Episode 3 - transit fares, intercity rail and bus

Observations on transit fares prompted by my recent quick visit to Bethlehem and Easton, Pennsylvania. And why do so few people take Amtrak? Hint: it's not because they don't want to.  Check out this early blog post on improving the entire American rail system in an efficient and cost-effective way. Only a few links this week.  LANTA provides local bus service in and around Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton; Greater Greater Washington wrote last year on Amtrak's declining service levels; and Transit Maps from Cameron Booth.  We heard music from Manudub, Funkysushi, and Broken Social Scene.

Transit Scheduling

An overview of the transit agency bus scheduling process. In the news this week, San Francisco tries off-board fare payment, New York plans to restore some services that were eliminated in 2010 due to budget cuts, and the fallacy of traffic projections is exposed.

SF: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/07/experiment-worth-watching-all-door-bus-boarding-san-francisco/2543/ and http://www.humantransit.org/2012/07/in-san-francisco-passengers-will-be-able-to-board-through-any-door-of-any-city-bus-as-they-have-long-been-able-to-do-on-ligh.html

NYC: http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/07/19/mta-partially-restores-transit-service-and-adds-some-new-bus-routes/

MN: http://www.streets.mn/2012/07/23/the-projections-fallacy/

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Critical Transit Podcast -- Episode 1

Promoting critical thinking about sustainable transportation, now in audio form. Featuring news, information and analysis of transit issues and services, focusing on planning, policy and operations. In this first episode, I discuss the same-old U.S. transportation funding bill and argue that the distinct between "choice riders" and the "transit dependent" is unhelpful. New York welcomes bike sharing, Boston moves forward with a plan to sell naming rights to its subway stations, and Toronto subway riders offer transit user tips.

Show notes and links:

Transportation Authorization Bill (MAP-21): Transportation For America

Atlantic Cities: attracting "choice riders"

Transit Matters: station naming rights

Toronto: TTC Subway Rider Efficiency Guide

Epic Transit Journeys: intercity journeys on local transit