Research Overview

Let’s imagine what a public transportation system for the future will look like: There will be a network of bus stops and transit stations strategically positioned connecting each neighborhood to the city’s business districts, hospitals and shopping centers.  There will be a fleet of buses, light-rail, shuttles, driverless cars and bikes, all controlled by an intelligent management system.  The system analyzes real-time data on the number of passengers at each location and their destinations and traffic conditions, and deploys the fleet to take every passenger to his/her destination in the most efficient and economical way.  No more walking for two miles before getting to the nearest bus stop.  No more congestion at the end of a workday.  No more loss of employment opportunities because two communities are not connected by public transportation.  Dr. Lynch’s team continues the work that was led by Dr. Pascal van Hentenryck in designing novel data-driven urban transportation systems and building the descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive technologies to power them.  The team works with Benton Harbor as the site to validate the product.  Benton Harbor presents an exciting opportunity for this research project to have significant societal impact due to the dire need this community has for improved transportation service.  This project signifies the impending revolution in public transportation and mobility enabled by ubiquitous digital connectivity, significant advances in autonomous vehicles, intelligent transportation and asset management systems that benefit from state-of-the-art data science methodology.

Research Team

Jerome Lynch

Professor and Chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Tierra Bills

Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Amy Cohn

Professor, Industrial and Operations Engineering

Robert Goodspeed

Assistant Professor, Taubman College

Jonathan Levine

Professor, Taubman College

Neda Masoud

Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Previous Updates

July, 2017

The team has developed and simulated an on-demand, multimodal transit system for Ann Arbor and is ready to deploy it.  The system improves convenience, cost, and accessibility.

Headlines and Related Press

New Transportation Report

The team works with Benton Harbor as the site to validate the product.  Benton Harbor presents an exciting opportunity for this research project to have significant societal impact due to the dire need this community has for improved transportation service.

Read More →

New Transportation Report

The team works with Benton Harbor as the site to validate the product.  Benton Harbor presents an exciting opportunity for this research project to have significant societal impact due to the dire need this community has for improved transportation service.

Read More →

New Transportation Report

The team works with Benton Harbor as the site to validate the product.  Benton Harbor presents an exciting opportunity for this research project to have significant societal impact due to the dire need this community has for improved transportation service.

Read More →