Latest / Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations / To Have or Have Not: When transformative mobility options are beyond the reach of underserved populations.

Transcript

To Have or Have Not: When transformative mobility options are beyond the reach of underserved populations. · Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations

• 0:15
  Bernie Fette (host): Welcome to Thinking Transportation, conversations about how we get ourselves and our things from Point A to Point B, and all that happens in between.
• 0:26
  Bernie Fette (host): I'm Bernie Fette with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
• 0:32
  Bernie Fette: Transportation has changed as much in the past decade as it did in the entire century before that.
• 0:37
  Bernie Fette: And that's perhaps most obvious in the personal mobility choices that still seem very new to many of us.
• 0:43
  Bernie Fette: Thanks to the transformative technologies that brought about ride hailing, e-scooters and bike sharing, how we get around will never be the same.
• 0:53
  Bernie Fette: But the benefits of these options have not been equally shared.
• 0:58
  Bernie Fette: If you're physically disabled or poor or non- white, or if you live in a place where access is a problem, you're less likely to use the newer mobility services that have transformed modern American society.
• 1:13
  Bernie Fette: It's that disparity that keeps Ipek Sener busy.
• 1:16
  Bernie Fette: As a research scientist, Ipek's work aims to identify the obstacles that prevent underserved populations from enjoying the promise of shared mobility and then search for ways to circumvent those barriers.
• 1:30
  Bernie Fette: Welcome, Ipek.
• 1:31
  Bernie Fette: We're really delighted that you could do this.
• 1:34
  Ipek Sener (guest): Thank you very much, Bernie.
• 1:35
  Ipek Sener (guest): Thank you for the invitation.
• 1:38
  Bernie Fette: In reference to your work, when you speak of underserved populations, it sounds a little like an example of the haves and the have-nots.
• 1:48
  Bernie Fette: Is that a fairly accurate way of describing things, or how would you correct me on that?
• 1:54
  Ipek Sener: You are absolutely right.
• 1:55
  Ipek Sener: Think about for instance, affordability issues that we are facing all the time.
• 2:02
  Ipek Sener: So when we are using a service, when you are trying to use a service that has been owned by a public system, then you have to pay for it, and if you don't have the money, the resources that you can just pay for that service, you can just pay for the mode of transportation.
• 2:22
  Ipek Sener: Like the TNCs, what we call transportation network companies; Uber and Lyft are the most popular transportation modes of TNCs.
• 2:31
  Ipek Sener: So there is a cost, direct cost, and that has been a burden, especially for low-income households.
• 2:39
  Ipek Sener: In addition to that, when we are talking about, let's say bikeshare programs, there can be an up-front cost of membership, and that can be a burden for people who are not really able to afford the service.
• 2:55
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 2:56
  Ipek Sener: There are a lot of have and have-nots or lack of service--lack of access to the service-- lack of awareness that we don't always have that information to use the service because they are really a lot about the technology use and the person might not really be involved with the technology, might not have the information to use the technology.
• 3:18
  Ipek Sener: So it's very much about do not have the information to use the technology, or very much about whether or not you have a smartphone.
• 3:27
  Ipek Sener: Most of these new services require for you to have a smartphone or an app that you will have on your smartphone.
• 3:35
  Ipek Sener: So if you don't have access to a smartphone or if you have access to a smartphone, but not really to a good high-quality data plan, you may not be able to use these services.
• 3:47
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 3:48
  Bernie Fette: And you mentioned access a couple of times and in your work, you talk a lot about making travel more accessible and more inclusive.
• 3:56
  Bernie Fette: So can you expand just a little bit on what you mean by both of those two things?
• 4:02
  Ipek Sener: Sure.
• 4:02
  Ipek Sener: With accessibility, we are really talking about to be able to reach a destination or a service.
• 4:11
  Ipek Sener: So individuals should really be able to have the tools to use that service, to be able to reach to that service.
• 4:22
  Ipek Sener: Inclusiveness is a little bit different concept.
• 4:24
  Ipek Sener: So when something is accessible does not necessarily mean it is inclusive.
• 4:29
  Ipek Sener: So if you want a system or a service to be inclusive, you really need to be talking about every single individual's needs.
• 4:37
  Ipek Sener: It shouldn't be really different because you are from a different gender or you are from a different age group, or you have different abilities or disabilities.
• 4:47
  Bernie Fette: Or even different locations.
• 4:48
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 4:49
  Ipek Sener: That's a great point.
• 4:50
  Ipek Sener: Yes, everything really should be responsive to the needs of the user.
• 4:57
  Ipek Sener: And it is really that there's this concept of inclusive design, and what it says like from the very beginning, the service or the system should provide enough capability to serve for the people.
• 5:14
  Ipek Sener: So it is not really like you have this vehicle and you're doing some accommodations and it will be wheelchair-accessible.
• 5:20
  Ipek Sener: Instead you are starting from the very beginning when you're designing a system or a service and it will respond to every need for every individual, regardless of their personal or other characteristics.
• 5:35
  Bernie Fette: One thing that I'm curious about is that when you were watching several years ago as ride hailing-- you mentioned Uber and Lyft-- when ride hailing and shared mobility were bursting onto the American scene, which hasn't been that long ago.
• 5:49
  Bernie Fette: I think that maybe some of the early stages you were even finishing up your graduate work at the time.
• 5:54
  Ipek Sener: Correct.
• 5:54
  Bernie Fette: Yeah.
• 5:56
  Bernie Fette: And thinking back to that time, what was the first thing that you noticed that signaled to you the need for research in this area or the anticipation-- boy, we're really going to need to examine this particular aspect of what I'm watching unfolding right now.
• 6:16
  Ipek Sener: Well, I had personal opinions because when you look at these new mobilities, again, everything is based on the technological developments and technology is really related to the adoption levels.
• 6:31
  Ipek Sener: Some people might not be interested in adopting a technology at first.
• 6:36
  Ipek Sener: Most people wait and see what is going to happen.
• 6:39
  Ipek Sener: And some people will just wait to the end of the game.
• 6:43
  Ipek Sener: So I'm more in the middle category.
• 6:46
  Ipek Sener: So I, I want to wait and see what is going on.
• 6:50
  Ipek Sener: Therefore, the first research topic I was thinking, well, this might really bridge some mobility gaps that we are observing today, but how are we going to really adopt them?
• 7:02
  Ipek Sener: Are they really going to be providing the service for me, for my needs?
• 7:08
  Ipek Sener: Do I need more money for that?
• 7:09
  Ipek Sener: Do I need to have more access to that, as we earlier discussed?
• 7:14
  Ipek Sener: Do I have to be located in a specific location?
• 7:16
  Ipek Sener: Will these services be really equally distributed or if they are vehicles, will be equally distributed geographically, for instance.
• 7:24
  Ipek Sener: This was more coming from a personal perspective.
• 7:29
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 7:29
  Bernie Fette: You were exploring the possible research opportunities perhaps years ahead, just by looking at what would fit your particular needs and your particular lifestyle.
• 7:39
  Bernie Fette: Right?
• 7:40
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 7:40
  Ipek Sener: Correct.
• 7:41
  Ipek Sener: So it is really about intent to use the vehicles, and intent to use is a primary indicator of the real use, actual use.
• 7:50
  Ipek Sener: But it may also be hindered by many other factors, really.
• 7:55
  Ipek Sener: So, what I was trying to understand, what will be the factors influencing individuals' decision to use these services and what are the barriers to use these services?
• 8:06
  Ipek Sener: I personally also feel challenged sometimes to go around and to be more mobile because we are in an environment, really car-dependent, and these services were promising because they were telling me, well, you can really be more active in your life because now you have the opportunity to reach the destination and you don't need to have a car.
• 8:32
  Ipek Sener: I didn't have a car when I was a student, because I was going more to the school.
• 8:38
  Ipek Sener: I had a super shuttle that gave me a lot of flexibility when I started to work.
• 8:43
  Bernie Fette: That was public transit?
• 8:45
  Ipek Sener: Public transit operated by the school, by the university.
• 8:49
  Ipek Sener: But then, and this happens for most people when you start to work, your work location and your home location are so segregated.
• 8:59
  Ipek Sener: Even if you are in a short distance, there's a highway crossing and you may not be able to cross that highway to reach to your destination, to reach your work location by different modes of transportation.
• 9:11
  Ipek Sener: So you may be really required to have a car.
• 9:14
  Ipek Sener: These mobilities will provide us an opportunity to be more car-free and more mobile.
• 9:23
  Ipek Sener: So that was actually a great thing to observe.
• 9:25
  Ipek Sener: But at the same time, I want to just tell, I was concerned.
• 9:29
  Ipek Sener: This is more from a research perspective.
• 9:32
  Ipek Sener: And I was a bit worried because there was a lot of disconnection between the operators or providers and officials, city officials, policy makers, and the public.
• 9:45
  Ipek Sener: So the technology was moving forward too fast, conceptually or in the real time, but we were not ready.
• 9:52
  Ipek Sener: We were not seeing any plans, any oversight, any policies to go side-by-side with these mobilities.
• 10:00
  Ipek Sener: So the environment was very chaotic.
• 10:04
  Ipek Sener: Let me give an example.
• 10:06
  Ipek Sener: Remember 2018, when we first had the e-scooters on our streets?
• 10:11
  Bernie Fette: Oh, yes.
• 10:11
  Ipek Sener: And remember how they just appeared on our streets almost like one night?
• 10:15
  Bernie Fette: Overnight-- I think that that was not an exaggeration at all.
• 10:17
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 10:19
  Ipek Sener: So by the end of 2018, we have seen e-scooters in more than a hundred cities across the United States.
• 10:28
  Bernie Fette: And in many cases, they appeared just as we were talking about, with no advance notice at all.
• 10:34
  Ipek Sener: Exactly, that is exactly the case-- no planning, no oversight.
• 10:38
  Ipek Sener: And we observed almost 14 million e-scooter trips again by the end of 2018.
• 10:46
  Ipek Sener: So this just happened in one year, and this is very fast and we didn't just know how to deal with it from a planning perspective.
• 10:56
  Ipek Sener: This doesn't mean that it's a bad thing.
• 10:58
  Ipek Sener: This is a great mode of transportation, an alternative m ode of transportation.
• 11:03
  Ipek Sener: But unfortunately, e-scooters quickly evolved from a great alternative m ode of transportation to a transportation mode with a lot of safety concerns, because they were leading to a lot of crashes.
• 11:18
  Ipek Sener: And there were a lot of protests.
• 11:20
  Ipek Sener: Individuals with disabilities were concerned because the vehicles were left on the streets, on the sidewalks, and it was a hazard, safety hazard, for them.
• 11:30
  Bernie Fette: Yet another obstacle for a demographic group that wakes up every day facing obstacles.
• 11:37
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 11:38
  Ipek Sener: Like you have your sidewalk, that you are free to really use.
• 11:43
  Ipek Sener: And then that is even gone with another mode which should have been supporting your mobility and accessibility.
• 11:51
  Ipek Sener: So these are the things that cause issues.
• 11:54
  Ipek Sener: So what I do believe needs to happen, needs to be researched more, how we can work together, how we can really bring every single voice to the table.
• 12:05
  Ipek Sener: From the very beginning, I'm not talking about public participation in a way that we will just finish a project and then go to a public meeting and make a presentation, gather their feedback, but just don't have any time to really change what we are doing.
• 12:18
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 12:18
  Ipek Sener: I'm really talking about: Start from the very beginning.
• 12:24
  Ipek Sener: Work together.
• 12:26
  Ipek Sener: That is the first question that we have.
• 12:27
  Ipek Sener: How are we going to achieve this because we all have different backgrounds.
• 12:33
  Bernie Fette: I sometimes ask experts like you, what's the one thing that you'd like for people to remember about your work.
• 12:39
  Bernie Fette: When I was getting ready for our conversation today, one of the sentences in something that you wrote really jumped off the page for me, that I think relates to what you were just discussing.
• 12:49
  Bernie Fette: This is what you wrote: To ensure equity of transport systems, policies, and regulatory actions should start by considering people and their needs rather than technologies and their potential benefits.
• 13:05
  Bernie Fette: That really seemed like a very concise summary.
• 13:09
  Bernie Fette: As we continue our conversation, how do you think that we've done with that?
• 13:15
  Bernie Fette: And what do you think we've learned, specific to what I just read?
• 13:19
  Ipek Sener: So that's actually a great summary, really.
• 13:22
  Ipek Sener: And the issue that we have been facing in our transportation ecosystem, this especially happened when we started to prioritize highways, we put the vehicles or the technology at the center, at the heart of everything, while it should have been the other way-- the people should have been at the center and the technology and the vehicles and the roadways should be serving the people or the cities or the communities.
• 13:51
  Ipek Sener: So I can't say that we are doing very well all the times, but I think we are really learning from our mistakes.
• 13:59
  Bernie Fette: I was wondering, are we doing better?
• 14:00
  Ipek Sener: We have a lot to do.
• 14:03
  Ipek Sener: I think we are doing much better.
• 14:05
  Ipek Sener: Especially recently a bit more focused on putting equity at the top of many things that we do.
• 14:12
  Ipek Sener: And making sure that people are really served and really emphasizing the importance of our streets and the connection of our streets.
• 14:20
  Ipek Sener: Emphasizing the cohesion of communities.
• 14:25
  Ipek Sener: Communities really have been fragmented.
• 14:28
  Ipek Sener: The neighborhoods have been fragmented substantially when everything was about cars and about vehicles.
• 14:36
  Ipek Sener: I'm not saying this was intentional.
• 14:38
  Ipek Sener: This is most of the times it was an unintended consequence.
• 14:41
  Ipek Sener: But right now we do really have an opportunity to start over because of this new technological development that we are going through and do much better.
• 14:54
  Ipek Sener: But this will require, as you mentioned, putting the people at the center-- at the heart of everything.
• 15:02
  Bernie Fette: Well, when you say that everything has been about the vehicle, it seems that as we've watched, for instance, the autonomous vehicle progression, that one result of what you talk about has been that expectations were raised to a certain point that perhaps was somewhat unrealistic.
• 15:23
  Bernie Fette: Some of the promises or assumptions that might've been made about how soon self-driving cars would actually be a part of mainstream life for us.
• 15:32
  Ipek Sener: Yes.
• 15:33
  Ipek Sener: And that is a problem.
• 15:34
  Ipek Sener: Pushing those expectations, the wrong expectations, into public minds really causes an adverse impact on the potential benefits that we could get from these vehicles.
• 15:47
  Ipek Sener: Five years ago, when we were first working on intention to use automated vehicles, we were hearing by 2022, that they will be all self-driving vehicles on our streets.
• 15:57
  Ipek Sener: And by self-driving, we really mean there will not be any way to control the vehicle.
• 16:03
  Ipek Sener: The vehicle would do all the work.
• 16:05
  Ipek Sener: So that was very aggressive because that doesn't only include the technology.
• 16:11
  Ipek Sener: Yes, maybe the technology is ready.
• 16:13
  Ipek Sener: Maybe the data analytics help or technological advancements help us to be in that position, but you have to have your people to make sure that that service is usable.
• 16:25
  Ipek Sener: That system is usable.
• 16:28
  Ipek Sener: And think about what a person on the road thinking about these vehicles and he, or she has been given all these promises, these vehicles will be just too safe and you will not need to worry anymore.
• 16:40
  Ipek Sener: Anything about traffic crashes or traffic problems, traffic congestion, and then you'll have just one major crash, which changed the story in people's minds.
• 16:51
  Ipek Sener: Well, you told me this will be safe.
• 16:54
  Ipek Sener: And then you see the vehicle just didn't work.
• 16:56
  Ipek Sener: Of course, because we didn't have enough training of the vehicle, or we didn't have enough studying to make sure that the vehicle is safe or the vehicle collected all the information around its environment so it could recognize the environments.
• 17:14
  Ipek Sener: So that is one issue that we are observing when we don't provide the information up front honestly.
• 17:22
  Ipek Sener: When we are not transparent with what we are doing from the very beginning, then we give wrong promises.
• 17:31
  Ipek Sener: And one other thing I want to add that was because of the confusion about definitions.
• 17:37
  Ipek Sener: So automated v ehicles have different levels.
• 17:39
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 17:39
  Ipek Sener: The top level is level five, we call, or self-driving vehicles, is different than the levels that you could see on the road soon, which will require individuals to get back to the vehicle and control the things.
• 17:54
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 17:54
  Ipek Sener: Telling people you don't need to do anything.
• 17:58
  Ipek Sener: This vehicle is just safe; just go and sleep or do whatever you want to do and the vehicle will do all its work, is not the correct way to communicate the information because we are not at that point yet.
• 18:10
  Ipek Sener: But you can't really provide that information if you're not transparent about what is going on, really.
• 18:19
  Bernie Fette: And that's especially true, I'm guessing, for the underserved populations that your research specifically addresses, right?
• 18:25
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 18:26
  Ipek Sener: Everyone is concerned, but they are also more concerned because of the safety issues.
• 18:31
  Ipek Sener: And it is a problem for them because these services are really promising them to be more mobile.
• 18:38
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 18:39
  Ipek Sener: And these services are really telling them, you have been challenged with many transportation barriers.
• 18:47
  Ipek Sener: Maybe that affected your choices.
• 18:50
  Ipek Sener: You may have been captive to specific transportation modes, but now you will have a variety of different choices.
• 18:58
  Ipek Sener: That is what we are telling these people.
• 19:00
  Ipek Sener: And then they end up having a lack of trust in technology, lack of trust in safety, from crashes, but also safety from for instance, crime regarding these vehicles, liability issues and so on.
• 19:13
  Ipek Sener: So some of the barriers are, I think, global, regardless of which community or which population group that you belong to, but some of them are much more pronounced for underserved population groups.
• 19:27
  Bernie Fette: You had mentioned barriers.
• 19:28
  Bernie Fette: And I don't know if what I'm bringing up now is a barrier, or maybe it's just more of a complication.
• 19:35
  Bernie Fette: If we expand access and inclusivity, then at least to some extent, it seems that that would likely translate in part to more miles traveled in motor vehicles.
• 19:45
  Bernie Fette: And so more traffic congestion.
• 19:49
  Bernie Fette: And more tailpipe pollution.
• 19:51
  Bernie Fette: Can you talk just a little about how to balance the needs of access and sustainability at the same time?
• 20:01
  Ipek Sener: Yeah, sure.
• 20:01
  Ipek Sener: And that is a wonderful point, really, Bernie.
• 20:03
  Ipek Sener: What we try to do is, as you mentioned, really trying to balance things.
• 20:09
  Ipek Sener: With more modes of transportation, we have the opportunity to bridge the mobility gap, especially for our underserved population-- for people of color, for low-income households, um, people living in rural areas or, uh, for our aging population.
• 20:27
  Ipek Sener: On the other hand, if we are not careful, and if we forget about the sustainability aspect of this, we may end up more traffic on our roadways.
• 20:38
  Ipek Sener: Think about the TNCs-- Uber and Lyft-- example.
• 20:43
  Ipek Sener: So if everyone occupies one vehicle by themselves, then we are again on the same road, but in another vehicle, or the vehicles are just running around empty and don't have any passenger to pick up.
• 20:58
  Bernie Fette: Looking for new passengers, yeah.
• 20:58
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 21:01
  Ipek Sener: So, what is important is to balance, and this gets back to the same point that we kept emphasizing over and over.
• 21:10
  Ipek Sener: We really need to promote sustainable modes of transportation.
• 21:15
  Ipek Sener: We really need to bring our public transit in a way that will complement all these different modes.
• 21:22
  Ipek Sener: And that will be acceptable by all population groups or walking and biking.
• 21:27
  Ipek Sener: Earlier it was more about biking.
• 21:31
  Ipek Sener: We had our personal bikes or maybe scooters.
• 21:35
  Ipek Sener: Now we have bike share programs.
• 21:37
  Ipek Sener: We have e-scooter p rograms.
• 21:38
  Ipek Sener: So we really need to find a way to encourage people to use the choices that will be healthy for their lives o r individual lives for the communities, for the environment.
• 21:52
  Bernie Fette: And we're more likely to succeed there if we go back to your earlier point about involving people in these planning steps at the center of things, more so than focusing so much on technologies and their potential benefits.
• 22:07
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 22:08
  Ipek Sener: Because that will help us to understand why, for instance, they may not be able to use the modes that we like to promote.
• 22:15
  Ipek Sener: Like if we just say, okay, I have this bike share program.
• 22:19
  Ipek Sener: So, you'll have it.
• 22:20
  Ipek Sener: You don't need to own a bicycle, but instead you can just use this bicycle, which is owned by a public system.
• 22:27
  Ipek Sener: And then you don't have to worry about really buying a bicycle.
• 22:33
  Ipek Sener: But then if you don't provide them discounts, because maybe they are already burdened with their low salary or low income levels, or if you don't provide them the infrastructure to feel safe when riding a bike, we are still not really doing good.
• 22:51
  Ipek Sener: So, they may feel like, well, I wanted to be able to use this bike, but I don't feel safe because there's no infrastructure for me.
• 22:59
  Ipek Sener: Then, I am again sticking to my car.
• 23:02
  Ipek Sener: Or, I just don't have the service in my area.
• 23:05
  Ipek Sener: Micro transit is another emerging mode, which is almost like the traditional transit, but it is on demand.
• 23:12
  Ipek Sener: So, you can just really call the bus and you can use it in the next 15 minutes.
• 23:18
  Bernie Fette: Yeah.
• 23:19
  Bernie Fette: Your personal public transit.
• 23:20
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 23:22
  Ipek Sener: But in order for people to use it, it should really be available in their, um, in their area or it should be available for their origin-destination routes.
• 23:35
  Ipek Sener: So, we have to make sure that whenever we are promoting a service, it's a sustainable service.
• 23:43
  Ipek Sener: And then it's reached the people.
• 23:45
  Ipek Sener: If it doesn't reach the people, then we are not doing any good.
• 23:50
  Ipek Sener: And I really want to emphasize transportation policy is a health policy.
• 23:56
  Ipek Sener: Transportation is one of the most important social determiners of health because it impacts majorly every aspect of our lifestyles.
• 24:07
  Ipek Sener: That means we really have the opportunity to choose healthy options if those opportunities are provided to us.
• 24:16
  Ipek Sener: And if we can make sure that individuals walk more, bike more, or use shared modes-- and shared mode meaning"shared of shared," like it's not only using Lyft service, but it is using the service with someone else.
• 24:32
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 24:32
  Ipek Sener: So, the occupancy of the vehicle is not one, it's just more than one, two people, three people.
• 24:38
  Ipek Sener: So, that's what would really help for the traffic congestion or traffic safety issues that we are experiencing, or the air quality issues that we are facing today.
• 24:47
  Bernie Fette: And that's how you can at least keep one eye on the sustainability need, right?
• 24:53
  Ipek Sener: Exactly.
• 24:53
  Ipek Sener: So when we are working with the mobility and accessibility issues, we always have to keep in mind, is this a good mode for people's health?
• 25:03
  Ipek Sener: Is this helping them to be more active in their lives, more active in their transportation choices?
• 25:10
  Ipek Sener: Is this helping them to improve their quality of life in various different ways.
• 25:15
  Ipek Sener: This can be their physical health, mental health.
• 25:19
  Ipek Sener: This can be related to their social well- being or economic well-being.
• 25:24
  Ipek Sener: So, it really all these four elements.
• 25:27
  Ipek Sener: And let me repeat-- social well- being, economic well-being, physical well-being, and mental well- being.
• 25:32
  Bernie Fette: Right.
• 25:32
  Ipek Sener: If we are helping people to fulfill and be well in whatever choice that they make, then we are doing a good job.
• 25:47
  Bernie Fette: Your enthusiasm for the work that you do is pretty obvious.
• 25:53
  Bernie Fette: I've noticed that as you talk about your research, that you smile a lot.
• 25:59
  Bernie Fette: For people listening, trust me, there's a, there's a big smile there.
• 26:03
  Bernie Fette: What is it that gets you fired up to come to work every day?
• 26:08
  Ipek Sener: I love transportation, Bernie.
• 26:10
  Ipek Sener: I think it is an amazing area to work on because it impacts every single aspect of our life.
• 26:16
  Ipek Sener: And I do find a chance for us to improve people's lives and to really do something that will help them to make better choices.
• 26:27
  Ipek Sener: I'm not the one to tell them what to choose, but I can provide them an environment to feel better and to be happier.
• 26:35
  Ipek Sener: And to really think,"I like my life." Yes, I have the options.
• 26:40
  Ipek Sener: Maybe life is not fair for sure.
• 26:42
  Ipek Sener: But as transportation researchers, we have the opportunity to touch their life and to make it better or to help them to make better choices that they feel happy about.
• 26:57
  Ipek Sener: And it's really important for, for me personally, I really care what I do.
• 27:02
  Ipek Sener: I don't feel like this is my work only.
• 27:05
  Ipek Sener: I can't really say for instance, there's a work/life balance in my mind, what I do is my life and because it affects people's lives.
• 27:14
  Ipek Sener: And if I can do just a little bit better with my research and if it can improve someone else's, even one single person to feel good with their transportation choices, that makes my day.
• 27:26
  Ipek Sener: I really love what I do.
• 27:28
  Ipek Sener: And I hope we can do much better for everyone.
• 27:32
  Ipek Sener: That is why I'm very, very interested in working on marginalized communities, but really for everyone.
• 27:39
  Ipek Sener: So, working with them, hearing them out, understanding what they need and responding to their needs.
• 27:46
  Ipek Sener: I think that's an invaluable thing that we can do in life.
• 27:50
  Bernie Fette: Well, you not only did a wonderful job answering that question, I think that you just recorded a really great recruitment tool for people to get into the same line of work that you're in.
• 28:02
  Ipek Sener: Thank you very much.
• 28:02
  Bernie Fette: Thank you for that.
• 28:05
  Bernie Fette: Is there anything that you wish I would have asked you about, but didn't?
• 28:10
  Ipek Sener: It was just such a pleasure to talk to you.
• 28:12
  Ipek Sener: But one final thing I want to emphasize.
• 28:15
  Ipek Sener: Really, let's work together.
• 28:18
  Ipek Sener: It's very important that we include voices of community regardless of their ability, their race, their gender, their income level.
• 28:28
  Ipek Sener: If we want to develop a system that works for everyone with different abilities, with different demographic characteristics, with different socioeconomic status, we have to work with them side by side, shoulder by shoulder from the very beginning, let's have everyone's voices at the table.
• 28:47
  Ipek Sener: And I really enjoy thinking that as we do work together, we rise together.
• 28:53
  Ipek Sener: So, let's do it together.
• 28:54
  Ipek Sener: I think that's what I want to say.
• 28:57
  Bernie Fette: Ipek Sener, research scientist for TTI.
• 29:02
  Bernie Fette: This has been great, Ipek.
• 29:03
  Bernie Fette: Thank you very much for having this conversation with us.
• 29:07
  Ipek Sener: Thank you very much, Bernie.
• 29:07
  Ipek Sener: It has been a pleasure.
• 29:09
  Ipek Sener: Thank you very much for giving the opportunity to share our research.
• 29:12
  Bernie Fette: Our pleasure.
• 29:13
  Bernie Fette: Thanks again.
• 29:16
  Bernie Fette: Technology-driven travel enhancements have made life better in lots of ways for many of us.
• 29:22
  Bernie Fette: Although we call it"shared mobility," the promise of mutual benefit is often beyond the reach of those who are disadvantaged in one way or another.
• 29:33
  Bernie Fette: Underserved populations can be marginalized even further if we focus more on the shiny nature of technology advancement than the practicality of use by those who may need it the most.
• 29:46
  Bernie Fette: Thanks for listening.
• 29:48
  Bernie Fette: And please join us again next time, when we visit with Joe Zietsman and Ann Xu about the rapidly expanding presence of electric cars on our streets and highways and the unintended consequences that may come along with their growing popularity.
• 30:02
  Bernie Fette: Thinking Transportation is a production of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a member of the Texas A&M University System.
• 30:13
  Bernie Fette: The show is edited and produced by Chris Pourteau.
• 30:17
  Bernie Fette: I'm your writer and host, Bernie Fette.
• 30:20
  Bernie Fette: We'll see you next time.