CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Transformational technologies in transportation have made transportation choices more convenient and broadly available by enabling shared, on-demand mobility services. These services, ranging from micromobility options to car-based services and ridehailing platforms, have gained significant popularity and have become mainstream. Similarly, future mobility services (including the future implementation of shared AVs) expand the realm of shared mobility options by incorporating automation into various transportation modes, such as microtransit, on-demand, and taxi services.

However, these technologies have not necessarily made travel choices more accessible or inclusive for all people. Although these services offer numerous benefits, lack of access to—and exclusion from—new mobility services exacerbates the social inequities faced by historically marginalized and underserved populations, such as people with low incomes, people with disabilities, and people who live in rural areas or on tribal reservations. Failure to address the needs of these populations in transportation planning can perpetuate historical, institutional disenfranchisement.

For example, limited service availability restricts the geographic reach of new mobility options, as in the case of limited availability of services in rural and tribal areas, where transportation options are scarce, leaving these communities further marginalized. Another significant barrier is unequal access to technology, such as smartphones or internet connectivity, which hinders individuals’ ability to use these services. Low awareness among underserved populations about the existence and benefits of new mobility options further limits their uptake. Accessibility barriers, both physical and digital, create challenges for individuals with disabilities or limited mobility to fully engage with and benefit from these services. Safety and security concerns, such as unease about personal safety during rides and lack of trust in AVs, can deter individuals from embracing new mobility solutions. Affordability also remains a critical barrier, with cost considerations impacting the access and usage of these services, particularly for people with low incomes. Such barriers disproportionately impact underserved populations, exacerbating existing transportation disparities.

To ensure equity of transport systems, policies and regulatory actions should start by considering people and their needs rather than technologies and their potential benefits. Mobility by definition needs to get people where they want to go when they want to get there. Mobility inclusion is not an impact but a goal, and the role of government is to promote and facilitate the adoption of new mobility solutions that meet the needs and aspirations of all people in a community. The vehicle design and technologies used, the markets addressed, and the regulations imposed on new mobility services and technologies are all factors that may exert a strong influence over how mobility enhancements are distributed.

This playbook presents solutions for the successful implementation of transformative transportation technologies in a fair and equitable manner. Through the process of identifying goals, barriers, and strategies, the user can plan and implement a successful program that leaves no one behind.

Study Overview

The level of inclusivity of travel is determined by the ease of reaching and interacting with destinations. The level of inclusivity is higher if the service provides access to all population segments in a service coverage area. Certainly, some barriers to access and inclusivity, such as geographic availability of service, have always existed, and despite the introduction of transformational technologies, these barriers still need to be addressed. However, new barriers have been either introduced or reinforced by new mobility. These latter barriers are the ones that this playbook was created to address.

This study included several tasks leading up to the pinnacle task of creating the playbook. The following research questions guided the study:

1. To what degree and for what purposes are underserved populations using new mobility options, if at all? What factors prevent their access and use? What factors facilitate their access and use?
2. How are specific populations excluded from new mobility services? What does an individual need to have to access them?
3. Are there cities or other jurisdictions implementing new mobility services in which mobility inclusion has been a stated policy goal? What policies or regulations have facilitated this goal? What policies or regulations have hindered this goal? What metrics have been used to measure progress toward this goal?
4. In what ways has the lack of infrastructure hindered access and use of new mobility options, and in what ways will this lack hinder access and use in the future? What infrastructure-specific policies or regulatory strategies have been implemented (or attempted) to achieve mobility inclusion? What elements of a successful business model (or at least one appealing to drivers) are limiting a broader implementation?
5. What does it take for everyone to access the services/technologies? How is it different for different populations?
6. For each of the previous, how does the introduction of vehicle automation alter the impacts (positive or negative) of transformational technologies? How are these impacts different for different populations?

The following two projects were involved in the creation of the playbook:

• TCRP Project B-47, “Impact of Transformational Technologies on Underserved Populations,” in which the researchers analyzed available literature, performed a gap analysis, interviewed stakeholders, and conducted surveys and focus groups with historically underserved populations for the new mobility services considered as part of this project.
• NCHRP Project 20-102(30), “Equity Impacts of Shared AVs on Transportation Disadvantaged Communities,” which involved analysis of available literature and interviews with stakeholders, providing a more detailed examination of shared AVs as emerging mobility services.

Details on those initial tasks are presented in the appendices as follows:

• Appendix A: Literature Review. Separate literature reviews were conducted for TCRP Project B-47 and NCHRP Project 20-102(30) to answer the research questions and guide the direction and completion of all other tasks.

Table 1. Definitions of transformational technologies used in the playbook.

Underserved Populations

Significant gaps exist in people’s ability to use transformational technologies in transportation. Age, race, gender, income, ethnicity, and ableness are all factors that have historically influenced personal mobility. People may also be underserved because of geography, including rural isolation, redlining and urban renewal, and access to necessary communication and payment methods. Now, even with the emergence of new travel modes and technologies, certain population segments are still systematically excluded.

The development of this playbook focused on addressing the needs of underserved groups, with a particular emphasis on the following population segments:

• People aged 65 years or older.
• People who speak little or no English.
• People with disabilities (including hearing disabilities, ambulatory disabilities, vision disabilities, and cognitive disabilities).
• People with low incomes.
• People residing in rural areas or on tribal reservations.

According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS), of the U.S. population in 2021, 12% lived below the poverty level; 13% had one or more disabilities (4% with hearing, 7% with ambulatory, 3% with vision, and 5% with cognitive disabilities); 17% were 65 years old or older; 4% identified their ability to speak English as either not well or not at all; 17% resided in rural areas; and 2% were Indigenous (U.S. Census Bureau 2021).

Additional factors that limit underserved populations from participating in emerging mobility services include a lack of access to credit cards and the banking system. According to the 2021 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, 28.5% of households did not have a credit card. Moreover, 4.5% were unbanked, and 14.5% were underbanked, with much higher rates among marginalized communities. [Underbanked refers to households that were banked “and in the past 12 months used at least one of the following nonbank transaction or credit products or services that are disproportionately used by unbanked households to meet their transaction and credit needs: money orders, check cashing, or international remittances (i.e., nonbank transactions) or rent-to-own services or payday, pawn shop, tax refund anticipation, or auto title loans (i.e., nonbank credit)” (FDIC 2021). On the other hand, unbanked means “no one in the household had a checking or savings account at a bank or credit union (i.e., bank)” (FDIC 2021)]. For example, the study findings noted that “unbanked rates were higher among lower-income households, less-educated households, Black households, Hispanic households, working-age households with a disability, and single-mother households” (FDIC 2021).

Although this playbook focuses specifically on the five population segments listed previously, the information, tools, and strategies developed can be applied and expanded to other underserved groups, accommodating the unique needs and challenges that arise from the intersections of various social identities.

The concept of intersectionality is significant to acknowledge because it greatly expands the applicability of the playbook. According to Bauer et al. (2021), “Intersectionality is a theoretical framework wherein consideration of heterogeneity across different intersections of social positions is integral to understanding health and social experiences.” Intersectionality recognizes that individuals may simultaneously belong to multiple marginalized groups, resulting in compounded forms of discrimination and disadvantages. This concept provides a valuable framework for understanding how differences in one’s identity and their intersections with other identities can influence transportation uptake (Yuan et al. 2023).

Following are some examples of how the plays developed for the specific population segments could be adapted to meet the needs of other underserved groups.

• People of Color. While this playbook does not specifically address the unique challenges faced by communities of color, some of the strategies could be applied to these communities as well. For example, improving access to transformational technologies, enhancing safety

Playbook Scope

This playbook covers a collection of strategies—aimed to help users develop an action plan based on their needs—that address three dimensions:

• Goal. The primary goal that organizations seek to achieve in a particular underserved community.
• Service. The target transformational technology to achieve the identified goal in the underserved community.
• Population. The target underserved community for which solutions are desired to increase use of and access to the technology identified.

Goal

There are many possible approaches to expanding access to transformational technologies. It is essential to first define the goal that is the focus of the effort to solve the challenges being faced by the target audience. Multiple goals may be achieved as this effort unfolds, and the potential for leveraging this commitment should be explored for an optimum solution.

Table 2 provides the goals that are considered within this playbook, together with icons that serve as indexes, allowing readers to quickly navigate and establish a direct connection with each goal.

Table 2. Goals considered in the playbook.

Index Icon	Goal	Description
	Availability	Enhance the availability of the technology, infrastructure, and assistive services needed to operate the service.
	Access to Technology	Enhance access to technology and remove barriers for people who lack the skills or abilities to use new technologies.
	Awareness	Raise awareness of the service and its features, such as safety features.
	Accessibility	Build for universal inclusion and remove barriers that prevent interaction with or use of the service, including for people with disabilities or other special needs.
	Safety and Security	Improve safety and security measures to mitigate concerns.
	Affordability	Boost affordability of the service.

Service and Population

The service dimension of this playbook focuses on the targeted transformational technology to achieve a specific identified goal in the target underserved community, while the target population dimension focuses on the specific underserved community for which a solution is needed to provide or enhance use of or access to an identified technology (as seen in Table 3).

This playbook was specifically developed with the aforementioned population groups in mind, but it is important to recognize that the services and strategies outlined within can be expanded to accommodate other underserved communities as well. The information, tools, and strategies presented in this playbook are transferable and should be considered when addressing the needs of new services or population groups.

The flexibility and adaptability of these approaches allow for customization and tailoring to various contexts, ensuring that the playbook remains a valuable resource for a wide range of stakeholders. By applying the principles and lessons learned from this playbook, decision-makers and practitioners can effectively address the unique challenges faced by underserved populations, regardless of the specific service or demographic focus.

Table 3. Target services and populations considered in the playbook.