Webinar: First/Last Mile Supportive Policies & Plans, 2017

Webinar Overview

They say the last mile is often the hardest.  Whether it’s a subway, light rail, bus rapid transit, or a basic bus line, public mass transit remains the most efficient way to move large numbers of people through most parts of a city. However, it is not feasible to extend transit service to everyone’s doorstep or even within walking distance, making it difficult for many people to get to and from existing transit infrastructure, a gap commonly referred to as the first or last mile. With that in mind, many cities are increasingly turning to shared modes such as bikesharing, carsharing, ride-hailing and microtransit to help to fill service gaps and extend the reach of existing public transit systems.

The Shared-Use Mobility Center recently explored these topics on a webinar about building first/last mile connections.  The webinar included presentations from SUMC Executive Director Sharon Feigon along with guest speakers who covered a range of topics, from using bikeshare as a first/last mile solution in Houston to one-way carshare in Oakland and the role that TNCs can play in helping to support transit.

The webinar presentations are available in two parts:

Part 1:   “How to Use Shared Mobility to Build First/Last Mile Connections” features Sharon Feigon’s presentation, which included an overview of shared mobility as well as a review of SUMC’s Shared Mobility Toolkit. It also includes a presentation from Lisa Lin (City of Houston) about first/last mile needs as they relate to Houston’s bikeshare program, and Sara Barz (Metropolitan Transportation Commission) discussed one-way carsharing in Oakland.

Part 2:  “Lyft Public Transit Partnerships” includes the presentation from Emily Castor, Lyft’s Director of Transportation Policy.

• View the Webinar Recording with Audio (please note there is a 90 second delay before webinar begins)