Public transit agencies are getting creative in the effort to bring riders back to buses and trains.
"Starting March 1, officials intend to put a weekly fare cap on trips made with OMNY, the 'tap-and-go' fare system," reports Ana Ley for The New York Times.
The threshold for unlimited rides in a seven day period will be set at $33, according to Ley.
The new fare cap is intended to lure riders back to public transit in New York City, where ridership hasn't fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Depending on the popularity of the program, and its effects on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's budget, the fare cap could also be made permanent. For now, the program is scheduled to expire on June 30.
"Although the numbers in New York are climbing, subway ridership in recent weeks has only been hovering at about 58 percent of prepandemic levels, when over five million people packed the trains every weekday," writes Ley.
The state of public transit in the United States at the conclusion of 2021 is tenuous: driver shortages are contributing to service cuts in cities all over the country, and an infusion of federal money has buoyed agencies through declines in ridership and a resulting loss of revenue. Some cities are experimenting with free, or reduced-fare, transit as an enticement to get riders back on buses and trains.
FULL STORY: To Win Riders Back, M.T.A. to Offer Free Rides for ‘Tap-and-Go’ Customers
Fair Fares Program Criticized for Eligibility Threshold
Critics of the city's transit assistance program say limiting eligibility to people living at or below the federal poverty line excludes many low-income New Yorkers who depend on public transit.
Changes to Local Service in the Bronx Benefit Bus Speeds, Ridership
Another example of how improving bus service design can benefit transit riders and transit systems emerges in New York City. More such local system redesigns are on the way soon in the Big Apple.
Redesigned Local Bus Network Launches in the Bronx
A redesigned bus network in the Bronx, planned since October 2019, is now live.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association