A new report from the US PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) ranks Los Angeles as 4th best at creating new technology-enabled transportation services including ridesourcing, carsharing, taxi hailing, static and real-time transit info, apps and virtual transit ticketing — LA provides 9 of the 11 services that were considered, ranking just behind Austin (#1), San Francisco (#2) and Washington DC (#3). The study found that among the 70 cities studied, 19 provide access to 8 or more of these services, and that carsharing is available in 69.

Expanding the availability of these shared use modes makes it easier for Americans to live a car-free lifestyle, and since whether you own a car is the biggest predictor of how much you drive, the result is likely to be an eventual reduction in driving, air pollution and GHG emissions — and an increase in walking, biking and transit use. These choices not only make for healthier communities but could also boost local businesses and economies.

Our Live Ride Share conference is about increasing the availability of these services in Southern California, which are currently provided in the City of Los Angeles, the South Bay and in Pasadena. Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Culver City are considering issuing RFPs for carsharing soon. There is a whole ecosystem of new ride-sharing and car-sharing services — including point-to-point and peer-to-peer. Attend our conference on Monday, Feb. 23, and find out more. The US PIRG report is a perfect primer.

Move LA is partnering with several organizations on the Live Ride Share conference, including the Southern California Association of Governments, NRDC, ULI, FAST (Fixing Angelenos Stuck in Traffic), Point C, UC-Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center, and more.