Microtransit services to boost public transit ridership and increase mobility

We face enormous challenges in transportation. Our infrastructure is overloaded, while traffic and congestion continue to balloon. In the U.S., transportation has become the number one cause of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to do better, and it starts with improving public transportation.

While there have been incremental service improvements in public transit from innovations like mobile ticketing and real-time tracking, virtually all bus systems still provide the same static routes and schedules that have struggled to sufficiently attract riders for decades.

“The traditional role of public transit is changing as disruptive technologies are forcing transit agencies to evolve and be more demand responsive,” says RTD Assistant General Manager, Bill Van Meter, in KPMG’s latest study on mobility. “Agencies need to look at themselves as mobility integrators that promote convenience and connect seamlessly to other mobility options. Agencies that simply focus on providing traditional fixed-route service may become less relevant as customers demand more and better options.”