CityNerd | Pandemic Transit, Fare-Free Systems, and 10 US Cities That Held It Together During COVID @CityNerd | Uploaded April 2022 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
For two years, COVID-19 worries and the emergence of work-from-home as a viable option for some employers have meant plummeting ridership on US transit systems. At the same time, declining revenue sources like payroll and sales taxes, as well as fares, have often meant service cutbacks.
Today we look at the ten cities that had the least decline in ridership since the pandemic's onset, and try to see what they did right. Fare-free systems, new services, increased focus on maintenance -- we'll cover it all here.
Patreon - a new way to support continuing CityNerd output!
patreon.com/CityNerd
Twitter: @nerd4cities
Instagram: @nerd4cities
Other CityNerd Videos referenced:
- Regional Rail Systems of North America: youtu.be/0fVmQR1GONk
- Cost of Car Dependency 2022: youtu.be/c2rI-5ZFW1E
- Big Cities, Small Transit: youtu.be/pNH05BczfZw
- Small Cities, Big Transit: youtu.be/Ftenw2IsJDY
- The Best Freeway Lids in America: youtu.be/Bp0faVOdf2c
- Where to Lid Freeways : youtu.be/K6xyOCEpAVU
- America's Humungous Parking Lots: youtu.be/Oqsk73g6tqI
- North America's Top Cities for Ferry Travel: youtu.be/PUaNGCY6JZo
- Unexpectedly Walkable Neighborhoods in the US: youtu.be/C1hUR5v4aok
- Freeway-Heavy Downtowns of the US: youtu.be/WYsJx1urS3Y
- Ginormous Freeway Interchanges of the US: youtu.be/4rgH0MUaHx8
Resources:
- dcist.com/story/20/11/30/dc-metro-proposes-reducing-service-cutting-weekend-trains
- ktvu.com/news/bart-to-cut-service-in-half-in-response-to-covid-19-ridership-drop
- gothamist.com/news/mta-cuts-back-subway-service-as-crews-face-dramatic-increase-in-covid-rates
- dailygazette.com/2020/04/04/cdta-will-require-riders-to-board-at-rear-door-but-waive-fares
- dailygazette.com/2020/08/12/cdta-to-resume-fare-collections-on-wednesday-aug-19
- decaturil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DPTS_Route_Map_5_17.pdf
- census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/south-west-fastest-growing.html
- NTD data: transit.dot.gov/ntd
- santaclaritatransit.com/routes-schedules
- townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/business-management/fee-schedules/transit-policies-fee-schedules
- gotriangle.org/sites/default/files/gotriangle_system_map_06.21_t.pdf
- boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2022/03/Route28_Report_FINAL.pdf
- linktransit.com/routes_and_schedules/entire_system_map.php
- cbsnews.com/news/housing-market-boise-idaho-least-affordable
- suntran.com
- https://prt.wvu.edu/
- thedaonline.com/news/prt-reopens-with-new-features-after-more-than-a-year-of-covid-closure/article_3b4feb44-f553-11eb-9d22-db4e5d079901.html
Image Credits:
- Six Flags Magic Mountan Fire By August B from Santa Clarita, USA - Magic Fire_8, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5244336
- Garfield High School, Seattle By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5785762
- Seattle Public Library By Jeff Wilcox from Seattle, WA, USA - seattle public library, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4068238
- Central Park Video by CityXcape : pexels.com/video/panning-shot-of-central-park-4062048
- KC Main MAX By David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20160709 003 KCATA Max Bus, Main St. @ 31st St, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54444114
- Morgantown PRT time lapse footage By Antony-22, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Morgantown_Personal_Rapid_Transit_time-lapse.webm
- Thumbnail PRT By Antony-22 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61800198
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
Contact: nerd4cities@gmail.com
For two years, COVID-19 worries and the emergence of work-from-home as a viable option for some employers have meant plummeting ridership on US transit systems. At the same time, declining revenue sources like payroll and sales taxes, as well as fares, have often meant service cutbacks.
Today we look at the ten cities that had the least decline in ridership since the pandemic's onset, and try to see what they did right. Fare-free systems, new services, increased focus on maintenance -- we'll cover it all here.
Patreon - a new way to support continuing CityNerd output!
patreon.com/CityNerd
Twitter: @nerd4cities
Instagram: @nerd4cities
Other CityNerd Videos referenced:
- Regional Rail Systems of North America: youtu.be/0fVmQR1GONk
- Cost of Car Dependency 2022: youtu.be/c2rI-5ZFW1E
- Big Cities, Small Transit: youtu.be/pNH05BczfZw
- Small Cities, Big Transit: youtu.be/Ftenw2IsJDY
- The Best Freeway Lids in America: youtu.be/Bp0faVOdf2c
- Where to Lid Freeways : youtu.be/K6xyOCEpAVU
- America's Humungous Parking Lots: youtu.be/Oqsk73g6tqI
- North America's Top Cities for Ferry Travel: youtu.be/PUaNGCY6JZo
- Unexpectedly Walkable Neighborhoods in the US: youtu.be/C1hUR5v4aok
- Freeway-Heavy Downtowns of the US: youtu.be/WYsJx1urS3Y
- Ginormous Freeway Interchanges of the US: youtu.be/4rgH0MUaHx8
Resources:
- dcist.com/story/20/11/30/dc-metro-proposes-reducing-service-cutting-weekend-trains
- ktvu.com/news/bart-to-cut-service-in-half-in-response-to-covid-19-ridership-drop
- gothamist.com/news/mta-cuts-back-subway-service-as-crews-face-dramatic-increase-in-covid-rates
- dailygazette.com/2020/04/04/cdta-will-require-riders-to-board-at-rear-door-but-waive-fares
- dailygazette.com/2020/08/12/cdta-to-resume-fare-collections-on-wednesday-aug-19
- decaturil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/DPTS_Route_Map_5_17.pdf
- census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/south-west-fastest-growing.html
- NTD data: transit.dot.gov/ntd
- santaclaritatransit.com/routes-schedules
- townofchapelhill.org/government/departments-services/business-management/fee-schedules/transit-policies-fee-schedules
- gotriangle.org/sites/default/files/gotriangle_system_map_06.21_t.pdf
- boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2022/03/Route28_Report_FINAL.pdf
- linktransit.com/routes_and_schedules/entire_system_map.php
- cbsnews.com/news/housing-market-boise-idaho-least-affordable
- suntran.com
- https://prt.wvu.edu/
- thedaonline.com/news/prt-reopens-with-new-features-after-more-than-a-year-of-covid-closure/article_3b4feb44-f553-11eb-9d22-db4e5d079901.html
Image Credits:
- Six Flags Magic Mountan Fire By August B from Santa Clarita, USA - Magic Fire_8, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5244336
- Garfield High School, Seattle By Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5785762
- Seattle Public Library By Jeff Wilcox from Seattle, WA, USA - seattle public library, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4068238
- Central Park Video by CityXcape : pexels.com/video/panning-shot-of-central-park-4062048
- KC Main MAX By David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20160709 003 KCATA Max Bus, Main St. @ 31st St, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54444114
- Morgantown PRT time lapse footage By Antony-22, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Morgantown_Personal_Rapid_Transit_time-lapse.webm
- Thumbnail PRT By Antony-22 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61800198
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
Contact: nerd4cities@gmail.com
