Riding First Class: Impacts of Silicon Valley Shuttles on Commute & Residential Location Choice

Employer-provided private shuttles have become a prominent part of the San Francisco Bay Area transportation network. As the Bay Area plans for transportation investments to meet sustainability goals and accommodate future growth, an understanding of the role of these shuttles becomes increasingly important. This study investigates the impacts of regional tech shuttles on commute mode and residential location choice by conducting a travel time comparison and survey of shuttle riders. The authors find that the provision of shuttles and knowledge of stops influences both commute mode and residential location choice. Shuttles are an attractive option due to their time and cost savings compared to other modes. However, shuttles exacerbate the jobs-housing imbalance by enabling individuals to live farther from work. The extent to which location of shuttle stops influences residential location choice varies from person to person, though the vast majority of respondents live within a short walk from the nearest shuttle stop. Policies should strive towards improved sustainability within existing land use patterns, as well as better long-term regional transportation and land use planning.

  • Supplemental Notes:
    • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE50 Transportation Demand Management. Alternate title: Riding First Class: Impacts of Silicon Valley Tech Shuttles on Regional Mobility, Commute Mode, and Residential Location Choice.
  • Corporate Authors:

    Transportation Research Board

    500 Fifth Street, NW
    Washington, DC  United States  20001
  • Authors:
    • Dai, Danielle
    • Weinzimmer, David
  • Conference:
  • Date: 2015

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Digital/other
  • Features: Maps; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: 18p
  • Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01551145
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: 15-1692
  • Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Jan 27 2015 11:21AM