Bus Network Redesign: Right-sizing Community Engagement

As agencies with limited resources search for ways to better serve their communities and respond to changing travel patterns and microtransit options, bus network redesign projects, aka comprehensive operational analyses, are being planned and implemented across the country. As these projects steadily rise, so does the importance of robust community input, especially given that some bus riders know and rely on routing used for decades and look at any changes with apprehension. But how should outreach be conducted? What questions should be posed to the community versus decided by experts? Is there ever a point where there is too much outreach? Hear about bus network redesign projects in several locations and join the quest for optimal, authentic and timely community engagement.

Moderator: Melissa Lee, Principal, Public Works Partners, New York, NY
Joel Hochman, Manager, Public Works Partners, New York, NY
Dan Nemiroff, Director of Service Planning (City Transit & Metro), Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia, PA
Benjamin She, Transit Project Coordinator, City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Sandip Sen, GISP, Director of Service Planning and Scheduling, VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority, San Antonio, TX