Across the U.S., transit agencies are grappling with a shortfall of operators. These operators — frontline workers that keep buses and trains running are essential to a functioning transit network that actually gets riders where they need to go.
Since it began operating in June 2018, Richmond’s Pulse has driven its way to becoming one of the most successful bus rapid transit services in the country. Now transportation leaders from as far away as Ohio, Maryland and Florida are taking notice as they consider jumping on board with similar systems in other densely populated areas.
"If there's one more senior who can choose to stay independent in my city because we provided a bus seat to them — because in the absence of that, they don't have mobility choices — I'm going to put a bus seat there. As unsexy as that may seem to some folks, that matters to me."