  Emerging transportation technologies, such as ride-hailing and autonomous
vehicles, are disrupting the transportation sector and transforming public
transit. Some transit observers envision future public transit to be integrated
transit systems with fixed-route services running along major corridors and
on-demand ridesharing services covering lower-density areas. A switch from a
conventional fixed-route service model to this kind of integrated
mobility-on-demand transit system, however, may elicit varied responses from
local residents. This paper evaluates traveler preferences for a proposed
integrated mobility-on-demand transit system versus the existing fixed-route
system, with a particular focus on disadvantaged travelers. We conducted a
survey in two low-resource communities in the United States, namely, Detroit
and Ypsilanti, Michigan. A majority of survey respondents preferred a
mobility-on-demand transit system over a fixed-route one. Based on ordered
logit model outputs, we found a stronger preference for mobility-on-demand
transit among males, college graduates, individuals who have never heard of or
used ride-hailing before, and individuals who currently receive inferior
transit services. By contrast, preferences varied little by age, income, race,
or disability status. The most important benefit of a mobility-on-demand
transit system perceived by the survey respondents is enhanced transit
accessibility to different destinations, whereas their major concerns include
the need to actively request rides, possible transit-fare increases, and
potential technological failures. Addressing the concerns of female riders and
accommodating the needs of less technology-proficient individuals should be
major priorities for transit agencies that are considering mobility-on-demand
initiatives.
