Beverly Scott
Jarrett Walker
PART 1: HOW THE PANDEMIC WALLOPED TRANSIT SYSTEMS
When Americans were told to avoid crowded spaces, that meant buses and trains, subways and streetcars. Our policy hackers outlined what happened in the months that followed, and some of the lessons policymakers learned along the way.
Widespread service cuts
Nationally, transit ridership fell by 80 percent, so it’s no wonder that many agencies dialed service way back. Some switched to a weekend schedule or stopped late-night service.
But hackathon participants said those cutbacks soon created new problems. Essential workers working low-paying service jobs whose value Americans finally recognized — but didn’t remunerate — still had to go to work at grocery stores, nursing homes, hospitals and, yes, transit agencies.