Wayne State researchers receive National Science Foundation funds to study potential of AI-powered microtransit systems in at-risk communities

  • Date: 01/22/2021

Microtransit is a service intended to complement existing public transportation options. It exists somewhere between traditional fixed-path transit and ride-hailing technology, with routes and schedules kept flexible based on user demand. Detroit and other cities have begun to adopt microtransit as a means of increasing coverage and reaching more people, particularly in low-density or low-income areas.

A shortcoming of microtransit, however, occurs when there is a mismatch between the locations of affordable housing and employment opportunities. A team of Wayne State University researchers recently received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a study that aims to ease this burden facing at-risk communities.

“With the rise of artificial intelligence and increasingly available smart mobility data, the vision of this research project is to create a dynamic routing-prediction system based on learning the hourly mobility patterns between jobs and housing,” said Dongxiao Zhu, associate professor of computer science in the College of Engineering and the project’s principal investigator.

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