Episode 16: Riders are Never Really Gone
On this episode we’re talking transit ridership with Amy Silbermann, Director of Planning for Port Authority of Allegheny County, the transit agency in Pittsburgh, and Steven Higashide and Mary Buchanan, co-authors of Transit Center’s Who’s On Board 2019, a report based on surveys of transit riders.
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Pittsburgh was one of seven US cities with increases in transit ridership in 2018. When it comes to transit, the focus lately tends to be on declining ridership and competition from Transportation Network Companies (TNC) – Uber and Lyft. But, as our guests detail,
- ridership gains can come from paying attention to improving service for existing riders
- transit riders don’t go away; they reduce their use of transit – and can be won back
- and, while, in Steven’s words, “Uber is trying to compete with transit & we know that they are causing congestion,” the biggest competition for transit is private cars and driving alone.
Listen to the podcast for more about understanding riders, Pittsburgh’s work to improve routes (downtown and to suburban communities) and the need for political and public support for changes to improve transit systems.
“As cities think about ways to alleviate traffic or solutions such as roadway widening (which we’ve proven is not an effective means to reduce delay), make sure you’re prioritizing modes that are the most effective ways to move people. When we’re talking about moving masses, we’re talking about transit. If we’re talking about sustainability, we want to loop biking and walking and other smaller, less mass modes, along with that.” — Amy Silbermann, Director of Planning, Port Authority of Allegheny County