Hamish Campbell, Country Manager at Via On-Demand Transit presented the seminar “How on-demand transit partnerships are transforming mobility for cities and transit agencies” on January 31, 2020.
Campbell’s seminar focused on the efficiency of on-demand transit and how it increases the last-mile connectivity of public transit, as well as efficiencies delivered in other use cases.
Campbell discussed the evolution of on-demand transit and its future scope. He showed videos of successfully executed Via-on-demand projects across the globe, such as
- BVG, Berlin
- COOEE Bus Service, Sydney
- FilBlue, France
He presented different scenarios where on-demand services played significant role in solving the existing transit issues.
- Transit Deserts: On-demand services can be used in areas with limited transit, especially areas with high car dependency.
- First-Mile, Last-Mile: On-demand services connects riders to the nearest transit hubs.
- Route-Optimization: Via optimizes underperforming routes and increases ride-sharing.
- Corporate Shuttles: Provision of on-demand shuttles for private institutions solves parking and congestion issues.
- Paratransit: A mode of transit with flexible routes and choices.
The answer is pooling
The seminar’s concluding note was “The answer is pooling” which Campbell explained will:
- reduce congestion
- increase social equity
- reduce climate change
- cut infrastructure costs.
Many thanks to Hamish Campbell for giving permission to share his presentation file PDF: Hamish Campbell – How on demand transit partnerships are transforming mobility for cities and transit agencies
Hamish Campbell answers audience questions following his UT-ITE seminar, January 31, 2020
Abstract
Many transit agencies and cities are now looking at partnerships with technology providers as a potential solution for areas, times and markets when fixed-route transit is less feasible given density, connectivity, or other considerations. This presentation will explore what on-demand transit is, when and why it makes sense and case studies of partnerships that have deployed on-demand transit in partnership with transportation network companies to meet various needs within their communities.
Hamish Campbell is Country Manager for Canada at Via On-Demand Transit where he oversees partnership development. Before joining Via, Hamish spent 15 years in the public sector in Ontario. Hamish is the recipient of awards from both Mass Transit magazine and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, Honours Planning from the University of Waterloo and is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) in Ontario.
This seminar was presented by the University of Toronto Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Student Chapter.