Micromobility companies provided academics with survey data for studying transport behavior in response to COVID-19

Funded by the National Science Foundation RAPID program, researchers at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Portland State University have set out to study the resilience of alternative mobility systems like public transit, bike- and scooter-sharing during the COVID-19's transportation disruption. Mobility service providers in Nashville and Portland partnered with the researchers by providing survey data on rider habits, preferences and attitudes towards various modes of transportation sharing. The information is designed to assist in answering three key study questions: How do people use transit and micromobility in the face of infection risk? How do people moderate their own travel and safety behaviors to reduce infection? How can both modes complement each other to help urban mobility recover? Partners include Nashville's WeGO transit agency; the Portland-area's TriMet transit agency; the City of Portland's Bureau of Transportation (PBOT); micromobility operators Bird and Spin; Portland's bike-share system BIKETOWN; and the Transit app.