Why Public Transit Must Embrace Digital
If you live in Ontario (I don’t) or care about the future of public transit (I do), maybe you’ve heard the news.
On August 23, the Canadian government announced an agreement with the Government of Ontario that would see nearly CDN$3 billion in funding invested in improvements to public transit in that province.
This is great news for Ontario. A strong transit infrastructure is a huge asset on many levels — social, economic, environmental and more.
But when I scanned the list of the first 166 approved projects published as part of the announcement I couldn’t help but notice that there was something vital missing:
The word “digital” doesn’t appear once.
So why is this a problem?
First, let’s acknowledge the problem of declining ridership. The Toronto Transit Commission — the biggest recipient of these new funds — is currently facing a $25 million budget shortfall thanks to dropping ridership numbers. And they’re not alone. Cities across Canada are reporting similar drops.
And this isn’t just a Canadian problem. Cities across North America, including Los Angeles, are currently facing the same issue.
So what gives? I have a theory.
There is a growing gap between what people expect and what transit agencies are providing.
Thanks to deep smartphone penetration, we all go through our daily lives accompanied by a myriad of apps and services. This includes getting around. Our phones — portable and fixed in space by GPS coordinates — are well suited to guide us through the physical world in multiple ways. We use mapping apps to find our way and plan our routes, and other apps to call an Uber or a cab, access a shared car or bicycle, check in to a flight or book accommodations.
This collision between digital services and physical movement has sparked much innovation and created enormous wealth. Just look at Uber. But more to the point, it’s also created new, higher expectations among smartphone users.
We expect much more from public transit than we did 15 years ago. Static signs and posted schedules are not enough. We expect more. We expect a good experience. We expect ease of use. We expect real-time, up-to-date information. And if you meet these expectations, we’ll respond.
This part is more than just a theory, by the way. A recent study by City College of New York found that providing real-time information on bus arrival times yields a measurable increase in ridership. Another study found that the availability of real-time arrival information would actually improve rider satisfaction more than more frequent service.
Here’s the upshot …
In order to maintain or grow ridership and fulfill their mandates, transit authorities must keep pace with these new expectations.
And that starts with a simple realization:
Digital services — from API’s to apps, from websites to twitter feeds — are as much a part of the transit experience as riding a bus, train or streetcar.
Digital services are a crucial part of the core transit infrastructure—not just an add-on or an afterthought. They need to be considered, funded and invested in accordingly. Otherwise ridership will continue to drop and the health of our transit systems will continue to decline, with or without increased funding.
