Leveraging Robotaxis to Support Transit Riders in Emergencies

Transportation systems are vulnerable to disruptive events. Rail transit systems are particularly vulnerable because their vehicles operate on fixed tracks, making it difficult for them to safely and efficiently bypass each other or disrupted sections of the rail network.To improve the resilience of transit systems in the future, we explored the use of shared automated vehicles (SAVs), also called robo-taxis, to pick up stranded passengers and deliver them to their homes or other drop-off locations, such as an unaffected transit stop. For example, transit agencies could have a contract with one or more SAV fleet operators that would allocate a certain number or percentage of their vehicles to provide transportation between stations in the transit network. The transit agency would pay a recurring fee (e.g., quarterly or annually) to ensure access to SAVs during a disruption. The transit agency will agree to pay the SAV fleet provider based on either (i) the number of travelers served during a disruption, or (ii) the cumulative vehicle-hours the SAVs provide exclusive service to transit riders.