Beyond Headways: 5 Problems Hobbling Public Transit Systems

As more attention is paid to the struggles of U.S. public transit systems, some factors are getting less attention than others.

2 minute read

May 30, 2018, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Metro STation

Jarrett M / Flickr

Paul Comfort, VP of Business Development for the Trapeze Group, pens an opinion piece for the Eno Center for Transportation in which he lists five hidden flaws of public transit systems. The list could also be called five underreported problems in need of reform if we want to save public transit in this country.

Here is the list, with more detail included in the article.

  1. There is not enough individual accountability for performance. Comfort cites a fairly surprising specific example, but also says that many positions throughout public transit systems lack individual accountability.
  2. Administrative departments gain too much influence over operations. "Too often – out of undue fear of risk – leaders and new ideas for success and achievement are neutered by bureaucratic responses," Comfort writes.
  3. Focus is on the wrong key performance indicators. Here Comfort take umbrage with the continued focus on ridership as the key indicator of public transit success. "If ridership is the only measurement of success for public transportation, then we are all failing." Comfort says transit systems should focus on performance indicators they can directly control, like safety and reliability, for instance.
  4. There is expensive outsourcing of staff positions due to established position caps. Politicians think position caps shrink the size of government, and reduce spending as a result.Comfort argues that position caps "often lead agency managers to hire for the positions they need through contracts with staffing agencies or architectural and engineering (A&E) firms."
  5. Paratransit focuses on rules, not people. This point is specifically about how paratransit serves people with disabilities, but the points about obsessing over the Americans With Disabilities Act, even when the law doesn't require it, might apply more broadly

Monday, May 21, 2018 in Eno Transportation Weekly

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.

6 hours ago - Alan Mallach

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 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Public Market sign over Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington with pop-up booths on street.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market Leans Into Pedestrian Infrastructure

After decades of debate, the market is testing a car ban in one of its busiest areas and adding walking links to the surrounding neighborhood.

5 hours ago - Cascade PBS

Yellow and silver light rain train in downtown Long Beach, California.

The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?

In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.

7 hours ago - Secret Los Angeles

Man reaching for young girl sliding down playground slide.

Quantifying Social Infrastructure

New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?

May 15 - Happy Cities