Hope for Public Transit

No, technology and private industry is not ending the need for public transit, according to Jarrett Walker.

1 minute read

January 28, 2018, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Bus Stop

Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock

Jarrett Walker responds to the prophets of doom predicting the demise of public transit in a new era of transportation technology. According to Walker, the end of public transit is not nigh.

Walker's argument begins with a response to people complaining that transit systems don't adopt new technology fast enough, and that transit agencies are too resistant to change. In that case, Walker says you have to hear the "eternal language of marketing": "If you are trying to sell a new technology product, of courseyou imply that everyone who doesn’t use it is a dinosaur."

According to Walker, it's important to remember that technology is not a goal—it's a tool that should "serve the goals and aspirations of citizens." And public transit is not a businessit is "not monopolizing a profitable business and preventing others from entering. They are running an unprofitable service for reasons unrelated to profit: the functioning of a dense city, the liberty of its citizens, and connecting disadvantaged people to opportunity."

Sunday, January 21, 2018 in CityLab

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Line of RVs being used as homes parked on street in Mountain View, California.

Seattle Safe Parking Site to Close, Relocate

A nonprofit leases lots during permitting stages to erect tiny homes and RV safe parking sites for unhoused residents. But the model means constant uncertainty and displacement.

2 hours ago - The Seattle Times

Orange Los Angeles Metro bus passing on blurred street at night.

LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants

The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.

4 hours ago - KTLA

White Shinkansen high-speed rail train passing on bridge over pond in Japan.

Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding

In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.

6 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive