The State of Transit: Ridership Trends, Operational Challenges, and Technology Opportunities
A Warren Distinguished Lecture with
Alireza Khani
Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering,
University of Minnesota
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified two critical challenges for American public transit: declining ridership and bus driver shortages. Since 2012, major transit agencies have experienced a steady decline in ridership, particularly on bus routes and during off-peak hours, which puts transit agencies at risk of financial instability. This trend stems from factors such as inadequate services that create first/last-mile access issues, the convenience of driving, and the perceived high cost of transit. To address these challenges, agencies can either expand frequent and reliable services such as light rail or bus rapid transit, or leverage new transportation technologies to improve accessibility, reliability, and operational efficiency.
In this seminar, Khani presents a comprehensive analysis of transit ridership trends to better understand the needs of transit users. He then introduces analytical tools for the design and evaluation of new technology solutions. He will present a range of strategic, tactical, and operational models for transitioning to battery-electric buses and will introduce control algorithms for autonomous mobility-on-demand (AMoD) services to close the last-mile access gap. The discussion will also explore other innovations, such as using Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) to address the information gap and freight-on-scheduled-bus (FoBS) to boost financial sustainability and reduce urban congestion. He will conclude with policy recommendations to support the adoption of these technologies.
Speaker
Dr. Alireza Khani is an Associate Professor of Transportation Systems in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering (CEGE) and holds an affiliated appointment in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. His research focuses on modeling and optimizing multimodal transportation systems and integrating emerging technologies such as shared mobility and electric vehicles to enhance accessibility, reliability, sustainability, and equity. His research is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Federal Transit Administration, and federal, state, and local transportation agencies across the US. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Texas at Austin before joining the University of Minnesota in 2015.
