal mobility affects and is impacted by thecommunity, it is important for transportation professionals to invite the participation of
non-transit peers. Individuals representing human services, governmental entities, andthose professionals from across industries, such as health, human services, labor, etc.
can be important contributors to universal mobility.
9) Support open and interoperable mobility data solutions. Interoperable mobility datasolutions can help to manage and integrate services across multiple modes or between
providers (e.g., DRT), increasing mobility access and alleviating duplicative services.
Subsequently, communicating real-time mobility data to the public can make it easier for
people to move around urban and rural spaces. Consider pursuing open andinteroperable mobility data solutions to achieve universal mobility goals, as doing so canaddress specific rider needs and the management of shared mobility services.
10) Consider how universal mobility can serve as the foundation for future funding. A
community and system-wide universal mobility approach demonstrates the capacity ofan agency or organization to create an inclusive range of services. The characteristics ofuniversal mobility would be valued by funders who want to ensure that grantees orcontractors are welcoming and supportive of a diverse range of individuals. Consider
how the services that are provided align with the tenets of universal mobility andcapture this work in capabilities statements that can support future funding.
11) Be a champion, a cheerleader, and a catalyst. Not all participants in or outside of yourorganization will “buy in” to some of the principles and strategies suggested by auniversal mobility approach. An organization needs educators and proponents to lead,nudge, and reinforce the tenets of universal mobility. Identifying the outcomes related to
Universal Mobility implementation –to service, cost efficiency, public engagement, and a
new and expanded resource base, can influence naysayers, who may have not seen thevalue of universal mobility.

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The SUMC and NCMM Team that developed this content, along with the significant input of anationally recognized workgroup, would welcome any suggestions and comments regarding yourexperiences in implementing universal mobility strategies. Both national TA Centers can offer
technical assistance and continued support as agencies create and extend a universally designed
organization and service range that is inclusive and accessible.
Thank you for embarking on this universal mobility journey with us.
Al Benedict, SUMC

Judy Shanley, NCMM

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Checklist
This checklist is intended to support agencies as they evaluate their current state, identify pain
points, and brainstorm solutions to address various challenges.

Customer Service
Information
The following questions on the checklist below can aid in assessing the best practice to get
information accurately to customers.
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Are all riders able to access the most current information from drivers or station guides?
Is the information outdated resulting in misinformation for the customers?
Does your frontline staff have the tools necessary to provide accurate system information?
Are individuals with disabilities able to acquire the correct information to use the system
successfully?
Is the passenger information developed through an inclusive process to be presented
equally for all (in a variety of languages, formats depending on disabilities and all areas of
the community)?
Has the agency developed a policy to conduct to gain feedback from passengers?

Operators
Operators need to be trained to have the confidence in providing the correct information to assist
customers which secures a positive experience.
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Are the operators responsive to customer requests or concerns?
Are customers' concerns being reviewed thoroughly resulting in a solution?
Does your entity have Operator customer service training regarding how to address
customer requests?
Do operators complete customer sensitivity training?
Do drivers have a positive, customer-first attitude to ensure successful passenger
experiences?

Complaint Process
These questions below can help an agency brainstorm to create a basic complaint process that
includes how to file a complaint, and what happens after a complaint is filed.
●●●●

What is the structure of the customer complaint review process?
Is there a system or database to track duplicate or consistent complaints regarding the same
issues?
Is compliance training given to high level management based on actual examples ofcomplaints?
Is the customer complaint process accessible for all?

ADA Compliance
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These questions below can help an agency develop guidelines to aid in becoming more inclusive.
Collaborating with diverse partners to design a more accessible space can ensure a more inclusive
passenger experience.
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Does your entity provide accessibility services for all passengers?
Is your system designed to be inclusive? Facilities, vehicles, customer environment?
Are there partnerships in the disability space to aid in designing the accessible passenger
experience?
Does your entity employ an ADA coordinator/officer?

Engagement
Developing a systematic customer engagement outline will ensure that the agency's relationshipwith the rider is not a one-time event. The proper engagement strategy will result in repeat riders
and established trust between communities and mobility practitioners.
Community Partnerships
Community partnerships can be beneficial in the following ways: 1. Providing inclusive design, 2.
sustainable funding opportunities, and 3. increased ridership.
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What partnership organizations could be developed to assist in the design to maximize thecustomer experience?
Has your agency developed customer focus groups to aid in project development?
Does your agency have a community level board to review all aspects of design, operations,and customer service as it relates to the passenger?
What is the goal that community partnerships will achieve?
What can each community stakeholder bring to the table?

User Fit of Mobility Options
An agency can ask the following questions when trying to evaluate, plan, and execute transportation
options that include the best mobility for the passengers in the community. They can help dailyriders navigate the planning process to find the best fit of mobility options that will be used totransport passengers to their daily destinations.
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Is your agency educated on the mobility options available in the community?
Do the mobility options connect in the overall transportation system of the community?
Are there ways to engage passengers with all mobility options to analyze the best fit for thecommunity?
Are daily riders included in the planning and decision-making process to select the best
mobility option?
Is there a tool kit to analyze the communities needs of mobility per the user demographic?

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Evaluation and Performance
Whether a project involves introducing a new bike-share service, upgrading transit facility
infrastructure, or establishing a mobility-management center, establishing performance metrics will
help agencies evaluate how well the project has met its overall goals and objectives.
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What staff will oversee the management of this mobility project or service?
What are your performance requirements?
What parameters and metrics have you established to measure your project or services
performance?
○ How well does the mobility service or project meet the needs of individual travelers ?
○ How effectively and efficiently does the service performs while meeting the needs ofindividual travelers○ How does the mobility service or project impact the region/community regarding
sustainability, accessibility, environment, etc?
What data sources have you identified to functionalize those performance metrics?
○ Are the data available?
○ What would be the format and unit of a given data element?
○ Are you able to obtain the data?
○ Is the data for the metric inaccessible due to privacy, cost, or agreement constraints?
How do you plan to measure customer satisfaction? What efforts have you undertaken tocollect feedback?
How do your performance parameters align with the overall project or service goals?
Has your team collected data on several indicators that estimate the broader effect thisservice or project will have on mobility and accessibility?
Have you established evaluation criteria?
Have you established systems to report and share out your mobility performance measuresand findings?

Service Planning and Coordination
Those who reside in rural areas must travel to urban areas to access specialized medical care. Those
without access to personal vehicles must heavily rely on public transportation options to accessthese essential services; however, if those services cannot provide transportation acrossjurisdictional or county boundaries, certain population groups will be at a disadvantage.
●●

Are there options for riders to travel across county lines or jurisdictional boundaries whenusing transportation services?
Are there interlocal agreements in place to facilitate regional travel?

Agencies can meet more individuals’ needs through communication and sharing resources.
Coordination plans help transportation providers in the region identify strategies to achieve goals,
establish measurable outcomes, and determine where there is duplication of services, opportunities
for consolidation, etc.
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Do you have a process to identify and resolve coordination issues?
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●
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Does your municipality have an ADA transition plan in place?
What communication methods are in place to facilitate interaction between municipalities,
transit agencies, and the general public?
Is there regular information sharing among providers and user groups?
When a new mobility service is introduced to a community, is there coordination between
cities or other regulators, private mobility operators, and transit agencies?
Do you have a staff member dedicated to coordinating service across agencies?
Does your region have a mobility management coordinator?

Understanding Mobility Data
Agencies should understand potential providers’ data-sharing approaches and aim to select apartner that aligns with their needs.
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Do you have a data-sharing agreement before launching a new service/project?
Do you use the same data-sharing licensing format for each mobility provider you workwith?
What is your staff’s capacity to understand and implement open data solutions?
Are there partner agencies that have experience with similar questions and challenges?
Are there overarching agencies that provide support and resources on open mobility
solutions?
Are there opportunities to implement open data solutions to help address particularchallenges and mobility needs?

Technology and the Customer Experience
While technology is often presented as the solution to streamline efficiencies or improve thecustomer experience, stakeholders and project managers should consider the real-life implicationsof technological solutions on an individual’s ability to access essential services or participate inproject-related engagement efforts.
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What can the organization now achieve by introducing this technology?
Were community residents engaged in the planning process before implementing atechnology solution?
Does your project consider unbanked users?
Is the use of technology assisting in meeting goals related to customer experience?
Do you have metrics in place to measure customer experience?

Offering information on the station, stop, sidewalk or street conditions plays a large role in an
individual’s ability to access shared services like transit. Technology can be leveraged to ensure realtime accessibility information is readily available to travelers.
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Are trip-planning applications available in your planning area?

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How is traveler information (i.e., delays, incidents, weather-related messages, travel times,
emergency alerts) relayed to users and passengers?
Do the trip planning applications available in your area obtain accessibility condition
information that is pertinent to people both with and without disabilities?

Whether the functions needed to run a successful pilot service are performed in-house orcontracted out, agencies must be prepared to overcome operational and service issues that stemfrom incorporating technology-based solutions. While it’s become common for transit agencies topartner with transportation technology companies when launching a new on-demand microtransit
service, these companies are constantly in flux.
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Does your agency have the staff capacity, knowledge, and funding to adopt, maintain, andoperate the infrastructure needed to pursue mobility software solutions?
Do you have processes to keep your mobility services running when software vendors haveoutages? What course of action do you take?

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