As mobility on-demand (MOD) services become more widespread, many of the conversations about MOD have focused on the technologies, software and mobile apps. However, the operators behind the wheel of MOD vehicles play a critical role ensuring that public transit service is available and responsive to the needs of local communities. Yet despite being key pieces of a successful MOD project, drivers’ perspectives are often underrepresented in the planning conversations about MOD services.
Because of this, the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) wants to find new ways to capture and elevate drivers’ voices. Through this process, we hope to learn more about driver experience interacting with new mobility technologies, communication between drivers, planners, and operations teams, changes in the provision of public transit services when supported by on-demand technologies, interactions with riders, and how new technologies impact working conditions.
Below, please find interviews and profiles for some of the drivers that make MOD services work.