Public transit has struggled to retain passengers in North America for many years, while in Europe it has proven to be a fundamental public good. This divergence in the role of public shared mobility versus private individualized mobility has reached a tipping point during the COVID pandemic.
Someone asked me recently if public-private partnerships (P3s) are just a fad or a delivery method that will ultimately be the country’s future. There’s no doubt about the answer. Public-private partnerships are here to stay.
As public transportation modernizes and work schedules become more flexible, operators need to keep pace and offer riders options for their daily commutes.
In recent years, as businesses have been forced to adapt and recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has been relied upon more than ever.
Travel by city rail or metro has a long history of crowded platforms. Many of these stations are old and built-in places where there's either no room to expand or, if underground, very costly to expand.
Having already been on the road for a couple of conferences, both folks in the public transit and motorcoach sectors have a lot of optimism the ship is starting to correct itself, and it’s good to see all the energy out on the show floors and in the halls.
Mobility has been impacted the world over due to the COVID-19 crisis. From public transport to micromobility to individual auto commuting, all modes have seen a dramatic decrease in usage across the urban ecosystem.
What similar service obligations and financial challenges can teach transit agencies about new methods for selling fares?
Netflix emerged in 1997 as a mail-order DVD business. Shipping DVDs by mail came with some growing pains, but ultimately did get traction by 2001, when DVDs became more popular than VHS.
In the first two articles of this series, I discussed what can be done to make public transit Americans’ first choice for getting around. I also shared how transit agencies can be effective with the windfall from the CARES Act and the bipartisan infrastructure deal. A common thread between these two ideas is the assistance provided by private industry — particularly transit operators like Keolis.
MaaS is a concept that has been around for some time now, however, there is one burning question that remains: What is the value, and for whom?
Electric scooters, bikes, and mopeds seem to be on every street corner, waiting for commuters, travelers, and those just looking to sightsee to take advantage of their convenience, affordability, and accessibility.
The past 16 months have left our heads spinning. From complete lockdown and isolation, to phased reopenings, to two summers now that have encouraged (and promoted) holiday travel to destinations throughout Europe, the mobility landscape we have learned to navigate in and around has been ever changing.
Gothenburg is Sweden’s second largest city and sits near the coast on the west side of the country south of Norway and north of Denmark. It is a, relatively, recent city and has a 400th anniversary in 2021.
Between the recently approved U.S. Infrastructure Bill and post-lockdown ridership remaining in a state of flux, now is both a critical and an ideal time for transit agencies to re-imagine the service they provide.
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