This week’s Covid-19 Taskforce micro webinar is hosted by Covid-19 Taskforce Chair, Sandra Phillips, shared mobility architect and CEO of movmi. She speaks with Clarrissa Cabansagan, New Mobility Policy Director at TransForm.

They discuss some of the issues faced my shared mobility operators, that have become apparent, during the last few months of the pandemic. Things that need to change at a systemic level for transportation to be inclusive for all members of the community, during any given situation, in particular, our essential workers.

You can directly ask the taskforce anything related to Covid-19 and seek advice on managing your own operation by sending an email to taskforce@movmi.net

covid-19 taskforce: Building Better Shared Mobility Models with Sandra Phillips and Clarrissa Cabansagan

In this MICRO WEBINAR:

• They discuss the inequality of transportation during Covid-19. The majority of affluent people who have the resources to drive their own private vehicle, also have the ability to work from home in most cases. 
• Essential workers are continuing to ride transit because that’s what is getting them to work, but there clearly has been a massive drop in transit and shared mobility ridership over the last few months.
• This is a time to recognize that we need redundancies in our transit systems. This is not to say that scooter,s for example, are a replacement for a seat on the bus, but it is our bike-share systems and micro mobility that really help us in times like this.
• If someone can learn how to get on a bike share bike or on a scooter when the bus is not running, they can opt into those modes and have access to low-income discounts on those modes then.
• Bikes and scooters are a win when it comes to climate pollution, over that person hopping in the car. The challenge for shared mobility is ‘how do we make them more affordable to people who otherwise would not be able to use them?’ ‘How do we, in perpetuity give essential workers who are probably the lowest paid among us, free access to shared mobility?’
• We have severely underfunded transit systems, very expensive shared mobility options and even more expensive car options and none of those are really good unless you live within access to good transit.
• Pay per trip is not a good model. How do we come up with a better model that makes shared mobility and transit more attractive than this car? TransForm are creating mobility hubs at affordable housing complexes with CARB, the California Air Resources Board, and testing out at what level of incentive does someone choose these options more than what they’re currently using.

If you have a direct question for the taskforce related to Covid-19 or wish to seek advice on managing your own operation, send an email with your question to taskforce@movmi.net