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• Electric vehicles, including 

electrification of transit fleets and 

installation of charging stations.

• Micromobility, which includes 

shared or private electric scooters, 

bikeshare, or other small, 

lightweight, wheeled conveyances.

• Ridehailing like Uber and Lyft, 

which can provide additional 

options and enhanced access, 

especially for car-free trips.

• Traveler information 

technologies that can provide 

visitors with information about 

travel conditions, congestion, 

parking, and trip planning to help 

them make more informed travel 

decisions. 

• Automated vehicle technologies, 

which range from driver-assistance 

features to highly-automated 

vehicle capabilities.

Current State of Transportation 

Priorities and Needs

The transportation industry is evolving at a rapid 

pace, aided by advancements in mobile and 

battery technology, new shared mobility business 

models, vehicle electrification, and testing of 

automated technologies. 

Proactively addressing these transportation trends 

can help parks around the country support 

visitors, encourage car-free trips, protect natural 

and cultural resources, and develop a more 

efficient and nimble transportation system. 

NPS is exploring five key transportation trends 

that are currently impacting or expected to affect 

NPS and visitors:

Pilot Projects

NPS implemented electric automated shuttle 

pilots at Wright Brothers National Memorial

and Yellowstone National Park in 2021. These 

automated shuttle pilots—the first-ever at a 

recreational public lands site in the country—

allowed the NPS to test the suitability of emerging 

automated vehicle technologies in public lands. 

The NPS evaluated both pilots to assess how 

the automated technologies performed in park 

settings and to consider any potential future use 

cases across the National Park System.

National Park Service Emerging Mobility

NPS is advancing emerging transportation 

technologies through implementing pilot and 

demonstration projects at parks and pursuing

partnerships and information sharing. NPS 

is also considering whether any changes to 

regulations and policy are needed to address the 

impact of new transportation technologies.

E-scooters staged for use on the National Mall.

Photo source: NPS

National Mall and Memorial Parks
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NPS is also exploring other types of emerging 

mobility projects with dozens of parks. These 

projects may involve: 

• Implementing electric vehicle charging 

stations in partnership with gateway 

communities. 

• Partnering with gateway communities and 

transportation providers to establish bike 

share or scooter share opportunities. 

• Establishing designated pick-up/drop-off 

zones for ridehailing. 

• Using technology to display real-time 

parking or transit information in parks, 

online, or through mobile apps. 

These projects will allow the NPS to test out 

and learn how emerging mobility technologies 

perform in park settings. The NPS will evaluate 

any projects and develop resources for other 

interested parks to learn from these experiences.

Pilot Projects Goals

• Identify NPS sites where emerging 

mobility technologies may address 

existing challenges.

• Implement 5-10 projects at parks 

across the topics of micromobility, 

ridehailing, traveler information 

technologies, and electric vehicles.

• Collect data and evaluate lessons 

learned for all pilots.

Partnerships and 

Information Sharing Goals

• Continue to leverage expertise on 

emerging mobility from within NPS 

and DOT.

• Document and share park experiences 

with emerging mobility and facilitate 

peer learning.

• Integrate transportation information 

into NPS digital products.

For more information on the NPS Emerging Mobility Program, visit the NPS Emerging Mobility website.

https://nps.gov/subjects/transportation/emerging-mobility.htm

Yellowstone National Park

Electric automated shuttle at Yellowstone 

National Park. Photo source: NPS/Jacob W. Frank

Partnerships and Information 

Sharing

Since 2019, the NPS Emerging Mobility Working 

Group has brought together staff and subject 

matter experts from across the agency and the 

U.S. Department of Transportation to explore the 

implications of emerging mobility technologies 

for resource protection, greenhouse gas 

emissions, safety, equity, and visitor experience. 

Staff from across the NPS are also working 

together to explore ways to enhance the 

NPS smartphone app and other NPS digital 

products to integrate and provide visitors with 

trip planning and other transportation-related 

information.

In April 2022, the NPS signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding with the State of Michigan 

to work together to advance emerging mobility 

and electrification initiatives. Five NPS units in 

Michigan are participating in the partnership, 

which seeks to identify mobility challenges and 

opportunities that can be addressed through 

emerging mobility pilots in and around NPS units 

in Michigan.