With commuter ridership playing a smaller role in transit operations, agencies must reorganize their services around different travel schedules and patterns.

Writing in Governing, Skip Descant assesses how U.S. mass transit systems, which historically relied largely on commuter travel for the bulk of their ridership revenue, can adapt to new ridership patterns and adjust their services to serve new needs.
For transit agencies in Washington, D.C., where 66 percent of commuters now work from home at least part time, this is now an existential question. “Ridership on Metro, the network of trains and buses serving the nation’s capital, during the first six months of this year was down 64 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2019, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).”
Some of the ways agencies are addressing these challenges: focusing on system reliability; removing friction points for users; launching more mobility options, like small shuttles linking restaurants and attractions; providing on-demand microtransit; and more focus on the first-mile/last-mile obstacles.
Transportation experts say agencies must rethink their service schedules, make it easier to access transit and make connections between systems, and focus on “transit planning that accommodates all of the other non-work trips we take — errand running, trips to schools and doctor’s appointments.”
FULL STORY: Commuter Ridership Is Disappearing. Can Mass Transit Adapt?

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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