United States Department of Transportation
i
An Evaluation of the Valley Metro–Waymo Automated Vehicle RideChoice Mobility on Demand Demonstration, Final Report
-
2021-08-01
-
[PDF-11.30 MB]
Details:
-
Creators:
-
Corporate Creators:
-
Corporate Contributors:
-
Subject/TRT Terms:
-
Publication/ Report Number:
-
DOI:
-
Resource Type:
-
Geographical Coverage:
-
Corporate Publisher:
-
Abstract:In 2016, the Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (Valley Metro) of the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area was awarded a grant as part of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox program. Through the grant, Valley Metro and Waymo partnered to pilot the use of Waymo autonomous vehicles (AVs) as certified vehicles for Valley Metro’s RideChoice program, a subsidized curb-to-curb individual mobility service (via taxi or ride-hailing services) for paratransit-certified people under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and for older adults age 65 and over living in Greater Phoenix. The project engaged current RideChoice participants and catered to their mobility needs. Three surveys were conducted on a self-selected group of RideChoice users from the part of the region where the Waymo service was offered. In addition, two focus groups and a policymaker roundtable were held. Key findings were that participants felt safe, found the AV services more convenient than typical RideChoice options, and engaged in more out-of-home activities (i.e., made new trips) as a result of the AV option. Participants indicated a willingness to ride alone in AVs and to ride with family or friends. Riding with strangers in an AV mobility future was the least desirable option. Their ratings of wait time, travel time, convenience, and comfort of the AV option were in all cases higher than for traditional options available through RideChoice. A majority of participants expressed positive feelings about the introduction of AVs, both for RideChoice services and more generally on the roads. Their expectation was that AVs would increase safety on the roads. Planners and policymakers who participated in the focus groups felt there was a need to explore more use cases within the region and were keen to see additional pilot projects.
-
Format:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
Download URL:
-
File Type:
