Webinar Recap: Futureproofing Public Transit

Against a background of rapid change, transit agencies across the country are taking steps to prepare themselves for the future. Demographic shifts, an aging population, and consumer expectations are among the changes that make the future of transportation exciting in many ways, but uncertain in others.

This week, I hosted Scott Bogren, the Executive Director of the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). Scott shared some of his experience working with CTAA’s transit membership across the United States and additional thoughts on some of these topics.

Here are some of the key takeaways that I gathered from the discussion:

Change is inevitable, now it’s happening faster

It’s cliche, but the inevitability of change is the most important aspect of preparing for the future. As individuals within the transportation industry, we need to assume that change is a given. It’s our responsibility to manage this change and proactively prepare for the future.

The future of transportation is a network solution

In the past several years, we’ve seen a significant increase in the way people move in cities large and small. Consumers are taking advantage of several on-demand services such as bikeshare and carshare, in additional to their traditional public transit options. It’s unlikely that consumers will return to a world with fewer options as these new modes of transportation become common.

Don’t let the technology detract from the trends:

As transportation providers, we must remember our responsibility is to move people efficiently, safety, and to the benefit of the community. Autonomous vehicles or other types of mobility options are tools to fulfill that mission, but the technology itself shouldn’t dictate the priority of the work.

…However, we can use technology wisely to solve problems

That being said, we know there are clear problems where we can leverage technology to help. As a general example, autonomous vehicles at large may in fact, help us reduce the volume of driver-caused crashes around the country and provide mobility options for aging adults.

Understand your markets clearly and design your service to cater to their needs.

Some of the most successful transit systems understand their core markets and tailor service to address their needs. In some communities, this may be a retiring baby boomer generation, in others it might be a burgeoning young population.

If you’re interested in drawing your own conclusions, we’ve shared the full webinar below.

You can always catch our full slate of Remix events on our events page. If you have topics for future webinars, I’m always interested to discuss. Email me and let’s talk!