The Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) celebrated the research achievements of graduating doctoral candidates at a special Ph.D. Transportation Seminar on Friday, May 2. The event featured presentations from four scholars whose work spans transportation engineering, planning, climate resilience, automation, and mobility equity.
Ph.D. Student, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Class of 2025
Advised by CEE Professor Michael Cassidy
Talk: Can Subsidized TNCs Trump Microtransit in Non-Urban settings?
Wesley Darling’s dissertation examines the comparative effectiveness of subsidized transportation network company (TNC) services—such as Uber and Lyft—versus microtransit in non-urban, low-demand areas. While microtransit aims to lower per-trip costs by consolidating rides, it often falls short in sparsely populated regions. TNCs offer more flexible and direct services but face challenges in aligning with public goals.
To address this, Wesley proposes a third-party service manager model to help coordinate and incentivize TNC cooperation with local communities. His research includes case studies from three Northern California towns, supported by a newly developed “consolidation metric” to evaluate cost-efficiency and service potential. The findings provide policymakers with practical insights for developing effective and equitable rural mobility solutions.