OSU-Cascades launches Mobility Lab

Around the world, automotive innovation, big data and user demand challenge how transportation managers plan for the future. A new Mobility Lab at Oregon State University – Cascades may help area leaders identify more convenient, cost-effective and sustainable ways for residents to travel within the region, potentially increasing community livability and helping manage traffic congestion.

One project undertaken by the lab, a microtransit solution for community members and students impacted by the discontinued Cascades East Transit bus route 12, has been supported with $50,000 in funding from the City of Bend (approved by city councilors Wednesday evening) and $25,000 from St. Charles Health System.

Microtransit refers to on-demand, often app-enabled, shared ride services such as Uber and Lyft. In this instance, microtransit has the potential to serve users at less than half the cost of public bus transportation.

“Innovation in the transportation field, as in other fields requires testing,” said Casey Bergh, OSU-Cascades transportation program manager and director of the lab. “The Mobility Lab will allow transportation concepts to be tested and proven at a small scale, before they are invested in and executed at a larger scale in the Bend and Central Oregon communities.”

The Mobility Lab’s charge is to evaluate how technology impacts the future of transportation. Using an experimental approach, it proactively evaluates new mobility solutions in order to identify right fit — and rule out wrong fit — solutions and best practices for the local area, the school said in a news release Thursday.

The lab will engage computer science faculty, and students who will contribute data analytics, data visualization, animation or other services as part of a senior-level capstone project.

Students are currently analyzing datasets from CET, as well as from local Uber, Lyft and Zagster bikeshare service offerings. The analysis can help transportation managers in Central Oregon understand how residents travel throughout the region and provide valuable information that can influence future transportation investments.

To learn more about the Mobility Lab visit OSUcascades.edu/mobility-lab.