BACKGROUND
Public transportation ridership in the United States declined precipitously in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. While transit ridership has recovered nationally to about 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels, recovery has varied across transit agencies by size and mode.
Transit agencies throughout the United States are reassessing past practices and considering how they might change or adapt to better serve their communities. Many are experimenting with strategies and innovations to increase transit ridership by reshaping transit services in the near- and long-term through changes in current services, new service models, pricing and payment systems, communication, and other approaches.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this project are to (1) present cost-effective and evidence-based strategies and innovations to achieve increases in transit ridership in the post-pandemic era at transit agencies of different sizes and modes located in communities with different attributes throughout the United States and (2) identify research needs and strategies beyond the project budget that will help transit agencies increase transit ridership and the value of transit services to their community. The project should consider the following questions:
- What aspects of travel have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic that significantly affect transit ridership?
- How will different strategies that are intended to increase transit ridership affect different constituencies?
- What barriers exist to implementing specific strategies and innovations to increase transit ridership? How can these barriers be overcome?
- What data, methods, and metrics are needed to develop strategies to support increases in transit ridership in the near- and long-term that address community needs?
- How can transit agencies change their messaging to the community (e.g., current and prospective riders and decision-makers) to better communicate the value of transit services?
STATUS: A research team has been selected and the contract is being negotiated.