Shared Mobility: Current Practices and Guiding Principles
APPENDIX B: Glossary
Alternative Transit Services: Alternative transit services is a broad category that encompasses shuttles (shared vehicles that connect passengers to transit or employment centers), paratransit, and private sector transit solutions commonly referred to as microtransit. Microtransit can include fixed route or flexible route services as well as offering fixed schedules or on-demand service. In its most agile form (flexible routing, scheduling, or both), microtransit and paratransit can be bundled under the category known as flexible transit services.
Bikesharing: Users access bicycles on an as-needed basis for one-way (point-to-point) or roundtrip use. Station-based bikesharing kiosks are typically unattended, concentrated in urban settings, and offer one-way station-based access (bicycles can be returned to any kiosk). Free-floating bikesharing offers users the ability to check-out a bicycle and return it to any location within a predefined geographic region. Bikesharing provides a variety of pickup and drop-off locations. The majority of bikesharing operators cover the costs of bicycle maintenance, storage, and parking. Generally, trips of less than 30 minutes are included within the membership fees. Users join the bikesharing organization on an annual, monthly, daily, or per-trip basis.
Carpooling: A formal or informal arrangement where commuters share a vehicle for trips from either a common origin, destination, or both, reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
Car Rental: A non-membership-based service or company that rents cars or light trucks typically by the day or week. Traditional rental car services include storefronts requiring an in-person transaction with a rental car attendant. However, rental cars may also employ "virtual storefronts," allowing unattended vehicle access similar to carsharing.
Carsharing: A program where individuals have temporary access to a vehicle without the costs and responsibilities of ownership. Individuals typically access vehicles by joining an organization that maintains a fleet of cars and light trucks deployed in lots located within neighborhoods, public transit stations, employment centers, and colleges/universities. Typically, the carsharing operator provides insurance, gasoline, parking, and maintenance. Generally, participants pay a fee each time they use a vehicle.
Closed-Campus Bikesharing: Closed-campus bikesharing systems are increasingly being deployed at university and office campuses. These closed-campus systems are available only to the particular campus community they serve.
Courier Network Services (CNS): CNS provide for-hire delivery services for monetary compensation using an online application or platform (such as a website or smartphone app) to connect delivery drivers using a personal transportation mode with a package/item or food delivery requests. These services can also be used to pair package delivery with passenger trips, where for hire-drivers can deliver both passengers and packages, either together or in separate trips.
E-Hail Apps: Smartphone apps that connect licensed taxi or pedicab drivers with passengers.
High-Tech Company Shuttles: Employer-sponsored shuttles that ferry employees between suburban workplace and public transit stations.
Fixed Route and Fixed Schedule Microtransit: Fixed route and fixed schedule microtransit occurs where the routing and arrival/departure times of the shared vehicles are fixed. The alignment of routes, however, can be "crowdsourced" (i.e., users can request origin-destination points on a tech-enabled platform that can inform the operators of which routes to introduce). This type of microtransit most closely mirrors public transit.
Flexible Route and On-Demand Schedule Microtransit: Users can request shared vans or buses real time through a tech-enabled application, and the vehicle will deviate from its route to somewhere within walking distance of the requester. These services can range in how dynamic they are—from routes that change over the span of a few days to fully dynamic routes that adjust in real time based on traffic and demand.
Flexible Transit Services: Flexible transit services include dial-a-ride and shuttle services (also known as paratransit) to supplement fixed-route bus and rail services. Flexible transit services include one or more of the following characteristics: 1) route deviation (vehicles can deviate within a zone to serve demand-responsive requests); 2) point deviation (vehicles providing demand-responsive service serve a limited number of stops without a fixed route between spots); 3) demand-responsive connections (vehicles operate in a demand-responsive geographic zone with one or more fixed-route connections); 4) request stops (passengers can request unscheduled stops along a predefined route); 5) flexible-route segments (demand-responsive service is available within segments of a fixed-route); and 6) zone route (vehicles operate in a demand-responsive mode along a route corridor with departure and arrival times at one or more end points).
Fractional Ownership: Carsharing where multiple individuals sublease or subscribe to a vehicle owned by a third party.
Hybrid Peer-to-Peer (P2P): Individuals access vehicles or low-speed modes by joining an organization that maintains its own fleet, but it also includes private autos or low-speed modes. Expenditures, such as insurance, are typically provided by the organization during the access period for both carsharing and P2P vehicles. Members access vehicles or other low-speed modes through a direct key or combination transfer from the owner or through operator-installed technology enabling "unattended access."
Limousines and Liveries: A limousine or luxury sedan offering pre-arranged transportation services driven by a for-hire driver or chauffeur.
Microtransit: A privately owned and operated shared transportation system that can offer fixed routes and schedules, as well as flexible routes and on-demand scheduling. The vehicles generally include vans and buses.
One-Way Carsharing: A form of carsharing that enables members to pick up a vehicle at one location and drop it off at another. This is also called a point-to-point carsharing service. One-way carsharing can be station-based or free floating.
Paired On-Demand Passenger Ride and Courier Services: A CNS model in which package/item and food delivery trips can be conducted by for-hire ride services (e.g., ridesourcing or pedicabs) either in single purpose or mixed-purpose trips.
Pedicabs: A pedicab is a bicycle for-hire service with a peddler that transports passengers on a cycle containing three or more wheels with a passenger compartment.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Access Model: Employs privately-owned vehicles or low-speed modes made temporarily available for shared use by an individual or members of a P2P company. Expenditures, such as insurance, are generally provided by the P2P organization during the access period. In exchange for providing the service, operators keep a portion of the usage fee. Members can access vehicles or low-speed mode through a direct key or combination transfer from the owner or through operator-installed technology that enables "unattended access."
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Carsharing: This model employs privately-owned vehicles or low-speed modes made temporarily available for shared use by an individual or members of a P2P carsharing company. Expenditures, such as insurance, are generally provided by the P2P organization during the access period. In exchange for providing the service, operators keep a portion of the usage fee. Members can access the automobiles or low-speed modes through a direct key or combination transfer from the owner through the operator-installed technology that enables "unattended access."
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Marketplace: P2P marketplace enables direct exchanges between individuals via the Internet. Terms are generally decided among parties of a transaction and disputes are subject to private resolution.
Personal Vehicle Sharing (PVS): The sharing of privately-owned vehicles where companies broker transactions among car owners and renters by providing the organizational resources needed to make the exchange possible (i.e., online platform, customer support, driver and motor vehicle safety certification, auto insurance, and technology).
Public Transportation: Any mass transportation vehicle that charges set fares, operates on fixed routes, and is available to the public. Common public transportation systems include buses, subways, ferries, light and heavy rail, and high speed rail.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Bikesharing: P2P bikesharing is a system where users can rent out their private bikes to others. Spinlister (previously known as Liquid) is one P2P bicycle sharing system in North America. Another company, Bitlock, sells keyless Bluetooth bicycle locks that can be used for personal use or for P2P sharing.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Delivery Services: A CNS where anyone who signs up can us their private vehicle or bike to conduct a delivery.
Transportation Network Company (TNC)/Ridesourcing: Ridesourcing services (also known as transportation network companies (TNCs) or ride-hailing) provide prearranged and on-demand transportation services for compensation, which connect drivers of personal vehicles with passengers. Smartphone mobile applications are used for booking, ratings (for both drivers and passengers), and electronic payment. There are a variety of vehicle types that can be offered by these services including: sedans, sports utility vehicles, vehicles with car seats, wheelchair accessible vehicles, and vehicles where the driver can assist older or disabled passengers.
Ride-Hailing: Another term for ridesourcing services, as defined above.
Ridesplitting: A form of ridesourcing where riders with similar origins and destinations are matched to the same ridesourcing driver and vehicle in real time, and the ride and costs are split among users.
Roundtrip Carsharing: Carsharing that allows members hourly access to shared vehicles that must be returned to the same location from where they were picked up. Depending on the operator, users can choose from a variety of vehicles including: sedans, vans, sports utility vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and all-electric vehicles.
Scooter Sharing: Users gain the benefits of a private scooter without the costs and responsibilities of ownership. Individuals typically access scooters by joining an organization that maintains a fleet of scooters at various locations. Typically, the scooter operator provides gasoline, parking, and maintenance. Generally, participants pay a fee each time they use a scooter. They can be roundtrip, one-way, or both.
Slugging: A term used to describe informal or casual carpooling among strangers, which has often been described as a hybrid between commuter carpooling and hitchhiking. With slugging, passengers generally line up in "slug lines" and are picked up by unfamiliar drivers who are commonly motivated to pick up passengers to take advantage of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, lower tolls, and similar benefits.
Taxis: A type of for-hire vehicle service with a driver used by a single or multiple passengers. Taxi services may be either pre-arranged or on-demand. Taxis can be reserved or dispatched through street hailing, a phone operator, or an "e-Hail" Internet or phone application maintained either by the taxi company or a third-party provider.
Vanpooling: Consists of seven to 15 passengers who share the cost of the van and operating expenses and may share the responsibility of driving.
