Dear governments, ride-sharing is not a fix-all for poor public transport
Public transport needs investment and infrastructure
Third-shift workers are a constant challenge for transport providers
You might not think Florida would be the bastion of progress for accessible transport, but you’d be surprised. Let’s take a look at some specific solutions offered by Florida’sPinellas Suncoast Transit Authority(PSTA):
The PSTA bus service on many routes ends between 7 pm and 9 pm, creating a problem for people working nights or in the early morning, such as restaurant workers and security guards.
Many of these residents have below-average earnings that qualify them for low-income support (for example, offering an $11 monthly bus pass, a discount of more than 80% off the regular price).
Still, with no public transit service available at less in-demand times, commuters relied on friends or family with a vehicle, relatively expensive ride-hailing or taxi services, or walking and biking to get to work — often in the middle of the night.
In response, in 2016, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) launched a program calledLate Shiftthat partners with a ride-hail service like Uber as well as local taxis to service late-night or early start workers. Participating residents can take up to 25 free trips to or from work in a month, between 10 pm and 6 am
It’s a great initiative, although is worth remembering that people use public transport for reasons commuting to work that are also valid.
The challenge of the first-mile last-mile journey
Working overnight hours can make it hard to get to work. While trains in major cities may be running, the connecting bus services may not.
And, the further out you live from inner urban areas, the less likely you are to have access to micromobility options like hiring an escooter or ebike from near your home.
One solution in practice is using private providers to offer first-mile,last-milesolutions. Pinellas County provides an additional program calledDirect Connectin partnership with Uber and United Taxi. It provides up to $5 off a ride-hail trip for workers going to or from a designated PSTA bus stop between 6 am and 11 pm.
90% of the program’s funding (around $500,000 per year) comes from the statewide Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, with PSTA providing a 10% local match.
In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) issued a call fora similar proposalin 2019 to improve mobility for people who work the late shift by connecting them with the subway. Unfortunately, the tender process appears to have stalled due to COVID-19.
These are great programs — in theory. Walking to and from late-night transport can be unsafe. This is especially in areas with inadequate street lighting and sidewalks.
Do public-private partnerships create an excuse for government inactivity?
I’m concerned that these programs give cities a free pass in building safer spaces and outlier transport. Especially when the biggest beneficiaries are private providers like Uber, that are subsidized by public transport authorities.
But what’s the alternative? Will increasing buses off-peak result in more empty buses? Does it risk wasting fuel and labor costs for no real benefit? Or will people take transit more when frequency increases? Can the needs of the public still be met consistently when governments rely on for-profit companies to deliver essential services?
I recently spoke with Alex Shapland-Howes, co-founder and CEO at UK mobility startupRide Tandem, about the balance between the structural failings of governments to adequately address transport poverty and the role of private companies in filling the gap.
Ride Tandem works with local taxi, minicab, coach companies, and employers to provide shared commuter services for low-income workers in areas with poor public transport connectivity outside cities and major towns.
According to Shapland-Howes, in the UK, “a quarter of working-age people live in areas with both high deprivation and poor public transport connectivity — as more than25% of bus routes have been axed over the past decade.”
The problem is a lot bigger than just getting to work or home cheaply after a night out.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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