Evaluating Transit Use in the Post-Pandemic Era
This project will evaluate the reasons that public transit riders return (or do not return) to transit in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has decimated public transit use across the US. As automobile travel has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, transit ridership has remained substantially reduced. This project uses a survey that follows up with current and former transit users that were surveyed in Fall 2020 about their transit use. The follow up survey and analysis will evaluate factors that contribute to a return to transit with an emphasis on policy-relevant insights. The results of this work will be useful for transit agencies and policy makers seeking to plan for and expand future transit use in the post-pandemic era.
Principal Investigator: Parsa Pezeshknejad
Project Sponsor: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
The Future of Rural Transit: Combining and Electrifying School and Public Transportation
The project team will research and design a pilot to purchase and deploy small electric buses to serve 1-2 of Vermont’s rural school systems and their surrounding communities. The project will also include a detailed study to assess the opportunities and barriers of combining services: evaluating right-sizing vehicles, optimal service routes, and fleet sizes, all while drawing from fleet electrification experiences in Vermont and other states.
Project Team: Peggy O'Neill-Vivanco, Cara Robecheck, Justine Sears, and Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur
Project Sponsors: Energy Action Network and Vermont Agency of Transportation
Covid-19 Pandemic Impacts on Essential Transit Riders
The Covid-19 pandemic decimated public transit service across the United States and caused significant decreases in ridership. Using a national survey of U.S. transit riders, this study examines changes in transit use since the pandemic began, the reasons for transit reductions, and the effects of reduced transit use and transit service on transit riders’ ability to meet their travel needs. We find that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing transportation burdens for those who lack other options, highlighting the need to focus transit system investments on operations and lifeline service as we recover from the pandemic.
Principal Investigator: Dana Rowangould
Evaluating Equity and Effectiveness in Vermont's Electric Vehicle Purchase Incentive Programs
This project aims to inform the design of EV incentive programs, particularly in smaller and rural communities that have not been the focus of prior investigation and where the market penetration of EVs has been lower. The project will also contribute to a greater understanding of how incentive programs can be designed to improve program effectiveness and equity for lower income and rural households.
Principal Investigators: Parker King and Gregory Rowangould
Project Sponsor: National Center for Sustainable Transportation
Effectiveness of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) at Mid-Block Crosswalks
Mid-block crossings represent an opportunity to improve pedestrian travel, but require a better understanding of their effects on pedestrian safety and the behavior of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. The purpose of this research is to evaluate how effective RRFBs are relative to traditional mid-block crosswalks.
Principal Investigators: James Sullivan and Dana Rowangould
Project Sponsor: Vermont Agency of Transportation
Related Reports and Publications: Rowangould, D., J. Sullivan, and P. Pezeshknejad. (2023) Effectiveness of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) in Small and Rural Communities. Prepared by the University of Vermont Transportation Research Center for the Vermont Agency of Transportation.