Gamification of Transit: A Solution to Increase Ridership Post-Pandemic?

Gamification of Transit: A Solution to Increase Ridership Post-Pandemic?

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: March 28, 2024

The Pandemic hit mass transit hard. From fears of getting sick on public transportation to the rise of remote work, most metro areas are still not back up to the ridership they had in the Before Times. Some transit agencies are experimenting with gamification to lure riders back.

Creating Safer Streets in New Mexico’s Largest City

Creating Safer Streets in New Mexico’s Largest City

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: March 26, 2024

This multi-use trail project, funded by a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant, is designed to reinvigorate New Mexico’s largest city’s downtown while creating safer streets, a more environmentally sustainable environment, and improved quality of life.

Childcare Support in the Transit Industry: A Vital Initiative for Workforce Stability

Childcare Support in the Transit Industry: A Vital Initiative for Workforce Stability

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: March 21, 2024

In September 2023, the Transit Workforce Center unveiled research on various childcare support models within the transit industry, underscoring a critical link between childcare support and workforce availability. They found that by supporting employees’ childcare needs, they were able to have a profound impact on workforce morale, attendance, and overall stability.

NCMM Welcomes New Program Associate

NCMM Welcomes New Program Associate

  • Author: Kayla Casanova
  • Date: March 19, 2024

Kayla, a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has cultivated a profound passion for serving communities since her upbringing in the vibrant…

Multimodal Mobility Planning in Vista, CA

Multimodal Mobility Planning in Vista, CA

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: March 14, 2024

In North San Diego County, the City of Vista is using a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) grant to make its largest multimodal center more easily accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.

Chapel Hill, NC’s Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways

Chapel Hill, NC’s Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: March 12, 2024

While this college town is home to America’s first public university, the percent of people living below the poverty line is almost 50% higher than the national average. To build equity and improve quality of life, the town is launching an ambitious plan, funded in part by a $1 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant.

Building equity: new Nebraska multimodal transit center

Building equity: new Nebraska multimodal transit center

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 27, 2024

Bus operator vacancies nearly doubled in one year. Passengers didn’t have safe places to wait for buses in the evening. The bus station had more routes than bus bays, so the system needed to stagger routes leading to long waits for bus transfers. It was time for an upgrade, but it took the team eight attempts before they were able to successfully secure federal funding.

Planning to Adapt to Growth

Planning to Adapt to Growth

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 20, 2024

Bozeman, MT’s recent population growth has left some folks behind. A 2023 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) grant strives to create equitable access for underserved communities.

All Stations Accessibility Program

All Stations Accessibility Program

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 13, 2024

Before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, approximately 65% of public buses in the US were accessible. By 2020, 97% of buses were ADA accessible. But many fixed route transit systems still have inaccessible infrastructure that was grandfathered in when the ADA became law. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is designed to help make transit more equitable.

Microtransit pilot success in Connecticut

Microtransit pilot success in Connecticut

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 8, 2024

While regional and commuter rail lines in this New England state help spur economic growth, first and last mile transit remains an obstacle. But Norwalk’s WHEELS2U micro transit program was so successful that the state is expanding localized shared van programs.

Transit Desert? Not in this rural Texas community.

Transit Desert? Not in this rural Texas community.

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 6, 2024

Paris, a small city in Northeast Texas is connecting its residents through public mobility services. Supported by the community, this service is providing much needed access to healthcare, grocery shopping and socialization. Federal transportation funding in the United States is primarily allocated 80% for highways, 20% for public transit. In rural areas like Paris’s Lamar County, which has a population density of 55 people per square mile, this has led to a lack of mobility options for residents who don’t have access to a car.

Eastern Iowa city uses RAISE grant for multimodal transit

Eastern Iowa city uses RAISE grant for multimodal transit

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: February 1, 2024

On the northern banks of the Mississippi River, Dubuque, IA, is using multimodal transit projects to revitalize its historic neighborhoods. The project is being largely funded through a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. The City of Dubuque’s $2.28 million RAISE Planning Grant from the US Department of Transportation strives to use multimodal transportation to connect and revitalize communities.

Public-Private Partnership Funds Innovative Maryland Microgrid Project

Public-Private Partnership Funds Innovative Maryland Microgrid Project

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: January 30, 2024

In 2017, the Montgomery County, MD County Council passed a resolution mandating a 100% reduction in the carbon emissions from county-owned transit and buildings by 2035. This was an expensive challenge, so the County’s Departments of General Services (DGS) and Transportation (DOT) had to get creative. The County partnered with private energy as service provider AlphaStruxure and a private equity firm to fund all upfront costs. Fleet costs are being subsidized by the federal government.

Data highlights lack of public transit near early childcare

Data highlights lack of public transit near early childcare

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: January 23, 2024

Early childhood nonprofits in Lincoln and Omaha, NE, knew that families didn’t have enough affordable childcare. But until they ran the data, they didn’t realize that such a large part of the problem was accessing that childcare.

From Redlining to Green Streets in Toledo, Ohio

From Redlining to Green Streets in Toledo, Ohio

  • Author: Laurel Schwartz
  • Date: January 9, 2024

In the 1960s and 70s, highways were built through a vibrant Black neighborhood in this medium-sized city, cutting the community in half and leading to economic decline. To revitalize these disadvantaged neighborhoods, Toledo is using a Department of Transportation (DOT) Raising American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant to modernize transit options for 38 square blocks.

We’d love to hear from you!

Have more mobility news that we should be reading and sharing? Let us know! Reach out to Sage Kashner (kashner@ctaa.org).

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