Crowdsourcing techniques for transport planning and operations

Abstract

Crowdsourcing is an organized way of involving people in decision-making and production. Crowdsourced
products, like Wikipedia, are replacing established products. Crowdsourced transport services, like UberTaxi, are
replacing established transport providers. Crowdsourced advice, like Trip Advisor, is replacing established experts.
Crowdsourcing is becoming ubiquitous as people and organizations realize that it helps them make better decisions
and produce better products. This paper is predicated on the belief that crowdsourcing is key innovation needed
for public transport to thrive in this age of rapid change. It presents a model structure for helping understand
crowdsourcing and examples of how public transport organizations can use crowdsourcing. This paper’s goal is to
help practitioners and researchers implement and understand crowdsourcing by presenting a broad survey of how
crowdsourcing is being used today.