Microtransit: Episode 11

Links and stuffs

Timestamps

• 00:00 Intro: Microtransit (thanks, Silicon Valley)
• 00:24 The News
  • 00:24 Crossrail (Elizabeth line) opening ^[1]
  • 00:42 Tempe, Arizona streetcar opening ^[2]
• 01:03 Theme song
• 01:34 Editor's note: industry obfuscation
• 02:24 A consultant's "definition" of microtransit ^[3]
• 03:12 Microtransit: state-subsidized Uber Pool
• 03:33 The trouble with point-to-point
• 04:50 As run by a transit agency
• 05:32 Vehicles
• 05:55 Origins: dollar vans & jitneys; NYC subway strikes
  • 06:45 Manila's "Jeepneys"
  • 07:20 Helsinki's Kutsuplus route-deviated buses
• 08:00 Meet the startups: Via, Bridj, Chariot, and Split
• 09:17 Transit agency branding
• 09:47 Arguments for microtransit
  • 10:13 Equity
  • 10:40 Accessibility: similar to paratransit
  • 11:36 Speed & wait times
  • 12:13 Convenience: automobility & walking
  • 12:56 First- & last-mile (or more) connections
  • 14:02 Lower cost (BS)
  • 14:17 Covid safety nonsense; train/bus ACH
• 16:55 Microtransit in the real world
  • 17:11 Chariot went out of business
  • 17:50 KCMTA's pilot failure
  • 18:41 Rarely netting above 5 rides per vehicle per hour
  • 19:50 Operating costs & rideshare
• 21:54 Arguments dismantled ^{[4] [5]}
  • 22:16 Equity (it's worse than a regular bus)
    • 23:09 Point-to-point is unnecessary
    • 23:41 Bikes & bike infra please
    • 24:29 KCMTA should've spent the money on a bus
  • 25:02 Accessibility: good point. Paratransit should be better.
  • 25:54 Speed & wait times: both are way worse than fixed-route
  • 27:00 Convenience: irrelevant (see wait times)
  • 28:05 Contributes to road congestion
  • 29:33 First- & last-mile: walk, bike, roll
  • 30:32 Lower costs: literally false
• 30:42 Microtransit is a bad idea (grand conclusion)
  • 31:05 The Kutsuplus is a route-deviation bus done better
  • 31:36 Cop-out to avoid fighting to improve service
• 32:35 Bike infra please
• 33:13 Opportunity cost ^[4]
• 33:51 Don't let your transit agency do this
• 34:33 Outro

References & notes

1. [1] TfL: All aboard the transformational Elizabeth line
2. [2] Valley Metro: Streetcar is now open in Tempe
3. [3] FTA: Shared Mobility Definitions
4. [4] TransitCenter: The Limits of Microtransit
5. [5] Human Transit: What is "Microtransit" For?
6. [6] Bloomberg CityLab: How the Microtransit Movement Is Changing Urban Mobility
7. [7] 2020 Annual Agency Profile: LA Metro
8. [8] 2020 Annual Agency Profile: Utah Transit Authority
9. [9] Vox: These startups want to do for buses what Uber did for taxi rides
10. [10] Smart Circle: The rise of the Microtransit movement
11. [11] Utah Transit Authority Quarterly Microtransit Pilot Project Evaluation
12. [12] Yann Leriche: Microtransit: The Next Mobility Revolution or Much Ado About Nothing?
13. [13] Streetsblog USA: The Story of "Micro Transit" Is Consistent, Dismal Failure

References with conflict of interest

14. [14] Mass Transit: The Role of Microtransit for Better Equity and Inclusion
15. [15] Strong Towns: Transportation's Missing Middle
16. [16] Via: What is microtransit?
17. [17] SUMC MLC: Microtransit Service Expands Operating Hours to Weekends in Jersey City, New Jersey, 2021