A future in which multimodal connections between transit and shared-use are seamless is a future in which physical connections between transit networks and the places people travel are also seamless.  

Carshare, ridesource, and bikeshare systems rely on a certain level of dense urban development to function. Ridesource companies do serve sprawling suburbs but they usually charge more for the service, as the lower density of potential riders reduces the incentive for drivers to operate in the area. As cities and transit agencies cooperate on building transit-friendly streets, investments in infrastructure that integrates shared-use options with traditional transit would diversify travel choices. Major transportation hubs such as train stations, airports, and bus terminals are ideal places to start. Cities and transit agencies can quickly demonstrate the ease of multimodal connections by moving bikeshare stations onto transit agency property, reserving nearby on- or off-street parking spaces for carshare vehicles, and clearly marking the presence of shared-use options through legible wayfinding.  

Several pioneering cities have begun to break down the institutional barriers between transportation and land-use planning by building street infrastructure that prioritizes transit. Some of the fixes are quite minor: exclusive bus lanes, signal priority at important intersections, queue-jump lanes that allow buses to move ahead of parallel traffic at an intersection, and bulb-outs that reduce the need for buses to move out of traffic to collect passengers. These innovations are becoming more common, but are not nearly as widespread as they need to be.  

In addition to these immediate actions, there is also a longer-term need to improve the way privately-owned land adjacent to transit is used in American cities. Cities can reform zoning codes to promote development near transit and eliminate rules that require developers to construct unnecessary parking. They could reward developers for building and accommodating shared-use infrastructure, such as bikeshare docks and parking spaces reserved for carshare vehicles, into new commercial and residential developments, as means of reducing costly publicly subsidized private car ownership. Just as environmental advocates have called for carbon-neutral construction, cities could require new developments to be VMT-neutral through mitigation strategies such as limiting parking and free transit passes for tenants.

Cities must regulate all shared-use options in a consistent way to ensure public health and safety whether they are bikeshare companies, rideshare providers, taxis, or so-called “Transportation Network Companies.” By examining current taxi and for-hire vehicle regulatory regimes, cities can determine what purpose--and who--existing regulations are serving.  

While Uber and Lyft have been successful at providing the same services as taxis, they’ve done so without the strict regulations under which taxis operate. The growth in supply of shared-use options and their competitive pricing models has provided a public benefit by increasing access to these services.   Regulate to prioritize the public interest, consumer and worker safety and protection foremost. As long as these protections are in place, regulations will not stand in the way of market competition and entrepreneurial innovation. Such a regulatory stance creates an atmosphere in which providers can introduce new services to consumers who may or may not choose to use them.   

Regulations that must be applied consistently include pricing transparency, minimum licensing and insurance requirements, consistent rules regarding driver background checks, data reporting requirements, accessibility for people with disabilities, and vehicle inspection requirements. Rather than maintaining tight barriers to entry on conventional taxi services while allowing rapid proliferation of app-enabled for-hire vehicles, these types of services are essentially the same and should be treated accordingly.  

With the dramatic growth of for-hire vehicles, cities also must ensure that their streets are being used in the most efficient way possible by establishing reasonable fees on for-hire vehicles that articulate a transportation vision. These fees must fund efficient uses of streets that incentivize transit, bikeshare, high-occupancy vehicles, biking, and walking.