Calvin Thigpen is an experienced policy researcher and practitioner, with a track record of helping solve thorny challenges in the field of sustainable transportation.

From 2018 through 2025, Calvin served as the Director of Public Partnerships & Policy Research at Lime, where he led collaborations with cities, academics, and other stakeholders to improve shared micromobility programs, support new innovations, and evaluate the impacts of micromobility.

Examples of work he led and contributed to include:

• Academic collaborations, including:
  • a study of shared scooter and bikes' sustainability impact - showing how the latest generations of shared micromobility vehicles have carbon footprints below public transit and electric cars.
  • a series of studies documenting how often scooters are misparked (the results might surprise you!), why riders mispark, whether low-tech interventions (like in-app education or sidewalk stickers) work, and how much parking to supply.
• Surveys and data analyses, such as a white paper on COVID risks on shared mobility modes and a report on public perceptions about COVID and micromobility

• Lime's 2018 and 2020 End-of-Year Reports.

To learn more about Calvin's work at Lime, head over to his Lime Portfolio page.

Calvin holds a PhD in Transportation Technology & Policy from UC Davis. He was honored by the Transportation Research Board in 2017 with the Fred Burggraf Award, for excellence in transportation research by researchers 35 years of age or younger, and he received two Dwight Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships.

In addition to his work at Lime, Calvin has conducted research on transportation issues where misperceptions impede policy and planning, such as residential car parking, induced demand, and traffic safety.

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