At the start of 2020, the transit industry was positioned to enhance all of the tools in its already existing arsenal – smart partnerships, technology, data expertise and more – to push forward trends such as autonomous vehicle innovation, the shift from fixed to flexible transit modes, and an increase in public-private partnerships that have altered the mobility landscape and serve as a catalyst for new technologies and new solutions. But then a global pandemic hit, devastating global economies and industries, particularly within the transportation sector. As a result, the industry’s mission adopted an entirely new purpose.
The goal of transit can no longer be to simply innovate and modernize in order to exist within future smart cities. Today, the industry is also tasked with having to pivot to survive in a world that’s been turned upside down by a global health crisis.
In the wake of COVID-19 and the unprecedented events of 2020, the goal to modernize transit will continue. In fact, it is during these times that a digital transformation will not only continue, but accelerate and amplify. But it is through a new lens that transit reform will take shape – one that puts public health, safety, equity, and access first.
With ridership in flux and the future of public transit seemingly questioned everyday, municipalities are reacting and responding with solutions that work for riders today, and support city goals of tomorrow. Learn how transit agencies are approaching this time of change and uncertainty in our white paper “Creating Safe Services: Taking Your Transit Agency Past the Pandemic.”