Transit Ridership

Metro Bus

D.C. Could Give Residents $100 Transit Subsidy

A proposed bill would distribute $100 in transit fare to District residents and provide $10 million to improving bus and streetcar services in underserved neighborhoods.

September 28, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

Blue and yellow light rail train pulling into outdoor station in St. Paul, MInnesota

Twin Cities Volunteers Help Recent Immigrants Navigate Transit

Showing refugee and immigrant residents how to use public transportation can improve access to essential services, jobs, and education, but a more robust transit system is needed to effectively serve all who need it.

September 20, 2022 - Next City

People boarding bus at LA Metro Bus Stop, Alvarado Street, Los Angeles

A Transit Ridership Role Reversal in California

Since the outset of the pandemic, the capital of car-oriented sprawl in California has become the king of public transit. Looking for lessons about the future of public transit in the United States? Look to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

September 14, 2022 - The Mercury News

Boston Subway T

Opinion: Funding The T Should Be a Massachusetts State Priority

With ridership revenue still lagging and fatal incidents plaguing the Boston-area transit agency, one writer argues that state lawmakers must step in to fund upgrades for the aging system.

July 26, 2022 - WBUR Cognoscenti

Nighttime bus interior with one rider standing by door

Transit Ridership Continues Slow Recovery

Even as gas prices rise, ridership on many public transit systems continues to remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

July 17, 2022 - Marketplace

A group of police officers wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic gather on a subway platform in New York City.

Safety Concerns Driving Riders Away From Transit

Public transit systems in major U.S. cities are struggling to restore their image after rising crime rates led to heightened security concerns among riders.

July 12, 2022 - Governing

Farebox

Transit Agencies Adjusting to New Realities

As transit ridership remains tepid around the country, transit agencies are looking to diversify their funding sources and become less reliant on farebox revenue.

June 21, 2022 - Bloomberg

Washington D.C.

Fare-Free Transit Hasn’t Reduced Car Trips, Data Says

Fare-free transit isn’t the climate change benefit that many have hoped, according to recent writing by David Zipper for Bloomberg.

May 16, 2022 - Bloomberg

New York Public Transit

Transit Agencies Will Face Challenges in Getting Federal Dollars

While recent federal legislation allocates billions to transit projects, local leaders face difficult choices as they struggle to match federal funds while ridership remains below pre-pandemic numbers.

May 13, 2022 - Governing

Bus riders wearing masks on a New York City bus

Post-Pandemic Transit Likely To Remain Less Commuter-Focused

While the future of transit ridership depends on a range of still-uncertain factors, the commuter-centric patterns that characterized pre-COVID transit service are probably a thing of the past.

May 11, 2022 - Seattle Transit Blog

Bus Stop

Federal Infrastructure Funding a Rare Opportunity to Improve the Nation’s Bus Shelters

Transit systems faced with decreasing ridership could accommodate access to the most widely available form of transit by building bus shelters. The federal infrastructure bill provides a big opportunity to do so.

May 9, 2022 - The Washington Post

Congestion

The New Normal: Less Transit, More Congestion

With transit systems still far below historic levels, and congestion not budging, the worst effects of an automobile dependent nation fall on the environment and low-income households.

May 8, 2022 - Brookings

nyc. subway.

Transit Riders Skipping Mondays

The new commute normal includes far fewer transit rides on Mondays, reflecting new hybrid work schedules that gives workers the options of choosing days to come into the office.

April 11, 2022 - StreetsBlog NYC

ADA Access to Mobility

Gas Too Expensive? Cincinnati Metro Has You Covered With Free Rides

Cincinnati residents and visitors will have access to free transit for a week as the agency aims to boost ridership.

March 22, 2022 - WCPO

A sign showing gas prices, all at more than $5 a gallon.

Could High Gas Prices Push Riders Back to Public Transit?

The quick ascent of gas prices, at a time of economic uncertainty for many, could be just the boost public transit needs to get back to pre-pandemic levels of ridership. Or not.

March 13, 2022 - James Brasuell

Salt Lake City, Utah

'Free Fare February' a Huge Boost for Ridership in Utah

Early returns from Utah Transit Authority's fare-free transit experiment.

February 21, 2022 - TownLift

New York City Subway

Subway Ridership on a Post-Omicron Rebound in New York City

Checking in with the New York transit system amid a period of relative recovery.

February 20, 2022 - AMNY

Dallas Transit

Houston Transit Barely Beats Out Dallas for Ridership

Out of the top five U.S. metro areas, Houston's transit ridership is second-lowest only to Dallas.

January 26, 2022 - The Houston Chronicle

Crowded Subway Platform

The NYC Subway's Uneven Recovery

As subway riders return in fits and starts, some stations are experiencing a much faster recovery than others.

January 26, 2022 - The New York Times

New York City Subway

Tracking the New York Subway's Uneven Recovery

Ridership on the New York Subway has a long way to go to return to pre-pandemic normal, and the setbacks of recent months haven't helped the cause.

January 19, 2022 - The New York Times

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.

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