In an attempt to lure more employees of high-tech companies to use public transit, the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority has proposed buses with wi-fi, reclining seats, and even a concierge to coordinate dry-cleaning services.
From Good Magazine:
The idea is that the Silicon Valley commuter is "a different animal. This (is) a person who wouldn't give up convenience of a car unless they could trade it in for something even more useful. They knew that they'd have to make public transportation look like a tech-friendly luxury-a service that could help them be even more efficient during their commute. Brute Labs proposed perks like reserved seating, wi-fi, gourmet snacks, and a concierge that could coordinate dry cleaning and postal services."
Also, writes Alissa Walker, "they proposed several changes to the routes themselves, creating more of a hub-and-spoke system that would get employees nearer to major tech campuses, where they could then ride their bikes the rest of the way. The routes for these changes, they said, could come from tech companies like Google, who could analyze transit and ridership data and help maximize efficiency."
FULL STORY: Silicon Valley's Public Transit Will Become More Tech-Friendly
Transportation Start-up Fails for Being Too Public-Minded
Night School, planning to use school bus fleets to supplement late-night Bay Area transit, lost the regulatory fights Uber and Lyft handily won.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)