Forget slogans and fancy trains. If transit agencies just focused on getting people where they need to go in a consistent, reliable (and preferably quicker) way, more people would abandon their cars.
"The bus lurches to a stop behind a rush-hour fender bender.
Passengers look up from their laptops and BlackBerrys, pausing from answering email or watching YouTube via wireless Internet access.
Their trip home is delayed.
Luckily, the vehicle has a satellite transit tracking system that shows buses and streetcars on nearby lines moving well. The information is available at passengers' fingertips via on-board touch screens, which provide real-time updates on route delays and connections.
It means riders can hop off and be assured of grabbing another bus and still getting home in time for dinner.
A futuristic glimpse of public transit? No, today in San Francisco.
Called the Connected Bus, it's a lesson in Customer Service 101.
Restaurateurs and retailers have long known how vital it is to provide service that encourages repeat business. But transit operators are behind schedule when it comes to treating riders like customers."
FULL STORY: The genuinely better way
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service