The Link Between Transit Access and Employment

Inadequate access to transportation hinders many Americans’ access to job opportunities.

1 minute read

February 12, 2024, 8:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Colorful streetcar on street in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

Streetcar in Detroit, Michigan. | Leonid Andronov / Adobe Stock

An article by Elijah Taub of Capital News Service highlights the link between transportation and employment, noting that “Lacking access to transportation is a significant barrier to employment, especially in rural areas and small towns.”

Zeroing in on Michigan, Taub adds that owning a car is 12 percent more expensive in that state than the national average, putting Michiganders at a disadvantage.

Susan Corbin, the director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, says Michigan doesn’t have a strong public transit system. “Michigan is 40th in transportation, including public transit, commute time and road and bridge quality across the country, according to U.S.News & World Report rankings.”

Like other systems around the country, Michigan’s transit agencies face labor shortages and budget shortfalls that prevent them from providing more effective service.

Sunday, February 4, 2024 in Capital News Service

Young Professional

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 and Environmental 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 and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

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.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

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.