With everything going on today, public transport has been hit hardest. In fact, many of the major transport authorities around the world have reported up to a 95% reduction in users, which not only shows the magnitude of the problem we face today but puts the future of these businesses and services in uncertainty.
Given that a high proportion of the start-ups in this sector have a high cash burn rate and are constantly in a VC fund raising mode, it just goes to show that growth (take as an independent KPI success factor) appears to trump all other variables when assessing the health and functionality of a business enterprise.
Following a pandemic-driven lull, interest in pursuing MaaS among transit agencies is taking off, and for good reason. The case for providing users access to a vivid spectrum of transportation options in a single app is compelling on grounds that range from cost and convenience to urban livability and environmental sustainability. But how do we get there?
Opportunities can feel few and far between these days, which is exactly why the U.S. must seize the one it was recently handed: a rare chance to give public transportation the makeover that current passengers have long demanded and that which there is a latent demand for by potential passengers.
The state of public transportation in the U.S. is painfully subpar when compared to the rest of the developed world. This begs the question: Why can’t we have that here in the U.S.?
We are starting to see a shift within the mobility domain away from the desire for single car ownership. The explanations are many, but in a digitalized, shared, and on-demand society, the requirement of owning your own automobile has diminished in the priorities of one’s lifestyle.
As a prosperous wealthy country there have been persistent shortages of labor for many decades, and this remains the case today, which causes significant impacts on thinking about regional mobility.
As 2020 drew to a close and COVID set in, the dust began to settle on the “gold rush” that was shared mobility over the past few years. Reality began to set in, and the collective hangover we’ve all been experiencing made us start to question where we are, and where we’re going.
How the pandemic has increased costs and poor conditions for car travel.
Propane is a safe, domestically produced fuel that provides a return on investment.
History has shown that in crisis comes opportunity, so perhaps with COVID maybe we will see a breaking of silos and push towards multi-modality?
As President Biden’s American Jobs Plan nears its first votes in Congress, the transit sector waits with bated breath to see what the infrastructure plan will mean for it.
At this pivotal moment, public transportation agencies should consider using this historic availability of funding to implement game-changing projects to get back on track while building a digital foundation for the future, and leveraging the flood of information that connected systems and processes provide.
Increasingly, more states have had to get innovative to solve their infrastructure issues. Public-private partnerships are powerful and produce benefits for all involved. These are relationships combining resources and knowledge that can profoundly enhance underserved communities.
The adverse effects of COVID-19 on transit ridership have been felt across the country. Yet, as recovery is underway, BRT ridership is rebounding, and in many instances, rebounding faster than other modes.
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