Transit professionals at 5,300+ U.S. universities and colleges are preparing for the return of in-person learning in the fall semester. Many university administrators are relying on new sanitation procedures, vaccine requirements, and hybrid in-person/online instruction to make a college campus feel like, well, a college campus. However, COVID-19 has changed the definition of the college campus feel for many. Universities … Read More
Electrification Will Not Move Us Far Enough
Electrifying our existing transportation network has clear benefits, ranging from reduced climate impacts to improved public health outcomes especially in urban areas. However, our collective excitement to “go electric” may be disguising the need to address larger issues with our transportation system. Buying an electric car to replace a combustion car requires just as much physical space to drive and … Read More
Addressing the Barriers to the Freedom of Movement for All
Prologue: Yesterday, we launched the first of two special episodes of The Movement Podcast showcasing challenges that people with disabilities face to access mobility and what can be done to improve it. You can catch that episode here.
How Sharp Financial Acumen Can Loosen the Grip on Local Transit Budgets
The questions circling the future of public transit have put transit professionals in a precarious position. How will you predict the level of service needed to meet the demands of your riders? How fast will the demand for ridership come back to pre-COVID-19 levels? How will business, schools, and leisure travel change? Will our world be relegated to shopping online … Read More
Editorial: Can the American Rescue Plan Save Transit from Itself?
Transit professionals around the country joined in a collective sigh of relief with the passing of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), and its $30 billion in funding for transportation. After more than a year of facing budgets deep in the red, transit can breathe again. Agencies will use most of the ARP funding to pay back debt, restart paused … Read More
The Magic of Transit Hardware and Software Implementation
We believe in magic because “we are the magic,” as our team loves to say. We are the Client Implementation department: the landing spot for TransLoc’s new customers and projects. The moment the ink on the contract dries, we take a customer’s transit project from an idea on paper to an optimized and accessible system. The magic we create is … Read More
Editorial: Fixing Transit Requires Grappling with Racism
The U.S. and Europe have vastly different public transit systems. The accessibility and affordability of Europe’s robust public transit system is in contrast to the U.S., which, at best, is convenient and expensive in major cities and non-existent in many rural and suburban communities (hence microtransit‘s recent surge in popularity). Why do these differences exist? Transit is complex. Understanding why … Read More
Reimagining Public Transportation Safety after COVID-19
As we continue to heal from the pandemic, public transit agencies find themselves at the intersection of efficiency and risk mitigation. A great transit system is a reliable one. When COVID-19 swept across the country, transit systems had to operate in a new landscape plagued with fear and uncertainty. These reliable services were now in disarray. In an abrupt shift, … Read More
Let’s Get Smart About Airport Ground Mobility
As airports bounce back from 2020’s record-low airline passengers while juggling new operational challenges, as well as passenger and employee expectations for a clean and safe air travel experience, the time for smart airports to take flight is now. What are Smart Airports? The term smart airports encompasses the use of connected technologies to optimize airport operations at all levels, … Read More
Finally, It’s Infrastructure Week in the U.S.
After four years of talk, Infrastructure Week became a “catch-all term” meant to offer empty promises to the American people. From the beginning of 2017, there were talks of bipartisan efforts to rebuild America’s highways, bridges, railways, and airports, but unfortunately not much was accomplished in this area. Alas, despite broad support from the American electorate—69% of Americans agreed in … Read More
Accelerating Public Transit’s Recovery with Scenario Planning
As we all know, COVID-19 had a dramatic impact on public transit ridership. According to a report prepared for the American Public Transportation Association, public transit ridership fell 79% nationally compared to 2019 levels as a result of the pandemic. Furthermore, even if you only looked at the second half of 2020 when ridership started to pick up, it only … Read More
Inequitable Public Transit: A Detriment to Community Health
Health is everything. If that wasn’t clear before, then the COVID-19 pandemic made it crystal. The absence of a healthy body and mind robs people of life’s greatest joys.
The Definitive Glossary of Transit Terms
As with most industries these days, transit is evolving. Technologies are emerging, new mobility options are becoming available, and people are moving more freely than ever before. From bikeshares to buses, to scooters and autonomous vehicles, it can be hard to keep up with the new and exciting developments happening in the world of transportation.
The True Cost of Your Daily Commute
Let’s start with the benefits of public transit I’ve always enjoyed the many benefits that come from using public transit. I got to ride my bike to the bus stop, gaining a few minutes of exercise along the way. On the bus, I either caught up with friends or colleagues or I read a book. On the way home, our … Read More
Your Mayor Should Be Riding The Bus
After losing his wife and daughter in a car crash in 1972, newly-elected US Senator Joe Biden famously took Amtrak home from Washington DC to Wilmington, Delaware almost every day so that he could be home for his two sons as they grew up. So now that we have our first modern public transit-riding president en route with Joe Biden, … Read More
Happily Ever After
As I wait on the dock for the boat ride from my hotel over to the Magic Kingdom to see Disney World for the first time, a grey-haired skipper happily greets me.
Hiring Tips for Engineers — Come Join Our Team!
It’s an exciting time at TransLoc. Not only are we changing the way the world views public transportation, but our parent company Ford Mobility recently acquired Journey Holding Corporation, creating a newly-formed organization along with TransLoc. This is going to enable us to support more customers, more riders, and change more lives. With the joining of these two companies, we … Read More
Supply Begets Demand…
In my first job after college, I walked to work every day. At that time, I worked at the UNC General Alumni Association, in the heart of the Carolina campus, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world.
How Bikes Became One of the Best Things to Happen to Feminism
Today we celebrate the ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States’ constitution giving women the right to vote. While voting is arguably one of the greatest equalizers in our nation, women’s mobility — bicycles specifically — liberated women and established greater equality across various domains including fashion and commerce, health and recreation, gender roles and relationships, politics, race, … Read More
Creating Vibrant Cities: Going Above and Beyond Traditional Transportation
Last week several members of the TransLoc team traveled to New York City for the 2019 ACT International Conference. This year’s conference brought together over 650 professionals from across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe to discuss a wide range of transportation topics and solutions to enhance mobility in communities worldwide. There were 40 educational sessions focused … Read More
Use Data or Lose Everything: Transit Agencies have a Choice
A TechCrunch article from May offers a simple, clairvoyant thesis about the future of the auto industry: “Automakers have a choice: become data companies or become irrelevant.” The message is clear: traditional vehicle manufacturers will no longer have dominant market positions when mobility data, not vehicle hardware, is the ultimate valued commodity. The same can be said not only for … Read More
Microtransit is a Value Investment
“You have to understand the makeup of Montgomery County and how much area we’re serving. We could no longer afford to put fixed route services in those areas, but they’re still going to get better service, through these new mobility options.” – Brandon Policicchio, Chief Customer and Business Development Officer, Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, Ohio At TransLoc we believe … Read More
A Versatile Mobility Solution
“Existing urban transit modes can continue to operate, but today citizens demand more than simply expanding old systems. They have access to smartphone apps and flexible ride options that have become popular by focusing on ease of use and a great rider experience.” Transit leaders are struggling to overcome the obstacles presented by an increasingly outdated public transit system. As … Read More
The Best Time to Plant a Tree was 20 Years Ago. The Next Best Time is Today.
I grew up on 10 forested acres of land on the side of a mountain on the outskirts of the western North Carolina city of Asheville. My parents built our house overlooking Haw Creek Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our nearest neighbor was a third of a mile through the woods.
Microtransit Puts Opportunity Within Reach
This is probably one of the most exciting things that’s happened in public transit in my lifetime. We’re creating the future.” – Mayor Jeffry Wosje, Plymouth, Minnesota. Midsize metropolitan areas are growing, and traditional transit is struggling to serve those rapidly growing populations and shifting demographics. In rural areas, fixed-route buses are often limited or non-existent, impeding access to opportunities … Read More
Kansas City Paves the Way for the Evolution of Microtransit
“This new transit option empowers customers to make the choice that works best for them. It’s customer-driven transit.” -Robbie Makinen, President and CEO of Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
The Moral Argument for Free Public Transit
The fundamental role of public transit is to provide access. According to the American Public Transit Association, almost half of the 10 billion annual trips on public transit are commuting to jobs and another 21 percent are for shopping. Seven billion trips annually on public transit directly support the American dream of having a good job and providing for one’s … Read More