Service Design

Increased Service, Employer Tax Breaks Entice Transit Ridership in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland transit planners are hoping workers returning to the office in 2023 will rediscover the benefits of a public transit commute.

Where Ridership-Only Service Design Comes Up Short
Jarrett Walker and Mathew Yglesias discuss one of the great quandaries of 21st century transit planning—how to increase cost effectiveness and ridership while also ensuring equity and service for underserved communities.

New York Post-Pandemic First: Big Transit Service Changes
More service on the weekends, less on Monday and Friday, reflects the patterns of post-pandemic transit ridership.

Free Rides, Overnight Service Considered for Metro Transit in D.C.
Washington, D.C. councilmembers are making a bold commitment to public transit.

MBTA Announces Improved Bus Frequencies, Redesigned Route Map in Boston
A large system redesign is nearing implementation in and around Boston, but the new system map will require more drivers than the MBTA currently employs.

Bus Service Cut in Portland as Driver Shortage Lingers
Like many transit agencies around the country, the regional transit agency for Portland, Oregon is struggling to attract enough bus drivers to maintain planned levels of transit service.

Redesigned Local Bus Network Launches in the Bronx
A redesigned bus network in the Bronx, planned since October 2019, is now live.

Buslash in Salt Lake City
New bus routes planned for Salt Lake City have provoked a vocal political opposition.

Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.

A ‘Playbook’ for Better Bus Service, From King County Metro
King County Metro operates one of the nation’s busiest transit systems—without running any trains. The agency recently released a playbook as a guide to transit service.

Seattle Latest to Cut Transit Service for Lack of Drivers
Sound Transit service designers were hoping that March would be the month to restore service to the transit system in and around Seattle. A shortage of bus drivers is sending the system in the opposite direction.

Stimulus Funds Not Enough to Guarantee Transit's Future in D.C. and L.A.
In statements that echo the alarm of March 2020, transit officials in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. recently announced plans to reduce transit service.

Equity and Transit Go Hand in Hand for the Pandemic Recovery
Equity illuminates the light at the end of the tunnel for U.S. transit agencies, according to a recent report by the Urban Institute.

Driver Shortages and Service Reductions: The Crisis in Public Transit Continues
While transit systems around the country had reason to celebrate the new funding made available in the federal infrastructure bill, long-term concerns about operational capacity have not been resolved.

New High-Frequency Bus Service Dubbed 'Go Lines' in Duluth
The city of Duluth's reimagined bus transit system will go into effect in Summer 2022 along green and blue "Go Lines."

'RideKC Next': High-Frequency Grid and On-Demand Service Coming in 2022
The transit system of the future is coming soon to Kansas City.

New York's Bus System Redesign—Delayed by the Pandemic—Moves Forward Again
A plan to redesign the bus system in New York City for faster, more frequent service is off the shelf and moving forward again after being paused at the beginning fo the pandemic.

Dallas Bus System Overhaul Rolling Out in January. Will it Succeed?
The Dallas City Council recently approved a long-awaited and much-delayed bus system redesign for DART. Riders should require fewer transfers and shorter wait times starting in January 2022.

Calculating Bus Stop Spacing for 43 U.S. Cities
New research documents the distance between bus stops in U.S. cities—a key question for service designers that determines a lot about the public transit user experience.

Duluth Bus Transit Service Getting the High Frequency Treatment
Transit planners in Duluth, Minnesota have released the details of a new plan to concentrate bus transit service on high frequency corridors.
Pagination
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
York County Government
York County, Human Resources
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Sonoma County Transportation Authority
City of Piedmont, CA
City of Morganton
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.