New Report Ranks Chicago 14th Among 70 Major American Cities For High-Tech Transportation Options

Media Contacts
Abe Scarr

State Director, Illinois PIRG; Energy and Utilities Program Director, PIRG

Illinois PIRG

A new report from Illinois PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group ranks American cities on how many new technology-enabled services and tools they have to meet transportation needs. It finds that Chicago ranks 14th among the nation’s 70 largest cities.

The report, “The Innovative Transportation Index: The Cities Where New Technologies and Tools Can Reduce Your Need to Own a Car,” compares cities based on the presence of these new technologies, including ride sourcing services like Uber and Lyft, car sharing services like Zipcar, bike share and ride sharing systems, apps for navigating public transit and hailing taxis, and virtual ticket purchasing, among others. It is the first study of its kind.

The research demonstrates how rapid technological advances have enabled new transportation tools that make it convenient for more Americans to live full and engaged lives without owning a car.

“None of these options even existed a few years ago, and the trend is just beginning,” said Abe Scarr, Illinois PIRG Education Fund Director. “Technological advances are giving people new and convenient ways to get around more freely without having to own a car.”

“Expanding the availability of shared-use transportation modes and other technology-enabled tools can give more Americans the freedom to live “car-free” or “car-light” lifestyles,” said Jeff Inglis, a policy analyst at Frontier Group and co-author of the report. “Smartphone apps and new transportation services are making it easier for people to get where they need and want to go, while avoiding many costs associated with owning, insuring and maintaining a private vehicle.”

While Chicago has 8 of the 11 types of services, it does have a wide variety of service providers, 17, competing to provide those services. The three services other cities have that Chicago does not include virtual ticketing for public transportation, ridesharing services like Carma, and one-way carsharing. 

Leading the pack among the 70 cities are Austin, San Francisco and Washington, DC, which each have at least 10 of the 11 high-tech transportation options examined in the report. 

Chicago was among the group of 19 top cities with a combined population of 28 million that offer eight or more technology-enabled transportation services and options.  These cities with abundant choices all adopt open-data policies, which have led to the development of multi-modal apps that allow passengers to transition seamlessly through different modes of transportation. For example, switching from transit to bike share for the last mile of a commute.

Other findings from this new study:

  • Individually, these services and tools make a difference. But together, they are more than the sum of their parts. Someone considering riding public transit instead of driving, for instance, will want to know about complementary options for times when riding the bus or train wouldn’t be convenient. 
  • The cities in this report all host a variety of services or tools that make it easier for Americans—and Millennials especially—to lead a car-free or car-light lifestyle. Having a suite of options allows people to spontaneously choose the most convenient option for them.
  • There is much that cities can do to encourage more and better use of innovative transportation choices. Just because these services are new shouldn’t stop officials from responsibly integrating them into their plans and policies. 

“Bike share is the perfect example of how successful 21st century cities are using technology to re-imagine how we get around. It’s personalized to how you want to travel and flexible enough to evolve with cities in real time, as new travel patterns emerge and neighborhoods change. This excellent report makes clear that people are now expecting cities to embrace bike share and similar options if they want to grow and thrive,” said Jay Walder, Chief Executive Officer of Motivate, which runs the largest bike share systems in the country.

Many newer transportation options involve sharing vehicles, or sharing space in a vehicle. “The shared mobility industry is growing and evolving at an incredibly rapid pace,” said Sharon Feigon, executive director of the Shared-Use Mobility Center, based in Chicago. “These innovative services not only provide riders with new transportation options but, by integrating with existing transit systems, they have the potential to offer tremendous social and economic benefits such as reducing emissions, lessening congestion and improving public access to transportation.”

“Chicago’s new digital businesses are making innovative changes across the transportation industry, and the sharing economy is booming as a result of their success,” said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. “Companies like 1871’s SpotHero and Parknav are helping us use assets more efficiently and act more responsibly, all while saving time and money.”

Even when these services provide access to a car, they still make it easier for Americans to reduce their auto dependence because a traveler does not need to pre-commit to long-term costs of ownership, repairs, insurance and parking.

“Illinois PIRG applauds Chicago and the other cities in this report for helping to bring new transportation technology choices,” said Scarr. “These new options will help define city life in the years to come.”  

The report calls on policy-makers and elected officials to explore ways to tap the potential of technology-enabled services to address transportation challenges and increase the number of people with the option to live car-free or car-light lifestyles