The Capital Region Planning Commission (CRPC) is a Council of Governments that coordinates and collaboratively addresses regional issues related to transportation. One of the programs offered through CRPC is a travel demand management (TDM) program that is designed to ease congestion throughout the Capital Region using alternative modes of transportation such as vanpool and microtransit. Through CRPC’s TDM efforts, it was discovered that there is a need for alternative transportation options in the Capital Region. As a result, the CRPC is conducting a planning study to determine the viability and potential for microtransit and vanpool in the region.
Vanpooling is an element of the transit system that allows groups of people to share the ride like a carpool, but on a larger scale with concurrent savings in fuel and vehicle operating costs and thus usually a lower cost to the rider. Vanpools have a lower operating and capital cost than most transit vehicles in the United States, but due to their relatively low capacity, vanpools often require subsidies comparable to conventional bus service.
Microtransit is a form of bus demand responsive transportvehicle for hire. This transit service offers a highly flexible routing and/or highly flexible scheduling of minibus vehicles shared with other passengers. Microtransit providers build routes ad-hoc exclusively to match only each demand (trip) and supply (driven vehicle) and to extend the efficiency and accessibility of the transit service. Possible pick-up/drop-off stops are restricted within a microtransit zone, and transit can be provided as a stop-to-stop service or a curb-to-curb service.
Vanpool and microtransit programs provide an alternative to single occupant commuting to and from Baton Rouge and the surrounding communities. The creation of such programs will assist the CRPC in meeting trip reduction expectations inherent in a local TDM program. For the purposes of this analysis, CRPC is concerned with applying the vanpool and microtransit programs to the immediate Capital Region, defined as the five parishes of East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, and Livingston.
Goals and Objectives
In conducting the microtransit and vanpool study, goals and objectives were developed to help guide CRPC staff through plan development. The goals and objectives are listed below:
Conduct research on already existing microtransit and vanpool programs with similarities to the Capital Region.
Improve and expand transportation choices within the Capital Region
Support the improvement of transit safety and security for all transit providers in the region
Identify microtransit zones and vanpool locations through public outreach and demand analysis.
Identify sources of funding and funding strategies for implementation of microtransit and vanpool service.
Develop an implementation strategy that includes marketing and public engagement strategies.
Identify locations that would be most beneficial for microtransit and vanpool services using analysis and surveys conducted.
