It’s time cities start building a transit ecosystem - here’s how

Transit has the potential to transform a city. From increasing access to jobs and business opportunities, to breaking down barriers between communities and neighborhoods and more, transit has the unique ability to connect people, communities and organizations and equalize access to opportunities.

However, in recent years, the transportation space has become increasingly crowded with new solutions and service providers that seem to pop up daily. As a result, city officials and transit authorities are more overwhelmed than ever when it comes to creating cohesive transit ecosystems that serve all communities and their people.

To solve some of today’s greatest transportation challenges, it’s time for a transit reformation, and that starts with recognizing that, for a majority of cities, the traditional transit framework as we know it is outdated. As new forms of mobility start to mix with old systems, the traditional approach to transit planning must be disrupted to ensure transit meets the ever-evolving needs of cities and their residents. By embracing a more agile mindset and letting data lead the way, here’s how cities can start to build a modern-day transit ecosystem.

Take an agile approach to mobility

Many American cities continue to rely on trains and fixed route bus lines as the backbone of their transit systems. Historically, if people needed more flexibility or speed than what these options could give them, they’d buy their own car, which they continue to drive on ever-widening highways today. However, these infrastructure investments are proving to be ineffective as highways become more congested and valuable real estate is being bombarded by parking garages to accommodate a growing number of single occupancy vehicles.

With that, this is not an argument against existing transit modes continuing to operate, but rather it’s a wakeup call to realize that today’s residents demand much more than one mode of transit, and agencies can’t rely on simply expanding old and inefficient systems. Transit leaders need to find ways to provide more convenient and frequent service, but not through the traditional modes they’ve always resorted to in the past. The good news is an agile mobility approach to urban transit can deliver these flexible choices - and it also happens to be significantly more efficient than the traditional framework for city transit.

For example, rather than trying to compete with Uber and Lyft, a more agile approach to planning could support public-private partnerships and ultimately allow each party to fulfil rider demand where it’s needed. The Kansas City Area Transit Authority, in partnership with Johnson County, Kan., sets a great example of how regions can execute this approach successfully. Historically one of the most important economic hubs in the Midwest, it boasts a surplus of low-cost land alongside a sprawling, diverse population, which naturally makes city transit a serious logistical challenge. To combat this, the city decided to approach transit differently, developing a diverse transit ecosystem that would not only meet the needs of its widespread and diverse population, but also give people the freedom of choice. To achieve this, they supplemented existing transit with new modes - from on-demand microtransit and private mobility providers, to bikeshare and electric scooters. The result? The region was able to boost business in the urban core, but also create greater access to jobs and opportunities for people living outside the city center. At the same time, they were able to increase demand for fixed route service through realigning fixed bus lines to high demand areas, giving residents outside the city easier access to fixed route service.

Let data lead the way

By leveraging the power of technology to simplify and improve the travel experience, companies like Uber and Lyft have completely changed the transportation space. Beyond improving the user experience, these app-based entities have benefited from being able to make use of ridership data to improve their services and remain competitive. While companies like Uber and Lyft have made data analysis a core function of their business, their public counterparts haven’t been able to keep up. This is because transit agencies have long suffered from a lack of access to the tools and expertise needed to pull valuable insights from mass amounts of ridership data - public transit agencies handle roughly 9.9 billion trips per year.

Beyond working with external providers like TransLoc, Ride Systems and DoubleMap that allow agencies to better manage data around their fixed-route systems, city transit offices should collaborate with private providers to share transit data as much as possible. This doesn’t only benefit public transit providers, but also helps private providers understand where their riders are and how to serve them best. This collaboration is necessary to creating a cohesive transit ecosystem that ensures the needs of all riders and communities are met. No single provider can service everyone, and an agile approach to planning needs to be rooted in this understanding. When public and private players realize that they need each other to be successful, therein lies the opportunity to create sustainable, equitable transit systems.

As cities continue to grow in population and the expectations of modern residents evolve, the best way to meet the transportation needs of all communities and businesses is to embrace new forms of mobility. In expanding residents’ access to free mobility, and thus new opportunities - jobs, education, commerce - the cities themselves will benefit, too.  

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