Sustainable City Year Reports 2019-20 (Lane Transit District)

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Browsing Sustainable City Year Reports 2019-20 (Lane Transit District) by Author "Cohen, Rachel"

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    Applying Business Strategy to Manage Uncertainty
    (University of Oregon, 2020) Cohen, Rachel; Cabinte, Ryan
    Master of Business Administration (MBA) students from the UO Center for Sustainable Business Practices were tasked with equipping Lane Transit District with a set of financial and business strategy tools to help the agency adapt to a changing mobility landscape and provide the community with a sustainable level of service for the long-term future. Over the course of six months, the team created and presented to LTD leadership a financial projection model and a scenario planning workbook. The team also had the opportunity to test and implement these tools given real issues LTD faced at the time. Armed with a financial baseline that models future transit tax revenues given past revenue growth and independent economic indicators, the team compared “business as usual” projections with shortfalls caused by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lane County. The team projects a gap of up to $15 million in payroll and self-employment tax revenues through the end of fiscal year 2021. Additionally, the team deployed its scenario planning tool to envision potential opportunities and challenges LTD might face given the outcomes of uncertainties the agencies is facing, including local and regional land use policy, and the extent to which society and individuals embrace the ‘sharing economy’ over ownership of assets. The team found that while density and reduced ownership of assets (especially personal vehicles) are generally more conducive to the traditional fixed-route transit model, LTD has many opportunities to creatively deploy new services, partnerships, and technologies to thrive and serve the Lane County community in any scenario. While these tools have been handed over to LTD leadership alongside presentations and documentation, this report explores insights and lessons learned from the process. Major recommendations include: 1. LTD should diversify its revenue sources and/or assets in order to build a sustainable funding model. 2. LTD should embed long-term thinking into day-to-day operations, empowering team members from operators to the Board of Directors to think about complex issues, communicate uncertainties, and participate in the process.
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    The Future of Transit
    (University of Oregon, 2020) Cohen, Rachel; Skov, Josh
    Lane Transit District (LTD) asked graduate students in Joshua Skov’s Industrial Ecology course to help envision how it might provide safe, affordable, and low-carbon mobility options to the community in the face of a changing urban mobility ecosystem. Students applied corporate sustainability strategy principles to assess potential opportunities and threats created by global trends in transportation. Students analyzed potential impacts of new modes, technologies, and business models, as well as the resulting shifts in consumer behavior in six areas: 1. Micromobility as a first-last mile solution 2. Cases of smartphone apps for transit 3. Partnerships and policies for ride-hailing 4. Travel behavior, mode choice, and perceptions of transit 5. Privacy and security in the age of big data 6. Collection of consumer insights through survey instruments Ultimately, students recommend that LTD leverage pilot projects and partnerships to explore new opportunities while adapting emerging trends to community needs in order to foster positive outcomes.