Studying Volunteer Driver Programs to Inform Transportation Planning for Autonomous Vehicles in Rural Areas
Studying Volunteer Driver Programs to Inform Transportation Planning for Autonomous Vehicles in Rural Areas

Author: David K. Copp

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13:

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Rural areas and non-driving older adults are a target location and clientele for Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), yet there is a lack of information regarding the operational environments, demand for service, and the physical needs of the older adults with respect to AV operation in rural areas. Car-based Volunteer Driver Programs (VDPs) in New Brunswick already serve a rural, primarily older adult membership; therefore a study of aspects of these programs could provide insight into the necessary considerations for AV adoption. Surveys from 37 VDP volunteer drivers in New Brunswick identified tasks beyond driving provided to clients (of any age) on their most recent drive, as well the purpose for each stop during the drives. Origin and destinations from one year’s worth of one VDP’s travel data were used to assess the roadway-operating environment. Finally, a stated choice experiment was developed that could be used to better understand the mode choices of rural older adults. Clients depended on additional services for the majority (68%) of reported stops. The road classification estimated to have the highest percentage of travel (41% of kilometres) was “divided multi-lane” highways, though “collector” and “local” highways accounted for 40% of kilometres. These results suggest that if AVs were deployed, they would only be useful in situations where tasks could be automated and would need to be effective in several different road classification environments, which may require changes to roadway maintenance practices (e.g. line painting). Future work includes: better understanding of the individual needs of the users by age, as well as to finalize and deploy the stated choice experiment.

Understanding the Operational Attributes of Volunteer Driver Programs to Support Incorporation Into Transportation Planning
Understanding the Operational Attributes of Volunteer Driver Programs to Support Incorporation Into Transportation Planning

Author: Matthieu Goudreau

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Volunteer Driver Programs (VDP) have been identified as a potential solution to the lack of available alternatives in rural communities by providing a low-cost transportation system where volunteers offer to drive community members (Hanson 2013). This study collected annual travel data and organisational attributes from 8 VDPs operating in New Brunswick.The organizational analysis of VDPs, using a developed Maturity Model, showed a connection between levels of maturity for particular processes and certain group size. Some Key Practices show to be transitional in nature as groups transition from Small to in Large size, while others did not show consensus suggesting that the surveyed VDPs have yet to determine the optimal level of management that they warrant.The descriptive statistics show that 7 groups served 5,769 drives in a year moving 8,367 riders a total distance over 350,000 kilometres. The primary purpose of these trips was for “Health” purposes with a second large portion being for “Work and Education”. There was a strong positive linear correlation (R2=0.82) between number of riders and overall budget, suggesting that even though groups were independently organized and can operate in different geographic areas, the rate of budget increase per increase in number of riders appears to be fairly constant.These results are aimed to assist VDP operators in managing their organisational practices and service records using a methodology similar to transit agencies, while providing resources for transportation planners to assess VDP implementation as a tool for meeting rural transportation needs.

Introduction to Senior Transportation
Introduction to Senior Transportation

Author: Helen K. Kerschner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-01-31

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 1317282426

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Introduction to Senior Transportation focuses on an issue that is a growing concern—the community mobility needs of older adults. Surpassing the coverage available in existing gerontology textbooks, it enables the reader to understand and appreciate the challenges faced by older adults as they make the transition from driving to using transportation options (many of which were not designed to meet their particular needs). It considers the physical and cognitive limitations of older adult passengers, the family of transportation services, the challenges providers face in meeting the assistance and support needs of senior passengers, and the transportation methods that do and do not currently meet the needs and wants of senior passengers. This textbook addresses the educational and professional development needs of faculty, students, and practitioners working in the fields of aging, aging services, and transportation. The book has been class-tested and features innovative, practical learning tools that appeal to students and practitioners. It complements any introductory course in gerontology, human development and aging, or human factors, and will enhance the curriculum of programs in the social behavioral sciences as well as traffic safety, transit engineering, and community planning.

Exploring Agent-based Modelling for Car-based Volunteer Driver Program Planning
Exploring Agent-based Modelling for Car-based Volunteer Driver Program Planning

Author: Romaine Edward Hugh Morrison

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Volunteer Driver Programs (VDPs) utilize the service of volunteers to replicate car-based on-demand door-to-door services in rural areas, but little is understood about how external factors (e.g., changes in demand) impact VDP sustainability. Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) simulates operational behaviour of individual agents (e.g., drivers, users) to evaluate their interaction under specified scenarios, and while it has been used in transportation research, has never been applied to VDP analysis. Net logo was used to develop a simplified VDP ABM, calibrated and validated with one year of program data from the New Brunswick Volunteer Driving Database. Two model scenarios were tested: increased health trip distance and increased service area. Doubling health trip distance resulted in 46% fewer drives, 20% mileage reduction and 30% less driver utilization. Doubling of service area resulted in 47% fewer drives while keeping mileage and driver utilization virtually the same. ABM demonstrated intuitive results and established connection among changing operational scenarios.