Research

  • Jamey Volker and Bailey Affolter -- Streamlining the CEQA Process in Transit Rich Areas (Current)
    Exploring the use and effect of the two CEQA streamlining provisions in SB 375 for TOD projects.
    https://www.ucits.org/research-project/rimi-4n/  
    Also shared at the 2024 transit research symposium with a link to the presentation: https://ucdavis.app.box.com/file/1512959965857 
     
  • Bailey Affolter, Kari E Watkins, and Susie Pike -- Youth Cruz Free: Bus Ridership Behavior Among Santa Cruz County Teens (Current)
    Exploring the effects of Santa Cruz County’s pilot program to provide free rides on the Santa Cruz Metro for anyone under the age of 18.
    https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/youth-cruz-free-bus-ridership-behavior-among-santa-cruz-county-teens  
     
  • Marcus Chan  and Kari E Watkins-- Transit Ridership Prediction for Student-Centric Communities: A Case Study of Unitrans and UC Davis (Current)
    ​​​​​​Investigate the unique challenges faced by transit agencies serving college settings, where most riders are students with distinct travel patterns.t)
    ​​​​​​https://transitresearch.ucdavis.edu/transit-ridership-prediction-student-centric-communities-case-study-unitrans-and-uc-davis  
    ​​​​​​
  • Kevin Hernandez Rios, Jamey Volker, Susan Handy, Keuntae Kim  -- Exploring Induced Travel Effects from Other Projects (Current)
    ​​​​​​Investigate the induced travel effects of categories of roadway expansions not currently covered by the California Induced Travel Calculator (Calculator) maintained by the National Center for Sustainable Transportation.
    https://transitresearch.ucdavis.edu/exploring-induced-travel-effects-other-projects  
    ​​​​​​
  • Maha Ahmad, Kari E Watkins, and Susie Pike -- Changing Markets for Commuter and Suburban Rail (Current)
    ​​​​​​Investigate how rail markets have changed over the past several years and understand the barriers to potential ridership.
    https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/changing-markets-commuter-and-suburban-rail   
     
  • Kevin Hernandez Rios, Susie Pike, Jamey Volker  -- As Highway Capacity Increases, Does Quality of Life Decrease? (Current)
    Understand the relationship between highway capacity expansions and how air quality may be impacted by increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT) within and around the project boundaries.
    https://transitresearch.ucdavis.edu/highway-capacity-increases-does-quality-life-decrease    
    ​​​​​​ 
  • Jackson Mills  -- Regional-Local Coordination of Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Strategies (Current)
    This project focused on how localities have responded to Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies (RTP/SCS) put out by MPOs.
    https://transitresearch.ucdavis.edu/regional-local-coordination-land-use-housing-and-transportation-strategies          
     
  •  Matthew Liu, Susie Pike, and Kari Edison Watkins -- Designing Microtransit Services to Complement Public Transit (Current)
    ​​​​​​Investigating the personna of individuals that use microtransit as well as look into different models that impact various outcomes such as passenger service quality, service equity, and overall costs.
    https://www.ucits.org/research-project/2024-13-4r/
    This project builds off of this completed project: Is Microtransit a Scalable Complement to Traditional Public Transit? Best Practices for Network Design, Operations, and Partnership
     
  •  Yan Xing and Susie Pike (PI) -- Exploring Microtransit Adoption and Impacts on Transportation Access of Underserved Populations (Current)
    ​​​​​​Exploring the barriers to and facilitators of adoption of microtransit for underserved people in the Sacramento Area of California and how to gain access to these services.
    https://www.ucits.org/research-project/2019-08/
    This project builds off of this completed project: Exploring the Consumer Market and Environmental Impacts of Microtransit Services in Sacramento and Citrus Heights, California
     
  • Angela Sanguinetti (PI) -- Designing Vehicles for Pooled and Shared Travel in the Wake of the Pandemic (Complete 2021)
    This research developed a COVID-19 Risk-mitigating Vehicle Design (RVD) typology to summarize and analyze the wide variety of emerging vehicle design strategies to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission among workers and passengers in shared and pooled vehicles. Public transit and shared mobility service operators can use the RVD typology as a reference and guide to aid decision-making. The typology also serves as a launching point for further innovation and research to evaluate the relative effectiveness of RVD strategies and their relationship to user acceptance. This research is vital to informing service operators’ investments in RVD strategies, and ultimately to support a return to safe, equitable, and sustainable shared and pooled travel in the wake of the pandemic. 
    https://www.ucits.org/research-project/2020-06/ 
     
  • Susie Pike (Co-PI) -- Cal-ITP and the Un/Underbanked (Complete 2021)
    Understanding what it will take to enable un and underbanked populations to participate in and benefit from a statewide integrated payments for transit throughout California? 
    https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/payment-integration-californias-transit-and-mobility-services
     
  • Susie Pike (Co-PI) -- Exploring the Microtransit Market in Sacramento (Complete 2021)
    Evaluating the use of SmaRT Ride microtransit in the Sacramento area, with a focus on consumer preferences, and understanding the factors influencing the use of SmaRT Ride. Role: Co-PI https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/exploring-consumer-market-and-environmental-impacts-microtransit-services
     
  • Susie Pike (PI) -- Ride-hail and Transit Partnerships (Complete 2020)
    Exploring the factors that lead to formation of partnerships between ride-hail services and transit agencies; and the barriers that prevent these partnerships and programs from launching. 
    https://ncst.ucdavis.edu/project/exploring-microtransit-adoption-and-impacts-transportation-access-underserved-populations
     
  • Susie Pike (PI) -- Davis Amtrak Station Shared Use Mobility Pilot (Complete 2018)
    Inform the implementation of, and evaluate the use of the Davis Amtrak shared use mobility programs. In partnership with Lyft and Carzac, these programs will allow passengers an alternative to driving, and amidst parking shortages, enable more use of the Capitol Corridor. This study evaluates what will make this program most successful.
    https://www.metrans.org/research/davis-amtrak-station-pilot-project-evaluation-informing-long-term-solutions-to-the-davis-amtrak-station-access-barriers
      
  • Hossain Mohiuddin -- Iowa City Automated Vehicle Adaptation and Equity Plan:
    Assessing trends in Iowa City’s mobility systems to identify the existing challenges, explore the impacts related to Automated Vehicles (AV), and inform the City’s sustainable development. Based on literature review, data analysis, and public engagement in the form of interviews with key stakeholders and a public open house, this project recommends a redesign of the future Iowa City Transit system as a trunk and feeder system that utilizes neighborhood door-to-door AV shuttles that feed dedicated trunk lines moving a high volume of passengers across the City. It also recommends implementation of an AV shuttle pilot in the downtown area to allow residents an opportunity to explore AV technology.
     
  • Elham Pourrahmani -- A Framework for Evaluating the First Mile Transit Access Program
    Developing a novel simulation and optimization framework to investigate the potential of the first-mile transit access program using shared mobility services for a case study in the San Francisco Bay Area. Preliminary results show significant mileage and cost reductions. However, increases in travel delay by almost all the trips seem to be a serious operational issue for encouraging demand to this mode. We explore various solutions to this problem.
     
  • Jesus Barajas (Co-PI) -- Construction of Pedestrian Infrastructure Along Transit Corridors:
    Exploring the challenges and opportunities for pedestrian access to transit and to generate corresponding policy recommendations for Pace Suburban Bus and other transportation partners in northeastern Illinois. 
     
  • Hossain Mohiuddin -- Iowa City Automated Vehicle Adaptation and Equity Plan:
    Assessing trends in Iowa City’s mobility systems to identify the existing challenges, explore the impacts related to Automated Vehicles (AV), and inform the City’s sustainable development. Based on literature review, data analysis, and public engagement in the form of interviews with key stakeholders and a public open house, this project recommends a redesign of the future Iowa City Transit system as a trunk and feeder system that utilizes neighborhood door-to-door AV shuttles that feed dedicated trunk lines moving a high volume of passengers across the City. 
     
  • Hossain Mohiuddin -- First and Last Mile Transit Plan Review: 
    Developing a framework with an emphasis on transportation equity to examine the first and last mile (FLM) plans that various transit agencies have adopted. We identified five common approaches to addressing the FLM issue: spatial gap analysis with a focus on socio-demographics and locational characteristics, incorporation of emerging mobility services, innovative funding approaches for plan implementation, equity and transportation remedies for marginalized communities, and development of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructures surrounding transit stations. The findings of this study were presented in the 100th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board and also published in a special issue of the Journal of Sustainability. 
     
  • Jesus Barajas (Co-PI) -- Understanding the Declining Ridership in Downstate Illinois Transit Systems: 
    Analyzing declining ridership by conducting household surveys and focus groups in the service areas of eight downstate transit agencies, which cover seven geographic regions in Illinois. This study will address four primary research questions:
    1. What are the characteristics of non-riders and lapsed riders, and how do these compare with those of current transit users?
    2. What are the key barriers to transit use among non-riders and lapsed riders?
    3. How are emerging and evolving transportation technologies influencing transit ridership?
    4. What types of strategies might encourage more frequent transit use? 
       
  • Elham Pourrahmani -- Exploring the Consumer Market and Environmental Impacts of Microtransit Services in Sacramento and Citrus Heights:
    Investigating the consumer market of microtransit, and its impact on alternative modes, the environment, and its role in the COVID-19 pandemic. By carrying out interviews and focus groups with representatives of the transit agency, this study will accurately evaluate the competitiveness of microtransit in the market in terms of cost and efficiency. The results will help transportation planners better understand the level of demand for such a service and its social and environmental impacts, thereby making well-informed decisions to encourage this new business model in the future.