Integrating Micromobility with Public Transit: A Case Study of the California Bay Area

Micromobility is well-suited to address first- and last-mile connectivity with public transit by extending the catchment area around transit stations and bridging gaps in the existing transit network, ultimately facilitating access to jobs and services. However, the uptake of micromobility depends on a variety of factors including environmental design features at and around public transit stations that support or inhibit access. This research covered environmental audits at 18 BART stations to count arrivals, departures, and parked personal and shared micromobility vehicles, an online survey of BART and micromobility users, and interviews with government, industry, and community stakeholders. This research showed that in the California Bay Area, the prevalence of personal micromobility currently dwarfs rates of shared micromobility use, and that includes a burgeoning segment of transit users connecting with their own e-bikes and e-scooters. Successes and challenges were highlighted, and recommendations made for station design, including greater availability of shared micromobility vehicles, more affordable secure parking for personal micromobility vehicles, better signage and wayfinding. Beyond the station proper, there is a need for protected bike lanes and consistent design standards for bike facilities throughout the region. View the NCST Project Webpage