  Concepts of Mobility-on-Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), which
feature the integration of various shared-use mobility options, have gained
widespread popularity in recent years. While these concepts promise great
benefits to travelers, their heavy reliance on technology raises equity
concerns as socially disadvantaged population groups can be left out in an era
of on-demand mobility. This paper investigates the potential uptake of MOD
transit services (integrated fixed-route and on-demand services) among
travelers living in low-income communities. Specially, we analyze people's
latent attitude towards three shared-use mobility services, including
ride-hailing services, fixed-route transit, and MOD transit. We conduct a
latent class cluster analysis of 825 survey respondents sampled from low-income
neighborhoods in Detroit and Ypsilanti, Michigan. We identified three latent
segments: shared-mode enthusiast, shared-mode opponent, and fixed-route transit
loyalist. People from the shared-mode enthusiast segment often use ride-hailing
services and live in areas with poor transit access, and they are likely to be
the early adopters of MOD transit services. The shared-mode opponent segment
mainly includes vehicle owners who lack interests in shared mobility options.
The fixed-route transit loyalist segment includes a considerable share of
low-income individuals who face technological barriers to use the MOD transit.
We also find that males, college graduates, car owners, people with a mobile
data plan, and people living in poor-transit-access areas have a higher level
of preferences for MOD transit services. We conclude with policy
recommendations for developing more accessible and equitable MOD transit
services.
