How to Attract Post-Pandemic Transit Riders

Because "we’re in the midst of an unprecedented period when millions of people are reevaluating their travel habits," writes David Zipper for Bloomberg CityLab, now is the time for transit agencies to radically rethink their strategies for attracting and retaining passengers. "If there is ever a time for local leaders to nudge residents toward transit and away from driving, this is it."

Zipper recommends several tactics for getting more people on buses and trains, such as offering free tickets, multimodal rewards, touchless payments, and emergency car rides for regular riders, a service implemented by several agencies before the pandemic. "These programs provide a kind of insurance if a rider urgently needs to travel at a time when bus or train service is unavailable (i.e., a mid-day trip to pick up a sick child at school, or a ride home after unexpectedly needing to work late). Ideally, they will enable more residents to opt for transit, secure in the knowledge that they can handle a sudden emergency without breaking their travel budget."

Zipper cautions, however, that while these small fixes can help make transit more accessible and more attractive, "[p]retty much everyone agrees that the key to sustained transit ridership growth is providing reliable, frequent and accessible service. Thankfully, an infusion of federal funds has now allowed many agencies to bring service back to pre-pandemic levels."