In the next few decades, PPPM Assistant Professor Dyana Mason sees changes coming for transit systems, including the wider implementation of autonomous vehicles. With this shift, how we plan cities and invest in infrastructure and transit will also change.

To identify the gaps in this new system—and who would potentially be the most vulnerable to it—Mason co-authored a study with the National Institute for Transportation and Communities.

“I just wanted to make sure that folks who already struggle with access to transportation aren’t further left behind as policymakers and planners are thinking about how to revise their transit systems,” Mason told Next City, the national urban affairs magazine.

The 2021 report, “The Impact of Ride Hail Services on the Accessibility of Nonprofit Services,” found that many nonprofits that care for clients—and coordinate their transportation—widely use ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber.

However, there are many obstacles to using these services as well, such as cost and accessibility.

Next City writes of the findings: “Ultimately the report offers several recommendations: the development of trainings by philanthropic organizations for nonprofits to learn best practices for offering ride-hailing services, additional funding for offering ride-hailing services specifically,

and supporting ride-hailing companies in the development of both accessible transportation options and the development of interfaces and promo codes specifically for nonprofit use.”

Read more about the study and Mason’s research in the article, “Is Ride-Hailing a Sustainable Transportation Solution for Nonprofits?”