Recent ucits_pb items

The Long-term Impacts of the Pandemic on Ridehailing Use Could Have Negative Environmental Impacts

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ridehailing services (such as those offered by Uber and Lyft) can contribute to increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by attracting demand from more sustainable modes, encouraging additional travel, and driving while not serving passengers . Pooled ridehailing services (i.e., ridehailing services that offer discounted fares in exchange for the potential to be matched with other customers traveling to similar destinations) have been identified as a means of addressing the negative impacts of ridehailing services. However, the impact of pooled ridehailing is heavily influenced by the uptake of these services. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic substantially influenced travel mode preferences, resulting in an increased preference for individual modes (e.g., private vehicles and active modes) and a reduced preference for shared modes (e.g., public transit and ridehailing)3 . Given the disruptive impacts of the pandemic on travel mode preferences, and the negative impacts of ridehailing...

Affordable Carsharing in Urban Contexts: Lessons from Richmond’s Pilot Program

Tue, 5 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the US, access to a personal vehicle is often essential for getting to work, school, healthcare services, shopping, and other daily needs. To expand mobility options and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, several states have launched publicly supported electric vehicle (EV) carsharing pilot programs. These programs aim to provide affordable, low-carbon transportation options to households that cannot afford to own a vehicle. Míocar, a nonprofit carsharing service, has implemented successful pilots in rural and suburban communities in California’s San Joaquin Valley. In 2022, it expanded its service to the urban environment of Richmond, California by coordinating with the City of Richmond to implement a total of six carshare hubs, three of which are still operational as of 2025. Our research team studied the Richmond pilot service using member surveys, vehicle use data, and interviews with Míocar staff to understand how well the model translated to a denser urban setting and what...

How Amenities Can Improve the Business Case for Fast Charging Infrastructure

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Public direct current (DC) fast charging infrastructure is expanding across California and remains supported by public funding. Many charging stations face challenges becoming financially sustainable, and some are located in areas that lack the amenities drivers want while they wait for their vehicles to charge. As California continues to invest in charging infrastructure to support electric vehicle (EV) adoption, understanding what drivers do while at fast chargers, and whether they visit and spend money in nearby businesses, can help inform decisions about infrastructure deployment and could improve the business case for DCFC. To better understand EV drivers’ activities at DC fast chargers, we surveyed 3,350 EV drivers in California. The survey examined what drivers do while charging, what they spend money on during charging sessions and how much, which amenities they prefer to have nearby, and how they describe their overall charging experience.

Investigating Unmet and Difficult Travel in Underserved Communities in California

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Residents of disadvantaged, low-income, rural, and tribal communities—collectively referred to as underserved communities—often face transportation barriers resulting from decades of car-oriented planning. This has left lower-cost modes such as public transit, walking, and cycling unsafe or unavailable, resulting in widespread travel difficulties and unmet mobility needs that are challenging to measure. To understand how people are navigating these challenges, we surveyed 2,892 residents from underserved communities in California. Centering the experiences of people often underrepresented in travel behavior surveys, this study provides insights into the main factors linked to difficult or unmet travel, how people adapt to these challenges, and the barriers they face. Our findings provide evidence to inform the design of equitable transportation solutions that can improve mobility and access for California’s Priority Populations—groups that are State priorities for investments...

How Did Travel Change after COVID-19? Insights from Northern California Megaregion

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly changed how people live, work, and travel. These changes influenced travel habits, public transit use, and transportation funding across regions. However, these effects were not the same everywhere; some areas faced major, lasting disruptions, while others experienced smaller impacts and recovered faster. Recognizing these differences is crucial for transportation agencies and policymakers as they prepare for future uncertainties and limited resources. In a large and diverse region like the Northern California Megaregion, with about 13 million people, understanding how and why travel patterns shifted among different communities can help improve long-term planning and system resilience.

Decarbonizing Heavy-Duty Transportation Modes with Electricity, Biofuels, and Hydrogen

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Heavy-duty transportation modes including trucks, buses, and seaport and airport equipment are relatively hard to decarbonize because of their demanding performance requirements and other factors. The California Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality calls for carbon-neutral transportation across all modes by 2045, with different sectors reaching 100% zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by earlier dates, depending on the type of vehicle (see EO N-79-20). For public transit buses, the state’s Innovative Clean Transit rule requires both large and small transit agencies to cease purchasing combustion engine buses in 2029 in favor of zero-emission (ZE) technologies, with a phased approach that has already commenced. However, for trucks, achieving the transition to ZEVs is more problematic as the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule is only applicable to government fleets at present, and the Clean Truck Partnership memorandum of understanding with truck manufacturers is effectively...

From Data to Decisions: A Road Prioritization Framework for Resilience, Risk, and Fairness

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ensuring the resilience of urban road networks is essential for public safety and economic stability, especially in cities like Los Angeles that face frequent natural hazards, such as earthquakes, wildfires, and flooding. When making capital investments in such environments, it is equally important to consider fairness in both the decision-making process and its outcomes.In this research study, we developed a data-driven framework and implemented it using a web-based software tool to identify priority road segments for investment. To do this, we rated individual roads on several key attributes, including the importance of the road in the network, level of physical deterioration, and hazard risks such as steep slopes or flood-prone areas. We complemented publicly available data on roads and their attributes with fine-grained “hyperlocal” geospatial information from sensors. Finally, we considered equity by applying socioeconomic indicators of roadway users, which prioritizes roadway...

Autonomous Trucking Combined with Appropriate Policy Could Increase Job Quality, Road Safety, and Commerce

Wed, 8 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California is considering whether to lift a decade-long ban on heavy-duty autonomous vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds. This decision comes at a time when the state’s goods-movement system faces mounting pressure to improve safety, address labor shortages, remain competitive, and meet climate and economic goals. To better understand these challenges, our team synthesized existing academic research and conducted interviews with 18 experts across industry, labor, and government. A key takeaway from this analysis is that humans will play enduring roles in both traditional and emerging occupations in trucking. Policy choices can influence whether autonomous trucking brings about higher-quality jobs, more efficient commerce, and safer systems as opposed to fragmented industry oversight and job loss without retraining or re-employment.

California’s SB 375 Falls Short in Streamlining Transit-Oriented Development, But this Could be Fixed

Mon, 6 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In California and many other states, new development projects must undergo an environmental impact analysis as part of the approval process. In California, this happens through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

While CEQA is designed to ensure thoughtful consideration of environmental effects, it can also invite litigation that can delay or derail projects, even for projects that may benefit the environment, such as transit-oriented development (TOD). TOD aims to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and its associated impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), by locating housing, jobs, and amenities near high-frequency public transit. But when environmental review requirements delay or discourage TOD, the result can be to push development to less accessible areas, leading to more driving, more emissions, and fewer housing options—

undermining the very goals CEQA was meant to protect.

Customer-Oriented Open Data Can Help Make Transit More Accessible to Seniors and People with Disabilities

Mon, 6 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ensuring equitable access to transportation services is critical for supporting the mobility needs of seniors and people with disabilities. In Contra Costa County, California, these populations face significant challenges in finding and using reliable and accessible transit—on demand microtransit services such as paratransit, and other multi-passenger/pooled shuttles or vans—due to the lack of a centralized up-to-date, customer-oriented informational system. These problems are compounded by the difficulties of arranging travel to multiple locations or scheduling trips with different mobility service providers (including paratransit agencies, community-based transit programs, and volunteer drivers programs).

Transportation Network Companies Could Be a Cost Effective Alternative to Microtransit in Low-Density Communities

Mon, 6 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Many suburban and rural communities struggle to provide affordable, efficient public transit. Some have replaced underused fixed-route, fixed-schedule public transit with on-demand, door-to-door microtransit services. In some cases, microtransit has provided better service, though it’s only economical when most trips serve multiple riders. In low-demand areas, limited ride consolidation drives costs sharply upward– often exceeding $50 per rider trip. Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), like Uber and Lyft, could help fill this gap. They already provide door-to-door service with extensive driver networks and low overhead. Yet most public-private pilot programs using TNCs to supplement or replace traditional transit have failed to last beyond their initial funding periods.

Mitigating VMT from Highway Expansion Projects: Early Insights from California

Wed, 1 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires lead agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of major projects, including highway expansion projects, and to mitigate those impacts to the extent feasible. In 2013, SB 743 (Steinberg) changed how transportation impacts are evaluated by shifting the performance measure from traffic delay to vehicle miles traveled (VMT), a measure of total driving. This change reflected evidence that the metric of VMT captures the influence that transportation projects have on driving behavior and its related environmental and social impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, safety, and public health.

How have lead agencies implemented the requirement to analyze and mitigate VMT induced by highway expansion projects? To better understand how SB 743 has affected highway expansion projects in practice, we reviewed state regulation and guidance and evaluated the Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) for the six highway...

Making Workplace Charging Work: What Employees Value in Managed and Bidirectional Programs

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California’s climate goals increasingly depend on shifting electric vehicle (EV) charging to midday, when clean, low-cost solar energy is most abundant. Doing so could help utilities avoid having to curtail solar energy and prevent reliability-driven infrastructure upgrades that would raise rates for all customers. Workplace charging programs are well positioned to support this shift, as many vehicles remain parked during daylight hours. However, workplace charging presents a cost dilemma. Since home charging is typically less expensive, employees may be reluctant to use workplace chargers unless prices are heavily discounted—yet offering free or low-cost charging extends the time it takes for employers to recoup infrastructure investments.

Will California Lose Thousands of Affordable Homes Near Transit?

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California faces the loss of thousands of affordable rental units in the coming decade as affordability restrictions—known as covenants—expire. These agreements, signed between housing developers and government agencies, typically last 15 to 30 years and require that units be rented at below-market rates. When covenants expire, owners can convert units to market-rate housing, often displacing lower-income families.In Southern California alone, over 17,000 affordable units are at risk of conversion, and nearly 70% of these units are located near high-quality transit. If the owners of these properties do not enter into new covenants, these units will be placed on the open market, likely leading to the displacement of lower-income residents to the urban outskirts, resulting in longer commutes and reduced access to reliable transit. To better understand the risk of losing affordable units, we analyzed historic data on affordable housing conversion and identified key factors that influence...

Planning Light-and Heavy-Duty ZEV Infrastructure for a More Resilient Fueling Network in California

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Building a large, reliable, equitable network in a short time presents challenges of scale, reliability, and resiliency. One possible way to address these challenges is to combine light-and heavy-duty vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, given the overlap of these vehicles’ travel patterns and of the respective charging and fueling technologies used. We investigated how this strategy could support robust charging and refueling networks for projected ZEV growth. To that end, we developed a “conservative” and an “optimistic” scenario to simulate charging and hydrogen fueling station deployment across California for 2025, 2035, and 2045.

Overcoming Barriers to Transit-Oriented Development: Considering State, Regional, and Local Roles

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a strategy that promotes building housing, shops, offices, and other destinations near public transit stations. TOD is compact and walkable, supports public transit use, reduces car dependency, and can help lower greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the number of miles people drive. California has adopted many policies in recent years– at the state, regional, and local levels– to encourage TOD as part of its broader climate and housing goals. At the same time, the state faces a housing affordability crisis. In the past seven years, state lawmakers have passed more than 100 bills aimed at increasing housing production, particularly in areas near public transit.

Driving Grid Readiness: Integrating Electric Vehicles into California’s Energy System

Fri, 6 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California utilities and policymakers must ensure that the distribution grid is prepared for this new load, while maintaining reliable electricity service and keeping costs low for ratepayers. As the EV market evolves, the distribution grid must rapidly grow into a smarter, more flexible, and more agile system. With well-designed charging programs and new technologies, additional EV charging capacity holds the promise of creating downward pressure on electricity rates. Advances in technology can support this promise through greater vehicle-to-grid integration (VGI) (i.e., strategies for altering EV charging time, power level, or location of charging (or discharging) to benefit the grid), managed charging programs, and other tools to further merge EVs into California’s grid. VGI turns EVs into interactive grid resources, enabling not only new methods to manage consumer demand but also bi-directional charging (known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G)) that can enhance grid flexibility and...

Building Transit Safety Surveys that Matter: Lessons from San Francisco Muni

Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Personal safety is a critical issue for transit riders, particularly for women and gender minorities. Safety concerns can stem from experiences of sexual harassment that those who identify as women frequently face. However, most incidents go unreported, leaving transit agencies without information about the magnitude of the problem. UCLA graduate student researchers worked with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) staff to conduct and analyze a survey on their transit system (Muni) of riders’ experiences with harassment, feelings of safety, and potential policy responses. This effort collected 1,613 responses over a two-week period in February and March 2023 through a partnership with the Transit App, a downloadable service for real-time schedule and location tracking of buses and trains. Similar to previous studies, harassment was common: two-thirds of respondents experienced harassment themselves, and around the same share witnessed it. Safety perceptions...

Women Have Smaller Activity Spaces Than Men, Especially in Households with Children

Thu, 5 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Differences in how men and women travel have long been a focus in transportation research. Many studies have explored how socially-defined gender roles influence travel decisions and behaviors, consistently highlighting disparities between men’s and women’s travel patterns. For example, compared to men, women tend to make more caregiving and household-related trips, have shorter commutes, and are more likely to combine multiple destinations or purposes into a single tour. This body of research often concentrates on standard measures of travel—such as the number of trips taken, how far and for how long people travel, and travelers’ experiences— while also considering the influence of neighborhood design. However, travel patterns also are shaped by broader social structures and inequalities, which are not captured by these traditional measures

Organizing and Delivering Public Transit Service in California

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California’s large metropolitan areas, particularly greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, are each served by dozens of distinct transit operators. This fragmentation creates a disjointed experience for many riders—who face different fares, schedules, and route maps—and can create inefficiencies in service delivery. Accordingly, we reviewed international and U.S. studies of organization and coordination for insights on the most effective governance structures for public transit. Specifically, we examined whether consolidating transit agencies into larger entities or coordinating specific functions across existing agencies can improve ridership, cost-efficiency, and equity.

Zero-Emission Vehicles Are Entering the Used Market: What Does This Mean for California?

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Since most Californians don’t buy new cars, the used car market plays a vital role in broadening access to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), particularly among lower-income populations who may find new ZEVs financially out of reach. However, little is known about the used ZEV market. To address this gap, our research team analyzed used ZEV market characteristics, buyer demographics, and the patterns of vehicle transfers within the state. The aim of our research is to help policymakers understand how the used ZEV market contributes to California’s broader goals of reducing emissions and ensuring equitably access to clean transportation technologies.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Drayage Trucks Can Advance California’s Climate Goals and Provide Health Benefits for Front Line Communities

Tue, 3 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California has ambitious goals to introduce zero-emission technologies across various transportation sectors. Significant progress has been made over the past decades in deploying battery electric light-duty trucks, but heavy-duty diesel trucks are harder to “decarbonize” due to their operational demands and duty cycles, even though the benefits of replacing heavily polluting diesel trucks are significant. Front line communities where diesel vehicles operate the most, especially those near seaports and warehouses, bear the brunt of the pollution from these vehicles and stand to benefit the most from their electrification. Hydrogen fuel cell technology represents a promising approach for transitioning these trucks to zero-emission but the costs and benefits over time must be carefully considered.

Understanding Today’s Used Car Buyers Can Help Grow the Market for Used Electric Vehicles

Mon, 2 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

New car sales is the primary metric for measuring electric vehicle (EV) adoption, however, monitoring transition to EVs overall will require knowing more about what is going on in the used car market. While there is limited research on used EV buyers, examining the characteristics and vehicle costs of individuals who currently purchase used vehicles could provide some helpful insights. Our research team explored the financial impact of a household that typically purchases a used car, choosing a used EV instead. To do this, we analyzed consumer survey data that tracks households’ expenditure on vehicle purchasing and operations on a national scale to identify why households opt for new versus used vehicles and the consequent cost of vehicle ownership.

Vehicle Automation May Require New Safety Policies

Mon, 2 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Automation is ushering in a new era for motor vehicle safety. Vehicles equipped with Automated Driving Systems (ADS) are increasingly on our roadways. ADS systems typically include cameras, radar, LiDAR, artificial intelligence (AI) perception systems, data fusion, and neural network architectures. Research from UC Davis evaluated ADS-related safety policy, data collection, and human-machine interactions. The findings suggest that integrating ADS vehicles with existing infrastructure and operations will require updates to safety definitions, more robust oversight, and clearer regulatory andlegal frameworks.

What Should Agencies Measure to Decide If Microtransit Is Working?

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California state agencies, public transit agencies, and cities have invested in dozens of microtransit pilot programs, often with the stated goals of improving access, filling gaps in fixed-route public transit service, and serving communities that are difficult to reach by traditional bus or rail. As microtransit services mature, agencies increasingly face decisions about whether to expand, modify, or discontinue microtransit services—and how to allocate scarce operating funds across competing transit priorities.Despite growing investment, there is no consistent approach to measuring whether microtransit services are delivering meaningful benefits relative to their costs, or whether those benefits are equitably distributed. Without clear and well-balanced performance metrics, agencies risk drawing the wrong conclusions about success or failure.

How California cities respond to state-level parking reform

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In 2022, California became the first state to eliminate parking requirements in certain neighborhoods. Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097) prohibits, in most circumstances, local governments from imposing parking requirements within a half-mile of an existing or planned major transit stop such as a rail station, ferry terminal, or the intersection of frequent bus routes. We examined how cities are responding to this new statewide law and draw out lessons for parking policy as well as other types of state preemption of local land use regulations.

Challenges and Opportunities Facing App-Based Gig Drivers Extend Beyond Driver Pay

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Throughout the U.S., app-based gig drivers provide valuable services for courier network services (CNS) like Instacart, Uber Eats and DoorDash, and transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft. In California, gig labor classification is governed among other things by Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5), which passed in 2019, and Proposition 22 (Prop 22) adopted in 2020. AB 5 established the ABC Test for worker classification in California labor law. The ABC Test results in most app-based drivers being classified as employees, who are due full labor rights and benefits in California. However, gig drivers were exempted from the ABC Test when California voters approved Prop 22. As a result, under Prop 22, most CNS and TNC drivers in California are classified as independent contractors. Understanding the nuances of California labor law as it applies to app-based gig drivers is critical to addressing areas such as: worker flexibility, the need for high-quality jobs, and driver...

Electrifying Off-Road Equipment Remains a Heavy Lift

Wed, 7 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

California has ambitious electrification goals which include the electrification of 100% of off-road vehicles and equipment “where feasible.” While light duty vehicle electrification is progressing—25% of new car sales are now electric and the charging infrastructure is expanding—progress on electrifying off-road equipment, such as construction machinery, has been much slower. To better understand the barriers and opportunities, we conducted interviews with 16 stakeholders, including construction firms, equipment manufacturers, rental companies, public agencies, other researchers, and nonprofits. Their insights highlight the technical, economic,and social challenges facing this sector, as well as potential strategies to accelerate adoption.

Peak Pricing and Transfer Discounts Can Make Microtransit More Efficient

Wed, 7 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Microtransit offers flexible, on-demand rides that can fill gaps in public transit networks, especially for people who do not have access to a car and live in an area where fixed-route service is limited. However, operating these services is expensive. For example, LA Metro once reported a taxpayer subsidy of $43 per microtransit ride, and another California transit agency reported even higher costs. Additionally, because transit agencies offer low-cost, flat fares, demand for microtransit often exceeds service capacity during peak hours, leading to long wait times and unfulfilled trip requests.

Understanding How Caregivers Travel Can Help Strengthen Families and Inform More Equitable Transportation Policies

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In communities like California’s Antelope Valley, caregivers (especially single parents, parents of children with disabilities, and those with limited financial or social support) face significant mobility barriers. Sparse and unreliable public transit, long travel times, and the high cost of driving make it difficult to access healthcare, work, and community resources. These barriers can worsen caregiver exhaustion, distress, and social isolation and contribute to missed healthcare and family support appointments.

Balancing Noise, Energy, and Time: Designing Advanced Air Mobility Operations for Urban Integration

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As large cities face increasing urbanization and traffic congestion, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) has emerged as a potential solution to inner and inter-city transportation challenges. Leveraging recent advancements in electrification, distributed rotors, and other aviation technologies, AAM aims to provide scheduled and on-demand passenger and cargo flights as a part of multimodal transportation networks. These flights are expected to operate at higher densities, lower altitudes, and in closer proximity to urban areas than legacy transport aircraft operations of the National Airspace System (NAS).

Road Usage Charges Could Reduce Costs for Rural Drivers but Show Minimal Effect on Disadvantaged Communities

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The gasoline tax, the primary source of transportation funding in California and United States, is rapidly losing effectiveness as vehicles become more fuel efficient and as electric vehicles enter the market. To address this funding shortfall, many states are exploring alternatives to the gas tax such as a road usage charge (RUC), which charge drivers based on miles traveled rather than fuel consumed. The 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) supports this transition by funding both national and state-level RUC pilot demonstrations. Despite growing momentum, questions remain about how RUCs affect equity. Policymakers are particularly concerned about whether rural residents, who often travel longer distances, or disadvantaged communities, who already face economic and mobility barriers, would be disproportionately burdened. To better understand these impacts, my team examined how a revenue-neutral RUC in California would change the financial burden of switching...

Rethinking Transportation Assistance: LA’s Mobility Wallet Pilot Shows Promise in Securing Travel Access for Residents

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

People living on low incomes often lack affordable and reliable transportation options. These barriers limit access to essential destinations such as medical appointments, school, and jobs. In response, several U.S. cities have tested universal basic mobility wallets that provide flexible transportation funds to low-income residents. In 2023, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority launched one of the largest mobility wallet pilot programs, offering $150 per month to 1,000 participants over the course of a year on prepaid debit cards. Participants could use the monthly stipend to pay for transit, ridehailing, carsharing, car rentals, shared bicycles and scooters, and bicycle purchases.

The LA Metro Transit Ambassador Pilot Program Shows Promise in Improving Customer Experience and Safety on Transit

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transit agencies across the country are rethinking how to improve the customer service and safety experience for riders. One promising approach is the use of transit ambassadors that provide a visible, customer-focused presence at stations and on vehicles. Ambassadors help riders navigate the system; answer questions about schedules, routes, and fare payment; and help riders access assistance when needed. Los Angeles Metro launched its transit ambassador program as a pilot in 2022, initially contracting with two private firms to deploy ambassadors across its system. Within a year, the program expanded to roughly 300 ambassadors systemwide. Figure 1 illustrates LA Metro’s public safety ecosystem at the time of the program’s launch, showing how ambassadors fit alongside other unarmed and enforcement-based teams in supportingrider safety.

Free and Reduced Transit Fare Programs in California Increased After COVID-19–But Can it Last?

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Free and reduced transit fare programs can boost transit ridership and benefit low-income individuals, students, seniors, and those with disabilities though financial sustainability is typically a concern. During the COVID-19 pandemic, transit agencies across California faced dramatic ridership declines and began expanding these programs—particularly for students—as a strategy to rebuild demand. Yet, little is known about how widespread free and reduced transit fare programs have become, what impacts they are having on ridership, and how agencies are funding them. To help address these questions, we surveyed California transit agencies in 2019 and 2024 and interviewed selected agencies to better understand how these programs are working in practice.

LA County’s GoPass Program Helped Build Transit Ridership While Enhancing Student Outcomes

Tue, 9 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In fall 2021, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) launched GoPass, which gives students from kindergarten through community college (K–14) at participating schools unlimited free rides on buses and trains. LA Metro designed the program to rebuild ridership, improve transportation access for disadvantaged communities, encourage life-long transit use, and lay the groundwork for seamless electronic payment for younger riders. By winter 2023, more than 241,000 students were enrolled, generating over 1.2 million monthly boardings–making GoPass the largest fareless program for students in the U.S.

A Cross-sector Micromobility Research Roadmap

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Micromobility—including shared, loaned, and leased bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters—holds significant promise in supporting more sustainable travel. It supports first- and last-mile connections to public transit and reduces vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and associated emissions. However, the micromobility sector faces persistent challenges, and the path forward to delivering sustainable and equitable services remains unclear.To help chart that path, our research team conducted a Delphi study via two online surveys of micromobility stakeholders (N=45). Based on the findings, this brief presents a research roadmap that reflects the priorities of government, industry, and advocacy groups. It highlights where stakeholder perspectives align and where they diverge—laying the foundation for more targeted and collaborative research, policy, and practice.

Balancing Electric Vehicle Adoption with Grid Stability in California: A Time-sensitive Challenge

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California leads the nation in a shift to electric vehicles (EVs), with ambitious targets for phasing out the sale of new gas-power cars by 2035. However, this transition raises serious concerns about whether the state’s electrical grid can handle the surge in charging demand. Without careful planning, grid infrastructure limitations and the associated costly upgrades could become a major bottleneck to widespread EV adoption. To better understand this challenge, we simulated EV charging profiles (i.e., how, when, and where EVs are charged) across different types of locations across California, including homes, workplaces, and public charging stations. We then evaluated the impact on the state’s electrical distribution system. Our findings point to where and when the grid is most vulnerable—and what policies can help balance EV growth with grid stability.

The Equity Challenge: Ensuring Grid Upgrades Don’t Leave Communities Behind in California

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California’s rapid shift toward vehicle electrification will require substantial upgrades to the state’s electricity distribution grid (i.e., the part of the electric power system that delivers electricity from substations to homes, businesses, and other end users). Without proactive planning, these upgrades risk exacerbating existing inequities in access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and grid capacity. Specifically, disadvantaged communities that already struggle with higher pollution and economic hardship have lower rates of EV adoption, but are more likely to need costly grid upgrades to support charging. To better understand these equity implications, we analyzed grid capacity and charging needs across more than 5,000 distribution feeders in California. We combined real-world utility data with projections of EV adoption and charging behavior models for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.

Electric Vehicles Could Reduce Costs for Low-Income Drivers If Structural Barriers are Addressed

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are central to California’s strategy to reduce transportation-related emissions; however, low-income households face significant structural barriers to adoption. These barriers include the high upfront purchase costs of new BEVs, limited supply of used BEVs, limited access to home charging, and low awareness of BEVs. To better understand these obstacles and identify effective policy responses, our research team analyzed survey data collected from 2,051 priority population households throughout California between December 2023 and June 2024. The survey asked households about their vehicle purchasing behavior, ownership costs, and socio-demographics.

What Makes Universal Basic Mobility Programs Work?

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Many Californians face “transportation poverty”–a lack of reliable, efficient, safe, and affordable ways to get to jobs, school, shopping, and medical appointments. Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) programs aim to close this gap. One approach is providing income-qualified individuals with mobility wallets (e.g., prepaid debit cards) used to cover costs for a range of transportation services and options, such as shared mobility and transit services. The range of transportation choices available to mobility wallet participants often helps reduce reliance on personal vehicles while supporting cleaner, lower-carbon travel. To understand how these programs work in practice, we evaluated UBM pilots in four California cities– Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Oakland, and Stockton–and reviewed similar efforts across the country. Our research highlights design features, challenges, outcomes that matter most for agencies and policymakers considering this new tool for addressing transportation barriers.

Transformative Community Planning Can Advance Mobility Justice

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Top-down transportation planning practices have historically ignored the needs and concerns of low-income communities of color. Federal funding guidelines, agency objectives, regional and local planning processes, and community priorities often conflict with each other at the expense of the health, safety, and livelihood of vulnerable populations. Decades of discriminatory government policies and disinvestment have enabled gentrification, particularly in underserved neighborhoods where new transportation investments make these areas more accessible and attractive to wealthier, often white, residents, which can lead to residential and commercial displacement as public investments increase land values and rents. Mobility justice, which treats mobility as a fundamental human right and promotes a version of transportation planning that incorporates distributive, procedural, and recognition justice, offers an alternative framework.

Delivery Vans, Large Pickups, and Work Trucks Drive More, Pollute More but Remain the Least Electrified

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Medium-duty trucks in the Class 2b-3 range (8,501-14,000 lbs.) are a critical and overlooked segment in California’s vehicle market. These trucks—used as work vehicles, delivery vans, and large personal-use pickups—are disproportionately owned and used in rural and lower-income communities. While they make up a relatively small share of the overall truck fleet in California, they contribute disproportionately to fuel use and emissions due to their high annual mileage and low fuel efficiency.Electrification of these vehicles has lagged far behind both passenger cars and heavier commercial trucks. According to the California Air Resources Board’s EMFAC model, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) account for just 1.5% of Class 2b and 0.2% of Class 3 vehicles in California, compared to 6.9% of passenger vehicles. This gap reflects both technical barriers (e.g., range, payload, or towing capacity)3 and policy gaps, since many incentive and regulatory programs focus on fleet-owned, heavier...

Bridging the Procedural Equity Divide in California’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Programs

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California’s goal of transitioning all vehicles sold in the state to zero-emission models by 2035 is pivotal to addressing climate change and advancing environmental justice. However, achieving this transition equitably requires targeted efforts to address the financial and social barriers that low-income and disadvantaged communities face. As a leader in clean transportation initiatives, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has long offered several benefit programs that support residents with the transition to electric vehicles, including the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program (CVAP) and Access Clean California (ACC). CVAP, which operated from 2018-2024, provided grants and loan financing to help low-income households purchase or lease electric vehicles. ACC, launched in 2018, uses an extensive statewide community outreach network of community-based organizations (CBOs) to connect eligible residents with a range of clean transportation and energy benefits.

Switching to Zero Emission Off-Road Vehicles and Equipment Has Significant Air Quality and Environmental Justice Benefits in California

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Off-road vehicles and equipment (e.g., forklifts, tractors, dirt bikes) are a major source of air pollution in California due to their heavy reliance on diesel engines, which emit high levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and other emissions. These pollutants cause a range of health impacts, including respiratory diseases like asthma, increased cancer risk, premature death, and other ailments, and disproportionately affect low-income communities located near highways, freight hubs, ports, and industrial areas.

Resilience Hubs are a Community Resilience Strategy That Should be Better Integrated Into Los Angeles’ Public Transit System

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This research was motivated by the need to better understand how the hazard preparedness and resilience strategies of California’s public transportation system can be improved through integration with social and safety infrastructure. The study focuses on a specific type of social infrastructure called ‘Resilience Hubs’, which are community-operated and community-serving facilities that support residents in accessing resources and support during both everyday conditions and extreme events. Considering the potential of these hubs to enhance resilience and safety for historically marginalized individuals, public sectordecision makers must understand the function and impact of Resilience Hubs and ensure access to them.

Using a “Bathtub Model” to Analyze Travel Can Protect Privacy While Providing Valuable Insights

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transportation agencies increasingly rely on detailed trip data to analyze traffic patterns and plan infrastructure improvements. However, traditional data collection methods require extensive personal information about travelers’ origins, destinations, and routes, raising serious privacy concerns. Current “big data” approaches can track individual movements with alarming precision, often without explicit consent. As privacy regulations tighten and public concerns grow, transportation planners need alternative methods that balance analytical needs with privacy protection.To address this challenge, we evaluated the “bathtub model” as a privacy-preserving alternative to traditional traffic data collection methods. This simple, network-level approach treats all trips in a region as part of one system. Instead of tracking each person’s path, a bathtub model represents trips by how much distance they have left to travel. This lets us analyze network performance while protecting privacy.

The Missing Link in Automated Vehicle Safety: Projected Braking and Realistic Driving Behavior

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As more automated vehicles (AVs) gradually appear on our roads, they must be able to safely interact with human drivers as well as existing infrastructure designed with human drivers in mind. Current car-following computer models—which determine how AVs adjust their speed and position relative to other vehicles—often struggle to replicate human drivingpatterns. This deficiency could lead to unpredictable AV behavior, potentially increasing crash risks, disrupting traffic flow, and creating problems at traffic lights and intersections designed for human drivers. If AVs brake much earlier or later than humans, drivers may be caught in ‘dilemma zones’ — unable to safely stop or proceed through the intersection. To address these challenges, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of existing car-following models and developed a novel multi-phase projection-based model that ensures safety while exhibiting human-like driving characteristics. This model is called ‘projection-based’ because...

Shifting Air Travel to High-Speed Rail Could Save $300 Million in Reduced Airport Delays

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California High-Speed Rail (HSR) is a publicly funded high-speed rail system currently under construction in the state. According to the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), service on the initial 119-mile segment from Madera to Bakersfield is projected to begin in 2029. The full Phase 1 will later connect Anaheim and Los Angeles with San Francisco via the Central Valley in 2033. The ride between Los Angeles and San Francisco will cover a total distance of 380 miles and take 2 hours and 40 minutes. Caltrans’ 2021 Interregional Transportation Strategic Plan, makes HSR the state’s highest transportation priority for the San Francisco Bay Area — Los Angeles corridor. Quantifying its public benefits are difficult but include reducing traffic demands on California’s roads and airports.

Truck Parking and Idling is Having an Impact on Disadvantaged Communities in California

Thu, 2 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Under California Assembly Bill 617 (Garcia, 2017),local and state agencies are working to reduce airpollution exposure in low income communities. These communities—often referred to as AB 617 communities—are disproportionately impacted by air pollution due to their proximity to transportation corridors, industrial installations, and logistics centers. A research team at the University of California, Davis investigated the impact of truck parking related activities on air quality in California’s AB 617 communities in Kern County, including truck idling, time spent searching for parking, and parking locations in communities. Searching for parking involves trucks driving extra miles to find available parking spaces, which leads to additional fuel consumption and increased emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10). Once parked, prolonged or illegal parking can exacerbate congestion, noise, and localized pollution. These combined...

Capacity Building is Key for Accelerating Open-loop Payments Adoption Among Transit Agencies

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Open-loop payments systems allow riders to pay fares using general-purpose payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, or mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), rather than being limited to a single transit agency’s own payment system. Broad adoption of open-loop payments offers major benefits for public transit, including lower costs, greater convenience for riders, and improved operational efficiency. The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) has helped pave the way for transit agencies interested in this technology by providing resources, guidance, and hands-on support. Cal-ITP works directly with transit agencies to address known challenges and identify solutions to emerging barriers. Understanding how agencies decide whether to adopt open-loop and other technologies is key to ensuring the effectiveness of programs like Cal-ITP. To explore this, we surveyed transit agencies in California to identify the factors that influence adoption of open-loop payments.

Evaluating Equity in Transportation and Hazard Preparedness Plans: A Multi-Level Governance Approach

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Environmental justice (EJ) principles are essential for addressing inequities in transportation and hazard preparedness; however, they are often applied in a fragmented manner. Historically, urban planning in the United States has created racial and economic divisions, particularly through policies like redlining and freeway construction that displaced communities of color. These practices have systematically and disproportionately exposed marginalized groups to environmental harms. The EJ movement has advocated for addressing these disparities through equity-focused policies. However, the integration of EJ principles into plans remains incomplete, with prior studies focusing on individual plans or jurisdictions, failing to consider broader governance systems and the need for equity to bridge multiple plan types.

New Innovative Last-Mile Delivery Strategies Have Environmental and Equity Benefits, But There Can be Trade-Offs

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The advent of e-commerce has changed consumer behavior and brought about a growing last-mile delivery system. These deliveries provide consumers with access to goods and services that would otherwise require personal trips to brick-and-mortar locations or not be available. To improve the efficiency of last-mile delivery and mitigate potential effects on traffic, communities, and the environment, e-retailers are trying out a diverse set of distribution strategies. These include: (1) using light-duty vehicles such as electric vans and cargo bikes in conjunction with micro-hubs, consolidation centers, and staging areas to reduce heavy traffic and operational costs; (2) establishing collection points (e.g., parcel lockers) that allow customers to pick up their orders at convenient locations, without the need for additional delivery vehicle travel; (3) engaging independent drivers who can provide flexible and cost-effective delivery, (4) deploying autonomous delivery robots and unmanned...

Older Adults are Driving Later in Life, but Getting Out Less

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Like much of the developed world, the U.S. is aging. Between 1920 and 2020, the number of people 65 and older in the U.S. grew almost five times faster than the population as a whole. Between 2000 and 2010, the 65+ population grew from 15.1 percent of the U.S. population to 16.8 percent (to 55.8 million people) between 2010 and 2020 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Given this substantial growth, the mobility patterns of older travelers are consequential but have only been lightly studied post-pandemic. To address this gap, we analyzed data from the National Household Travel Surveys (NHTS) for 2001, 2009, 2017, and 2022 on the travel behavior of older adults in their 60s, 70s, and up compared with middle-aged and younger travelers. The NHTS contains information about trips taken by all household members on a designated survey day for a representative set of U.S. households.

High-Occupancy Toll Lanes Can Improve Driving for Everyone if Dynamically Priced

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes allow carpool vehicles to bypass congestion and save travel time. However, HOV lanes are often underutilized, leading to a waste of road capacity or the loss of travel time advantage over general purpose lanes. To address this issue, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes have gained popularity. HOT lanes, when properly priced, preserve the advantage of HOV lanes, while allowing single-occupant vehicles to pay for access, making use of spare HOT lane capacity.

Leveraging Robotaxis to Support Transit Riders in Emergencies

Tue, 9 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transportation systems are vulnerable to disruptive events. Rail transit systems are particularly vulnerable because their vehicles operate on fixed tracks, making it difficult for them to safely and efficiently bypass each other or disrupted sections of the rail network.To improve the resilience of transit systems in the future, we explored the use of shared automated vehicles (SAVs), also called robo-taxis, to pick up stranded passengers and deliver them to their homes or other drop-off locations, such as an unaffected transit stop. For example, transit agencies could have a contract with one or more SAV fleet operators that would allocate a certain number or percentage of their vehicles to provide transportation between stations in the transit network. The transit agency would pay a recurring fee (e.g., quarterly or annually) to ensure access to SAVs during a disruption. The transit agency will agree to pay the SAV fleet provider based on either (i) the number of travelers...

Traffic Collisions Change How Victims Think About Safety

Tue, 9 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Traffic safety remains a pressing concern in California. Over the past five years, the state has averaged more than 3,751 reported traffic fatalities annually, with likely more unreported. While policies and research often focus on crash prevention and severity reduction, less is known about how collisions affect individuals’ travel behavior and perceptions of road safety. To better understand these effects, we conducted interviews and focus groups with people who had direct or indirect experience with traffic collisions and near misses. We also spoke with professionals who support collision victims, such as physicians, therapists, faith leaders, and advocacy groups representatives. Discussions focused on perceptions of road safety, transportation mode choices, and travel behavior of someone involved in a traffic collision or near miss before and after the incident.

Mobiliti—A New Tool to Guide Safer, More Equitable Traffic Management Strategies

Thu, 4 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This policy brief presents a network analysis method that is accessible to local and regional transportation agencies using Mobiliti, a high-performance traffic simulator currently available for research purposes. However, we demonstrate Mobiliti’s practical applications for transportation agencies. Developed by research scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Mobiliti offers traffic assignment solutions and regional simulation capabilities, allowing for high-resolution, iterative exploration of road treatments and routing strategies. Analysts can manipulate network characteristics and vehicle behavior by adjusting parameters such as lane count, speed limit, and the percentage of vehicles, to dynamically optimize travel times. These capabilities can support transportation equity evaluations by giving network managers deeper insights into the mutual relationships between local and regional traffic dynamics and the resulting social impacts.

Are our Transit Systems Ready for Earthquakes?

Wed, 3 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Located on the tectonic boundary with multiple active faults, the San Francisco Bay Area is highly vulnerable to earthquakes. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has estimated a 72% probability of an earthquakewith a magnitude of 6.7 or greater striking the region within the next 30 years. Historical seismic events have demonstrated the profound impact earthquakes can have on transportation systems. During the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, the closure of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a critical transit route for San Francisco commuters, left nearly 400,000 commuters and approximately 245,000 vehicles daily with limitedalternative routes. In response to this and other disasters, governments and transportation agencies have actively initiated measures to reinforce critical transportation infrastructure. However, there is a lack of detailed plans for responding to, and recovering from, major earthquakes. To bridge this gap, our team carried out interviews with relevant...

Assessing the Shift to Remote and Hybrid Work in California throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wed, 3 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Beginning in 2020, many in-person activities were replaced by virtual activities as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This affected fundamental elements of transportation systems such as trip frequency, commute distance, origins, and destinations. For example, remote work and study were widely adopted among workers and students. Still, the ways that the pandemic affected individuals’ work arrangements across different phases of the pandemic and the extent to which full remote work and hybrid work induced by the pandemic might persist in the future are unclear. In addition, recent studies are not conclusive regarding theways changes in work arrangements do/will impact travel patterns and trip making.

Machine Learning Can Reveal Effectiveness of Traffic Safety Countermeasures

Wed, 3 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Emerging machine learning capabilities can be leveraged to make transportation infrastructure safer and reduce fatalities by informing decisions about which countermeasures to apply at crash-prone locations. At this time, project prioritization typically involves assessing effectiveness, cost-benefit ratios, and available funding. Crash Modification Factors (CMFs) play an essential role in project assessment by predicting the effectiveness of safety countermeasures. Their applicability has limitations, however. Some of these may be overcome with innovative approaches such as knowledge-mining.

Navigating the Road to 100% Zero-emission Vehicle Sales: Policy and Research Needs

Wed, 3 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

More than 30 countries and several states and provinces (e.g., California, British Columbia) intend to reach 100% zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by between 2025 and 2040. In 2024, 22% of global vehicle sales were plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), some large auto markets reached 10-30% in PEV sales, and some Nordic nations achieved sales of between 30% and 90%. Little research focuses specifically on challenges in reaching 100% ZEV sales. This policy brief is based on a literature review of the growing body of research on PEVs. The review focuses on understanding challenges in reaching 100% PEV sales and identifies current research questions on issues related to 100% PEV adoption.

Charging Ahead: How Incomeand Home Access Shape Electric Vehicle Adoption among Ridehailing Drivers

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transportation network companies (TNCs), also known as ridehailing, such as Uber and Lyft, have contributed to increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and associated emissions in California’s urban areas over the past decade. In response, Senate Bill (SB) 1014 – the Clean Miles Standard – requires TNCs to achieve 90% electric vehicle (EV) miles traveled and zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per passenger mile by 2030. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) oversee implementation and enforcement of these targets.

Uncovering Traffic Emissions: Converging Direct Measurements and Mobility Science

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the years of climate change mitigation effort, per capita transportation emissions are on the rise. Reducing vehicle miles traveled, congestion mitigation and increasing vehicle efficiency are three strategies to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles. Outcomes of these strategies may contradict each other considering their impacts on the road network and possible behavior changes within the transportation system. Though, models used in policy evaluations do not capture the interplay between vehicle characteristics, travel demand, and urban form. Understanding the spatial and temporal variations in vehicular emissions and the impact of each subsector requires collaboration between two seemingly separate fields: emissions modeling and urban science.

Enhancing Equity in the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Transition: Lessons from Rural California Electric Vehicle Owners

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In California, 38% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from the transport sector, and 27% of these transport emissions come from passenger vehicles. To reach carbon neutrality by 2045, as directed under Executive Order B 55 18, electrification of passenger vehicles is required. To facilitate an equitable transition to electric vehicle technologies, policymakers must account for the diverse needs and challenges faced by residents in rural communities. Rural areas often have greater travel distances and a reliance on passenger vehicles, due to a lack of alternative modes. While rural areas account for only 7% of the state’s population, California policy decisions can be far reaching and serve as guidance for other states with higher rural populations.

Shifting a Portion of Plug-In Electric Vehicle Travel Patterns Could Significantly Cut Peak Power Demand

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are among the most promising strategies for reducing transportation-related emissions and mitigating their impacts on both the environment and public health. Historically, PEV adoption has been slowed by three key barriers: range anxiety, limited charger availability, and high purchase costs. Recent advances — including improvements in battery technology, tax incentives, and subsidized charging programs — have begun to ease these challenges, leading to steadily increasing adoption rates.

Opportunities and Challenges to Using Community Steering Committees to Advance Community-Identified Strategies and Transportation Equity

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Disparities in exposure to roadway hazards (e.g., pollution, noise) remain stubbornly persistent due to structural inequalities embedded in the built environment. Research has consistently documented racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in traffic exposures nationwide, including heightened exposure to heavy-duty truck traffic, a significant source of noise and pollution. Such disparities also exist in the provision of sidewalks, bike lanes, and street trees, which can help mitigate roadway dust, noise, and pollution and can increase pedestrian safety, encourage walking and cycling, and provide health benefits.

How is Climate Change Affecting Landslide Susceptibility in California?

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Environmental shifts resulting from climate change have led to increased risk of natural hazards such as drought, wildfires, floods, and landslides, which all represent major threats to the state’s infrastructure. One particular risk is that posed by greater precipitation in areas affected by wildfires, which can lead to an increase in landslide hazard. There is little research available for predicting future landslide susceptibility. To address this gap, our research team developed a landslide susceptibility assessment framework which reflects changing climate conditions under different levels of projected greenhouse gas emissions and applied it to assess the vulnerability of California’s transportation infrastructure.

Shared Automated Vehicles Could Greatly Benefit Visually Impaired Travelers if Designed and Operated with Their Needs in Mind

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Automated vehicles (AVs) are one of the most significant technological advances in transportation. The benefits of AV technologies could be maximized by increasing vehicle occupancy through pooling and ridesharing, integrating AV use with high-capacity transit systems (e.g., using AVs to complement existing transit), and promoting multimodality (e.g., connecting travelers to public transit). Additionally, shared automated vehicles (SAVs), in which ridesharing companies (similar as today’s Uber or Lyft) offer driverless on-demand mobility services to customers, could enhance transportation access for visually impaired travelers who face unique challenges navigating current transportation systems including public transit and rideshare services. To this point, we interviewed 15 visually impaired individuals to understand their current transportation experience (e.g., what challenges they face and how they cope with these challenges); how SAVs might address their transportation needs...

What Would it Take for Driversto Adopt Eco-Driving Behaviors?

Mon, 4 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Climate change in California could greatly impact the state’s economy, nature, and public health. One strategy to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector is eco-driving. Eco-driving is a set of behaviors or driving styles that encourage fuel-efficient driving that could help minimize energy consumption anywhere from five to 30 percent. With the advance of connected-vehicle technologies, the dynamic eco-driving concept uses real-time vehicle-specific information to optimize vehicle speed and reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Evaluating Transportation Equity Data Dashboards

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The historical impacts of transportation planning and investment have adversely impacted communities of color and low-income communities. In response, state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, and local and county governments have begun to address these injustices through plans, policies, and deeper engagement with communities, though work in this area is still nascent. There are a variety of data, tools, and metrics from research and practice that measure the distributional equity of transportation planning and projects to inform equitable solutions.

New Data Platforms Can Help Fill Gaps in Understanding Truck Travel in California

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Determining where trucks are traveling is crucial for planning and maintaining transportation networks. In California, information about truck movements is primarily derived from a network of fixed monitoring stations. These include weigh-in-motion stations (truck scales) and traffic count stations. Information from these locations can be used to classify passing trucks (light, medium, or heavy-duty), determine their travel direction, and estimate their proportion of the general traffic; however, the data provides limited information about trip origins and destinations and the routes taken in between stations. Estimating truck movements within a region thus largely depends on extrapolating data between known collection points. While this can be done with relative ease in simple networks containing few alternate routes, it can be a difficult task in complex networks without significantly increasing the number of fixed monitoring stations.

California’s High-Speed Rail Yields the Greatest Accessibility Gains to the Most Vulnerable Communities

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A major criticism of California’s high-speed rail project is that it will mainly serve urban elites and that low-income people and people of color likely won’t be able to afford the fares.²Also, the project may benefit the middle-income group the least since the proposed station locations, usually in or near city centers, will probably serve high- and low-income populations better than middle-income families.²Besides these arguments, however, there are very few studies that have analyzed the equity impacts of California’s high-speed rail project. Current studies have either focused on benefits to California residents as a whole with little consideration to the specific opportunities for how high- speed rail will improve the lives of marginalized groups; or only studied the disproportionate adverse impacts received by marginalized groups.

Charging-as-a-Service is anInnovative Business Model that Could Help with California’s Vehicle Electrification Goals

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is critical to advancing California’s EV adoption goals. The California Energy Commission has projected the state needs “nearly 1.2 million” chargers by 2030 “to meet the fueling demands of 7.5 million passenger plug-in electric vehicles.” Currently, California has about 152,000 publicly available EV chargers. Innovative asset ownership models, like charging-as-a-service (CaaS), could help overcome some of the barriers to deploying and maintaining charging infrastructure. For example, CaaS providers could procure, install, maintain, and replace charging equipment for subscription customers. To better understand how CaaS solutions could expand EV use and charging access, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 CaaS companies, electric utilities, and customers to identify the perceptions, challenges, and opportunities of the CaaS business model in addressing charging station needs in California.

Bike Theft: Estimating the Magnitude and Impacts on Bicycling Behavior

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As cities invest in bicycle lanes to encourage active transportation, it may also be important to ensure safe bicycle parking and other measures of theft prevention. The magnitude of the problem is largely unknown, but it may be substantial given the ease of breaking bike locks, the potential for resale, and the challenges for law enforcement. Also, studies have shown that bike theft can deter a person from bicycling more in the future due to the difficulty replacing the bike or because they are concerned about another theft. To better understand the impact of theft on cycling behavior and assist cities to determine where and how to invest in bike infrastructure and other strategies to ensure that all Californians have access to bicycling, we conducted a survey of bicycle thefts and recoveries. The study producedsuggestions for the State’s Active Transportation Program, and other funding programs for bicycling.

Which Pandemic-Induced Changes in Work and Commuting Are Sticking, and What Does this Mean for Public Policy?

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most workers were tied to fixed locations and schedules, often necessitating long, stressful commutes that researchers have linked to reduced productivity, and lower overall well-being. During the pandemic, the need for social distancing, together with ongoing advances in communication technologies, led many firms and employees to embrace remote and hybrid work arrangements. Now, in the post-pandemic era, many employees prefer these arrangement and are resisting employers’ “return-to-office” mandates. What is the state of working from home and commuting post-pandemic? We examined this question using data from the 2022 National Household Travel Survey.

Young Adults Aren’t Leaving Home, Socializing, or Traveling as Much Post-Pandemic

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

During the COVID-19 pandemic, daily travel per person declined significantly in the U.S as activities that required leaving home were increasingly replaced by information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as smartphones, personal computers, streaming services, and social media. Trips for most purposes declined drastically in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic, and public transit use in particular plummeted. With most of the disruptions of the pandemic over by early 2022, we investigated whether the travel effects of COVID-19 have persisted, especially among young adults (defined as those between the ages 15-29). We focused on youth, as any long-term shifts in their travel behavior might persist for decades. These younger travelers are transitioning to adulthood by obtaining drivers’ licenses, joining the workforce, living independently, and so on. Youth travel may be affected differently by the pandemic than older adults as they are more likely to substitute...

How Are Low-Income Older Adults Traveling, and What arriers Do They Face? A Case Study from San Diego

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sixteen percent of adults aged 62 and over in California live in poverty. Older adults also make up a large share of the state’s homeless population, primarily because low-incomeseniors on fixed incomes are being priced out of housing. These trends are especially concerning as California’s population continues to age. Understanding how housing affordability and access to transportation affect older adults is vital to supporting healthy aging. Our research team surveyed the transportation needs and behaviors of 89 senior affordable housing residents at six sites in San Diego County. These sites varied by county region, public transit proximity, and neighborhood density. Of these respondents, 54 had experienced homelessness and 16 managed chronic health conditions; nearly all were considered very or extremely low-income based on area median income. We focused on travel for social events and errands since almost none of the respondents worked or attended school.

Americans are Spending More Time at Home and Traveling Less Post-Pandemic

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an ongoing trend of Americans spending more time at home and less time engaged in activities away from home. This shift in travel behavior has significant implications for cities, transportation systems, economics, and even mental health. To better understand this trend, we examined how people in the U.S. spend their time pre-pandemic, mid-pandemic, and post-pandemic using data from the American Time Use Survey, with a focus on work, leisure, and travel behavior.

New Insights from Satellite Data Show the Impact Trucks are Having on Communities in Southern California

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The rapid growth in freight transportation, particularly heavy-duty trucks, poses significant environmental and public health challenges for communities near major ports and freeways. In areas such as those near the Port of Los Angeles and the I-710 corridor, communities are exposed to elevated levels of air pollution, noise pollution, and associated health risks. Traditional traffic data collection methods primarily concentrate on gathering traffic volume data for freeway segments or smaller areas, often overlooking heavy-duty vehicles across roadway networks and in local communities. To better understand the environmental impact and spatial distribution of heavy-duty truck traffic, we employed a deep learning approach to analyze satellite imagery and publicly accessible spatial data. This approach allowed us to identify and categorize heavy-duty trucks and shipping containers along critical freight routes and analyze impacts on adjacentcommunities.

Fares Alone Will Not Sustain the Long-Term Operations of Electric Vehicle Carsharing Programs in Underserved Communities

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Access to affordable and reliable transportation options is a significant issue in low-income, rural, and otherwise underserved communities across the United States. Carsharing is one promising option for households that are unable to afford a personal vehicle or have unreliable or insufficient access to a personal vehicle. California has developed multiple grant programs funding shared mobility start-ups (such as carsharing) in underserved communities. This funding is particularly beneficial in areas where private, for-profit carshare companies won’t or can’t operate.

A Review of Reduced and Free Transit Fare Programs in California

Wed, 5 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Free or reduced-fare transit passes have the potential to increase transit ridership, enhance the mobility of underserved groups (e.g., low-income, seniors, and youth), and reduce the environmental footprint of transportation. Under the right conditions, these programs can also help reduce traffic congestion and motor vehicle use. Transit agencies in different parts of the world have been experimenting with free or reduced-fare transit for decades, yet there are still substantial concerns about the impacts of free or reduced-fare transit on ridership as well as on the fiscal health of transit agencies. Some of these concernslinger partly because rigorous academic studies on free and reduced-fare transit passes are still rare.

Student Access to Community College Relies Heavily on Private Vehicle Use

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California’s 116 community colleges, attended by 1.9 million students, serves the largest and most diverse student body in California higher education. Transportation plays an important role in student community college access and retention, but the cost and accessibility can create a barrier to success. Community college students spend more on transportation than their counterparts at both public and private four-year institutions, largely due to the lack of on-campus or nearby affordable housing. The absence of high-quality public transit forces students to commute by private vehicle and manage the associated costs of gas, maintenance, and parking. However, these transportation challenges for community college students are frequently overlooked. To better understand the mobility challenges students face accessing community colleges and provide potential policy strategies to overcome these challenges, we interviewed local transportation agencies, community college administrators,...

Local Government Strategies to Improve Shared Micromobility Infrastructure

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Shared micromobility (bikesharing and scooter sharing) experienced market growth since 2021, rebounding from the pandemic across markets in the US, Mexico, and Canada. In partnership with the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) and Toole Design, researchers at the Transportation Sustainability Research Center (TSRC) at UC Berkeley have collaborated on the data collection and analysis of the shared micromobility industry metrics through a series of annual reports beginning in 2019. This includes a series of operator and agency surveys.1 Most recently, TSRC researchers collaborated on an Operator Survey (n=29) and an Agency Survey (n=52), distributed between January 2023 and June 2023, of all known shared micromobility operators and agencies as part of the 2022 state-of-the-industry report. Similar surveys were deployed in January 2022 and May 2022. These surveys include questions about shared micromobility systems2 operating within those agency jurisdictions...

A Detailed Look at How the Pandemic Changed Travel Patterns Across Regions in Northern California Megaregion

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Many studies have focused on the shifts in travel patterns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and how travel demand continues to evolve in the post-pandemic era. Key metrics such as trip volume–the total number of trips within a specific area–help explain the pandemic’s impact on travel demand over time. However, to fully understand changes in travel behaviors, it is also important to analyze where trips start and end—otherwise known as Origin-Destination (OD) demand.To better understand OD demand during and after the pandemic, our research team developed a data-driven methodology to analyze travel patterns across different regions, times of day, days of the week (weekday and weekend), and trip purpose. This study used passively collected location-based data from the StreetLight Data platform (StreetLight Data, 2022) in the form of weekly OD matrices of all vehicle modes, segmented by various relevant variables. We focused on the Northern California Megaregion, which includes 21...

Battery Electric Trucks Are Well-Suited for Regional Haul Operations and Offer Significant Environmental and Health Benefits to Communities

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Heavy-duty diesel trucks contribute significantly to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in regions with high freight activity, such as Southern California. In communities near freight hubs, this has resulted in severe public health challenges. California is leading efforts to address these emissions, with regulations requiring zero-emission trucks by 2045. Battery electric trucks (BETs) are a promising solution, but they have primarily been deployed in limited use cases like drayage operations. As BET technology improves, understanding their real-world performance in regional haul applications is critical to expanding their adoption. Regional haul applications differ from other trucking operations in that they typically involve medium-distance routes, often under 150 miles, with trucks returning to a home base daily for charging. While regional haul does not account for the majority of truck miles in California, it represents a significant and growing segment...

Road Expansion is a Fundamental Cause of Growth in Vehicle Travel

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California is unlikely to meet its climate goals if it doesn’t reduce vehicle travel. So far, however, state and local efforts to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) have fallen short of expectations, even as cities grow more compact and public transit funding has increased. To better understand the role of highway expansion in meeting California’s climate goals, we analyzed whether a simple model that only considers road capacity and population growth can predict VMT as well as traditional transportation models. We also looked at the share of recent VMT growth that has been caused by expanded road capacity, and the reductions in VMT from transit and other projects funded by California’s climate investments.

Debt Burden from Automobile Loans Exacerbates Racial Inequality in California’s Communities

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Automobiles can greatly enhance access to employment and other opportunities. However, many households do not have the resources to purchase a vehicle outright and must rely on automobile loans. This increases the total cost of owning a vehicle, particularly for non-white consumers who may have to pay higher purchase prices and/or higher interest rates due to discriminatory lending practices. The effects of high household debt—of which automobile loans are one component—are magnified in lower income neighborhoods, leaving residents with fewer resources to invest in the local economy. Our team used the University of California Consumer Credit Panel, a dataset from Experian, which tracks every loan and borrower in California, to examine how and why automobile loan debt varies from place to place in the state and its consequences. We specifically tested whether total automobile debt, debt burden (the ratio of automobile debt to income), and automobile loan delinquencies in 2021 disproportionately...

How Cooperation Between Connected Automated Vehicles and Smart Infrastructure Can Improve Traffic Safety Situational Awareness

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Escalating trends in pedestrian and cyclist fatalities points to a pressing need to improve traffic safety, especially for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and scooters. A key challenge in enhancing intersection safety is the lack of accurate, detailed, and real-time data that captures the complexities of these dynamic and uncertain environment. If intersections themselves could "see" the diverse array of vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and scooters, each with unique movement patterns and safety needs, this could vastly improve safety. Making intersections "smart" by equipping them with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology that can capture a detailed and real-time 3D environment could facilitate the accurate detection of vehicles and other road users, to better control signal timing and assist future connected vehicles (CVs) and/or connected automated vehicles (CAVs) in driving safely.

Automobile Debt Increased Substantially during the Pandemic

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Most car buyers use some form of financing to purchase a vehicle, and almost half of all California borrowers carry some amount of automobile debt. While automobile loans enable lower-income households—who might otherwise be priced out of vehicle ownership—to make payments over time, this debt can significantly strain household budgets. The COVID-19 pandemic elevated the importance of owning a private vehicle as concerns over viral person-to-person transmission made traveling by car an even more attractive compared to communal transportation (e.g., public transit). Moreover, a host of pandemic-related services, including testing and vaccination, were either only or best accessible by car. To better understand how COVID-19 impacted car ownership, we explored whether automobile loans (and in turn debt) in California—particularly in communities of color where workers were more likely to work outside of the home—increased during the pandemic. We drew on a one-percent sample of the...

Homelessness in Transit Environments: Survey Findings

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Shelter is a basic human need. Yet more than half a million individuals experience homelessness every single night in the U.S. In the last decade, homeless counts have risen in many U.S. metropolitan areas, despite efforts and funding to address the issue. The limited capacity of shelters and other social service agencies to meet the needs of a rapidly growing homeless population has forced many individuals experiencing homelessness to look for shelter in various public spaces. Without other options, many turn to transit vehicles, bus stops, and transit stations. Many also use transit to reach destinations such as workplaces, shelters, and community service centers. With affordable housing scarce in some metropolitan areas and the scale of the homelessness crisis often surpassing the capacities of existing safety nets, transit operators face the crisis in their work. They must implement policy measures from realms beyond transportation to address them.

What are the Public Health and Environmental Implications of Drayage Truck Electrification Targets in California?

Wed, 5 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

To better understand the implications of transitioning drayage trucks to zero-emission, we analyzed the health impacts and GHG freeway emissions from diesel-powered drayage trucks and the benefits of replacing them with zero-emission trucks, accounting for current and expected air quality regulations. Our study area stretched between the San Pedro Bay and the Inland Empire, home to large warehouse complexes. We focused on two years: 2012 (when pre-2007 drayage trucks were phased out in the Clean Air Action Plan), and 2035 (the deadline in Executive Order N-79-20). Our analyses incorporated projections of the size and composition of the vehicle fleets from data collected by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), estimates of future emission factors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that account for projected technology improvements, and projected increases in cargo demand at the ports in 2035 compared to 2012.

How Did Transit Service Adjustments During the Pandemic Impact Job Accessibility in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Wed, 5 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Our study examined geographic and temporal patterns in service adjustments and evaluated their job accessibility impacts for three major San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies between 2020 and 2023: the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI). This retrospective analysis can help transit agencies develop equitable service strategies in the event of future disruptions.

What Matters Most to Drayage Companies When Considering a Zero-Emission Truck: Insights from Small and Large Fleet Operators

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Drayage trucks (i.e., heavy-duty trucks that move containers and bulk freight between ports and rail facilities, distribution centers, and other nearby locations) are a critical part of port operations, however, they also adversely affect air quality. In California, drayage fleets are facing strict regulatory pressure under the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulations. Starting in January 2024, all newly registered drayage trucks in the CARB Online System must be zeroemission vehicles (ZEVs), so either a battery electric truck (BET) or hydrogen fuel cell electric truck (HFCET). By 2035, every drayage truck operating in California must be zeroemission.

The Costs and Gains of Raising Truck Speed Limits

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Highway speed limits are increasing across the United States. There is also a national trend toward uniform speed limits, within states, for both passenger vehicles and trucks. California is one of only seven remaining states that sets different speed limits, with lower speed limits for trucks than passenger vehicles. While higher speed limits provide operational benefits by shortening travel times and fostering economic benefits—especially for the trucking and logistics industries—they can also increase the likelihood and severity of crashes since higher vehicle speeds require longer stopping distances and generate more energy during a collision.

Acquiring and Operating an Electric Vehicle is Largely Out of Reach for Most Ridehailing Drivers

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Transportation network companies (TNCs) have played an increasingly prominent role providing on-demand mobility for consumers across California. The California Public UtilitiesCommission (CPUC) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have adopted and are implementing SB 1014 (Clean Miles Standard), which establishes an annual increase in the percent of zero-emission passenger miles traveled and greenhouse (GHG) emission reduction targets for TNCs. This regulation requires TNC drivers to acquire and operate an electric vehicle (EV).

Affordable Housing Residents in San Diego County Are Generally Satisfied With Transit Service, but There is Room for Improvement

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The State of California has increasingly considered the housing and environmental crises together by encouraging affordable housing development in transit rich areas. As such, municipalities are encouraging the creation of affordable housing near transit lines and metropolitan planning organizations are being called on to preserve transit-accessible affordable housing at the regional level. While much effort has gone into advocating for affordable housing in transit rich areas, research has yet to evaluate the experience of low-income residents at such sites. In turn, we surveyed 192 residents at six affordable housing sites geographically spread throughout San Diego County to understand their transportation experiences. All the developments were 100 percent affordable, contained at least 50 units, and provided both multifamily and senior housing.

Robo-Taxis Are Likely to Increase Job Accessibility, Especially Among Low-Income Households

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

After years of research and development, companies are now operating fully driverless shared-use automated vehicle-enabled mobility services (SAMS) or “robo-taxis“ in Arizona and California. SAMS offer several potential benefits to travelers and society including reducing vehicle ownership, parking demand, congestion, crashes, energy consumption, and emissions, as well as increasing roadway capacity, mobility, and accessibility. Moreover, previous research by our team found that SAMS can provide significant job accessibility benefits to workers in California. To better understand the equity implications of the job accessibility benefits from SAMS, we analyzed the distribution of SAMS benefits across different segments of the population (e.g., low- vs. high-income, young vs. old).

Navigating the Shift: Critical Insights of California Fleet Operators into Zero-Emission Technologies

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California is committed to transitioning heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) from diesel to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) like battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) by 2045, and in certain cases much sooner. Achieving this goal requires substantial efforts from various sectors, including vehicle manufacturers, infrastructure developers, and governments. It is particularly important to understand the perspectives of HDV fleet operators, as their viewpoints and willingness to adopt ZEVs will be critical to California’s success in this transition. To better understand the perspective of fleet operators, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 California HDV fleet operators, across various sectors and fleet sizes, on the viability of zero-emission fuels and vehicles over the next 10 to 20 years and the main motivators for, and barriers to, procuring ZEVs.

Who Benefits the Most from California’s High-Speed Rail Project?

Thu, 9 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The California High-Speed Rail (HSR) project stands to significantly change transportation across the state, but questions remain about who will benefit most from this massive infrastructure investment. While previous analyses have focused on the aggregate economic benefits of HSR in California, we provide a more nuanced understanding of these benefits for communities across California using a spatial economic model previously developed by members of our team. This model captures the direct potential travel benefits of the HSR project (such as quicker and sometimes cheaper transportation) for commuters, business travelers, and leisure travelers. It also captures wider economic benefits such as higher wages and land values stemming from greater concentration of employment in more productive areas. We examine how these benefits would be distributed across California regions and socioeconomic and income groups. By understanding the potential disparities in the impact of the HSR project,...