Transportation Network Companies and Taxis: The Case of Seattle is a modern economic case history and thorough analysis of the devastating impact of the transportation network company (TNC) industry (Uber and Lyft) on the taxicab industry in Seattle, Washington, beginning in 2014. The events that transpired and lessons learned are applicable to most large cities in North America, Europe and Australia. As the regulator of the taxicab and TNC industries in Seattle during this period, the author offers a unique insider perspective. The book also provides internal operating statistics on the TNC industry, which are available here for the first time. Despite the spectacular growth of the TNC industry, growth rates have steadily declined and may fall to zero by 2019 or 2020, while the taxicab industry appears to have begun a modest recovery. This book offers a thorough explanation of how and why this decline has happened. It explains the taxicab industry, economic deregulation, competitive market failure, market disruption, price elasticity of demand and other concepts. There is also a wealth of data, computations and analysis for the specialized reader. This book considers the past, present and future of the taxicab and TNC industries in Seattle, It is recommended for both the general reader and industry professionals.

Transportation Network Companies and Taxis: The Case of Seattle is a modern economic case history and thorough analysis of the devastating impact of the transportation network company (TNC) industry (Uber and Lyft) on the taxicab industry in Seattle, Washington, beginning in 2014. The events that transpired and lessons learned are applicable to most large cities in North America, Europe and Australia. As the regulator of the taxicab and TNC industries in Seattle during this period, the author offers a unique insider perspective. The book also provides internal operating statistics on the TNC industry, which are available here for the first time. Despite the spectacular growth of the TNC industry, growth rates have steadily declined and may fall to zero by 2019 or 2020, while the taxicab industry appears to have begun a modest recovery. This book offers a thorough explanation of how and why this decline has happened. It explains the taxicab industry, economic deregulation, competitive market failure, market disruption, price elasticity of demand and other concepts. There is also a wealth of data, computations and analysis for the specialized reader. This book considers the past, present and future of the taxicab and TNC industries in Seattle, It is recommended for both the general reader and industry professionals.

"TRB Special Report 319 analyzes the ways that innovative transportation services--including ridesharing, carsharing, bikesharing, and microtransit--are changing mobility for millions of travelers. Such services could reduce congestion and emissions from surface transportation if regulated wisely to encourage concurrent, instead of sequential, ridesharing. Rapidly growing transportation network companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft, however, are disrupting conventional taxi and limousine services and are raising policy challenges related to personal security and public safety, insurance requirements, employment and labor issues, and accessibility and equity. The committee's report offers guidance to state and local officials responsible for policy setting and regulation of for-hire transportation services in each of these areas. The report also addresses the need for greater consistency in regulations across jurisdictions and calls for TNCs to share more information about the volume, the frequency, and the types of trips they are providing, to allow for informed regulation and planning of transportation services"--provided by publisher.

The vehicle for hire (VFH) market – broadly comprising taxis, limousines, and app-based transport – has faced multiple and significant changes over the years, with the period since 2010 a time of major upheaval. This book documents the development of the market over time, examining its regulation and control structures, exploring its history, trends, and market theories, and discussing how these are both promoted and challenged by the changes affecting the sector. This book reviews recent developments in the VFH industry, from the influx of new market entrants and the emergence of app-based services to their widespread use, comparing international markets and their regulation, and draws on a series of case studies in key locations in North America, Europe, and Asia. It establishes and details economic, market, social, and political theory affecting the VFH industry and devotes its second half to the definition and emergence of transport typologies and markets in which the sector has a role (or potential role). The book concludes, from a neutral standpoint, on the balance between market participants, addressing the immediate future facing the industry, including the impacts of Covid and other external factors. It considers the short- and long-term effects of market change, the role played by regulators, and the market conditions imposed upon them. Written for industry practitioners – both suppliers and regulators – as well as the academic community, this book will inform the community and prompt further analysis of a significant and growing field in transportation.

Front Cover -- About Island Press -- Subscribe -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Will the Transportation Revolutions Improve Our Lives-- or Make Them Worse? -- 2. Electric Vehicles: Approaching the Tipping Point -- 3. Shared Mobility: The Potential of Ridehailing and Pooling -- 4. Vehicle Automation: Our Best Shot at a Transportation Do-Over? -- 5. Upgrading Transit for the Twenty-First Century -- 6. Bridging the Gap between Mobility Haves and Have-Nots -- 7. Remaking the Auto Industry -- 8. The Dark Horse: Will China Win the Electric, Automated, Shared Mobility Race? -- Epilogue -- Notes -- About the Contributors -- Index -- IP Board of Directors

This book presents essential new governance structures to embrace and regulate smart mobility modes. Drawing on a range of case studies, it paves the way for new approaches to governing future transportation systems. Over the past decades, Information and Communication Technologies have enabled the development of new mobility solutions that have completely redefined traditional and well-established urban transportation systems. Urban transportation systems are evolving dramatically, from the development of shared mobility modes, to the advent of electric mobility, and from the automated mobility trend to the rapid spread of integrated transportation schemes. Given the disruptive nature of those new mobility solutions, new governance structures are needed. Through a series of case studies from around the world, this book highlights governance and regulatory processes having supported, or sometimes prevented, the development and implementation of smart mobility solutions (shared, automated, electric, integrated). The combination of chapters offers a comprehensive overview of the different research endeavours focusing on the governance of smart transportation systems and will help pave the way for this important subject, which is crucial for the future of cities.

This book contains a collection of latest research developments on the urban transportation systems. It describes rail transit systems, subways, bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, taxicabs, automobiles, etc. This book also studies the technical parameters and provides a comprehensive overview of the significant characteristics for urban transportation systems, including energy management systems, wireless communication systems, operations and maintenance systems, transport serviceability, environmental problems and solutions, simulation, modelling, analysis, design, safety and risk, standards, traffic congestion, ride quality, air quality, noise and vibration, financial and economic aspects, pricing strategies, etc. This professional book as a credible source can be very applicable and useful for all professors, researchers, students, experienced technical professionals, practitioners and others interested in urban transportation systems.