TransitCenter is working to make transit agencies more accountable, attuned to best practices, and responsive to rider needs.
Improving Agency Practice
Existing agency practices in governance, planning, operations, and technology are not oriented to deliver fast, frequent, and reliable transit service attuned to riders’ needs. Both organizational culture and institutional barriers, as well as a lack of updated standards and guides, are impediments to adopting new practices.
The Reforming Agency Practice program aims to lift up innovative ideas and practices that make for better transit on our streets and contribute to more just and sustainable cities. We work in three key areas that we believe, if reformed, will significantly impact the industry as it currently exists.
Governance: Inconsistent governance and leadership are major barriers to improving public transportation in the United States. Our work aims to promote accountability and good governance practices amongst mobility agencies, transit agency boards, and executive leadership so that the agencies work in service of their riders.
Featured project: Board Member Workshops.
TransitCenter supports and runs training programs for transit agency board members in order to increase knowledge of transit and to build leadership capacity.
Workforce + Talent: Transit agencies are facing unprecedented challenges with regard to their workforce: a looming wave of retirements in the coming decade, rigid labor-management relations, prolonged hiring timelines and procedures, and a lack of diversity in leadership positions. Supporting the development and adoption of new and more progressive practices towards the workforce will help attract the talent needed to improve transit.
Featured Project: Women Changing Transportation
A lack of diversity in leadership positions hampers agencies’ effectiveness and makes them less likely to serve all of society well. This yearly mentorship program seeks to create a supportive network for women in the industry — a place where women can not only share their challenges, but also work collectively toward solutions.
Delivering Operations: The need to reform operating practices in order to reverse recent ridership losses has never been stronger, yet transit agencies have largely been slow to make the necessary changes. We are working to uplift agency practices that embrace progressive and innovative ways to tackle problems to operational issues.
Featured Project: Tackling Bus Bunching in Austin, TX
Working with Capital Metro and contracted operators MV Transportation, we helped to pilot active dispatching to combat bus bunching.
