Welcome to our project
Overview of Our Research
This research is trying to assess whether the expansion of the dollar van business would solve the transit problem for those people. The practical implication of the project is to help a startup called “Dollaride” (which provides innovative transportation technology by connecting drivers and passengers in these marginalized communities) to develop better commuting routes for its clients. The research was done in 2019 with a focus on understanding the patterns and underlying mechanisms behind the commuter vans. We are proud to help Dollaride to create new routs for people in NYC.
Project Overview
While New York City has developed public transportation networks provided by MTA, a huge number of people living in outer boroughs are left outside the networks. These people are living in “transit deserts” and have a strong demand for transportation means. Part of the demand is met by so-called “dollar vans” – a chain of thousands of privately owned commuter vans which run across the NYC. A startup called “Dollaride” connects drivers and passengers in these marginalized communities using an innovative transportation technology.
The project identifies methodology for calculating transit deserts (transit-underserved areas in terms of specific transit supply-demand equilibrium) in a large city. The methodology is based on earlier developed attitude by Jiao and Dillivan (2013), but some different parameters characterising a first-tier American city were suggested. The outcome of the project is a map of transit deserts in NYC, based on a solid quantitative analysis and data. Another practical implication of the project is a list of new routes for Dollaride, which would benefit to its passengers, drivers and NYC transportation authorities.
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Define “transit desert” and identify the location of the deserts in NYC
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Propose new routes for Dollaride in areas with high demand for public commute
Results
Figure 1: Transit deserts in NYC
The neighborhoods with limited transit accessibility include Harlem in Manhattan, Long Island City in Queens and Bushwick, parts of Flatbush, Sunset Park and most of Coney Island in Brooklyn, as well as East Brooklyn.
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The transit desert areas were similar to the areas with larger percentage of commuters.
Figure 2: The heatmap of the number of people driving to commute
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Queens and Northern/East Brooklyn also had infrequent bus service; however, some central areas in Queens had more frequent bus service. Analysis of the Google map revealed that it was the areas with major job centers, such as Flushing, East Williamsburg/Maspeth IBZ, etc.
Figure 3: The heatmap of MTA bus frequency
About Us
Evgeniya Bektasheva, Hanxing Li,
Kenji Uchimoto, Keundeok Park,
Wenjie Zheng
CUSP NYU
NY, USA
370 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201