Talking Headways Podcast: Who’s Riding Transit in 2019?

This week, we’re joined by Amy Silbermann, director of Planning for Port Authority of Allegheny County, the transit agency in Pittsburgh; and Steven Higashide and Mary Buchanan of TransitCenter. They are here to talk about the new report, “Who’s On Board 2019,” which discusses transit ridership trends around the country. They talk about what we should understand about 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.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

When bus stops are too close together, trips are slower and it's harder to create good waiting environments.

America’s Bus Stops Are Too Close Together

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 30, 2017

Bus service is faster for everyone if stops are about a quarter mile apart instead of crammed close together.

Annual transit trips in Seattle, where trains and buses are absorbing just about all the growth in travel. Chart: Seattle DOT [PDF]

Seattle Adds People Without Adding Traffic

By Angie Schmitt | Dec 18, 2017

Seattle is showing other American cities how transit can help a growing population get around without an increase in car traffic.

Only a Few American Cities Are Growing Transit Ridership — Here’s What They’re Doing Right

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 23, 2018

The recipe for success: Give transit agencies the resources to make systemwide improvements, don't just focus on one line at a time.

Want to Grow Transit Ridership? Improve Bus Service

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 4, 2019

The weakest link is often bus service, but improving it holds the key to maintaining ridership.

Chicago's Loop Link. Photo: Metropolitan Planning Council

Introducing a New Streetsblog Series: Getting Transit Right

By Yonah Freemark | Feb 16, 2017

With more American cities raising impressive sums to expand transit, the question of how to invest effectively is increasingly essential. So far, few places have hit on a policy combination that makes transit more useful to more people. To help cities "get transit right," Streetsblog is launching a new series about which transit strategies are working and which are not.

Detroit’s Big Transit Success Story Isn’t Its New Streetcar — It’s the Buses

By Stephen Miller | May 12, 2017

Today is the grand opening for the QLine, Detroit's 3.3-mile, mixed-traffic streetcar on Woodward Avenue. It's getting tons of local press attention, but TransitCenter reports that the Motor City's true transit renaissance is not due to the streetcar, but the city's successful, under-the-radar turnaround of its bus system.