Urban Development Policies
Share an example of how a city or region is improving its bus access.
Buses are integral to any transit system and provide valuable links to economic opportunities. Bus riders tend to be less affluent and more reliant on transit, so ensuring adequate access is vital to efforts to improve equity in the transit system.
Read A New Bus Priority and Roll Out the Red Carpet, winning essays from the Martin Wachs Memorial Essay Contest, then be sure to share an example below from places that are making the bus a priority.
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Simon Tan says:
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Bruce Abanathie says:
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Karalyn Clouser says:
I was surprised to read that transit agencies were cutting bus service during the pandemic, as the situation has actually been the opposite here in San Francisco. SFMTA saw sustained ridership (and boosted frequencies accordingly) on bus routes that served what are termed “Equity Neighborhoods” – places with historically disadvantaged communities and high percentages of “essential workers” that had no option to work from home.
I also see that many transit agencies are rethinking their service configurations in the wake of the pandemic, which should hopefully prioritize essential bus service as this essay proposes. The recent study from the Urban Institute gives reason for optimism here: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2021/12/06/study-transit-agencies-are-planning-a-radically-equitable-covid-recovery/