An opinion piece says its time for transit agencies to start treating riders like valued customers.
Jim Stone examines one of the eternal (until someone fixes it) problem of public transit: how to keep "choice riders" on public transit. A voluntary rider of public transit himself, Stone has a confession to make: "As much as I prefer using public transportation, it’s getting more difficult for me to like it. The reason boils down to two words: customer service."
After recounting a particularly unfortunate example of poor customer service, Stone sets about prescribing four actions for transit agencies such as his own in San Diego to undertake:
- Make customer service the priority, not fare recovery.
- Keep customers (i.e., riders) informed of delays.
- Keep trolleys and buses as clean as possible.
- Improve payment systems.
Stone, like many of us, is rooting for transit to improve in popularity. Stone doesn't see that happening unless transit agencies "create the best possible experience for passengers riding the trolley or a bus…"
FULL STORY: Want to Improve Public Transit? Prioritize Service Over Fare Enforcement

Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.

San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.

Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.

Long Beach Opens New Water Playground
The coastal city just celebrated the grand opening of its newest beach attraction, an inflatable aquatic playground called the “Wibit.”

Houston Apartments To Be Demolished for Freeway Widening
Despite a federal hold on the controversial freeway widening project, the Texas Department of Transportation is pushing ahead with the demolition of an apartment complex in downtown Houston.

Did Chicago’s Speed Cameras Improve Safety?
Advocates of automated enforcement argue it saves lives, but despite a dramatic rise in speeding tickets, pedestrian fatalities grew in 2021.
Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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