The San Francisco County Transportation Authority has released a draft “Emerging Mobility Evaluation Report,” the first comprehensive look at the rapidly evolving emerging mobility sector in San Francisco.
Covering everything from ride-hail services to autonomous vehicles and microtransit to scooter sharing, the report outlines the range of services operating in San Francisco and evaluates how these services align with the City’s Guiding Principles. San Francisco’s Guiding Principles outline long-range transportation goals around a healthy environment, livability, safety, and world-class infrastructure. The Guiding Principles also include a focus on equity, affordability, financial impacts and other metrics. (See “Guiding Principles Detail” below.)
Among the report’s key findings are that companies that share data and partner with the City on pilots are better at helping meet City transportation goals. The report also underscores the need for the City to establish a consistent process to set up pilots and issue permits for emerging mobility providers, perform more research, and enact stronger rules.
“With more private mobility businesses operating on our streets, the City must make sure we’re balancing competing interests for maximum public benefit,” said Aaron Peskin, Chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority and District 3 Supervisor. “That means developing clear congestion management regulations that prioritize public safety and accessibility, as well as continuing to invest in a robust multi-modal public transportation system for everyone.”
Working with other public agencies, the emerging mobility sector and community stakeholders, the Transportation Authority developed a methodology for evaluating how the emerging mobility services in San Francisco are helping or hindering the City’s efforts to meet its transportation goals. Based on that evaluation, the Transportation Authority has developed numerous recommendations and next steps that would allow the city to:
“This report provides an open and transparent assessment of the new mobility sector and how it is performing in San Francisco, relative to the City’s Transit First, Vision Zero, climate, and equity goals,” said Tilly Chang, Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. “As we can see, while there is great demand for these new services, there are important gaps in data and performance that must be bridged by research, regulation and partnerships, to protect the investments we have made in our public infrastructure, and to extend the benefits of technology to all.”
Agency staff will present the report during the Transportation Authority Board meeting on May 8 at 10 a.m. in Room 250, San Francisco City Hall.
Go to sfcta.org/emerging-mobility/evaluation to download a copy of the report.
Guiding Principles Detail
The Transportation Authority and SFMTA last year developed 10 Guiding Principles, based on existing and adopted City policies, to identify goals and policies related to emerging mobility services and technologies. These principles will guide how the City evaluates these services and technologies, collaborates with the providers, and develops policy responses to new innovations.