This is an ongoing series that will keep you informed about the goings-on in the transit industry. Hopefully, it will provide little perspective on the larger environment in which DART operates.

This week: a prominent transit think tank singles out DART for getting it right; New York City subways are on the rebound; and transit systems in the West are enhancing their payment systems. Read on to find out more.

Growing options in Texas

San Marcos Corridor News provides a detailed report on the state of transit in Texas. The upshot:

[M]any Texans, including many of our most essential workers, haven’t stopped relying on public transit during the pandemic. As Texas’ explosive population growth continues to put pressure on our roads and transportation networks, advocates hope to keep public transit a viable mobility option.

The article goes on to give a nice shout-out to DART:

Researchers stress the need to look beyond the status quo to new ideas and modes of mobility. […] Michael Walk, a research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, points to DART as an example. […] “DART and its regional partners stand out for their approach,” Walk says. “They don’t limit themselves to traditional transit offerings within individual jurisdictions; instead, they offer regional passes, support innovative services and focus on regional mobility.”

Back on track in New York

New York City’s transit is on its way back to being the bustling system it was pre-pandemic – in fact, it’s recording the highest ridership numbers since the pandemic began, with more than 2.2 million on the subway system alone. Metro Magazine notes:

Prior to the pandemic, average weekday ridership totals routinely exceeded 5.5 million in the subway system. That figure fell by more than 90% to a low of roughly 300,000 daily trips last April as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in the New York City area. […] MTA employees continued to provide service for the frontline healthcare professionals and other essential workers who needed to get to work during some of the most troubling days in New York City history.

Contactless in California

In other transit news, Southern Nevada adds bikesharing to its transit app; Monterey and Salinas, Cal., offer a new option for contactless fare payment; and DART’s Student Art Contest gets some play in Good Life Family magazine.

This is an ongoing series that will keep you informed about the goings-on in the transit industry. Hopefully, it will provide little perspective on the larger environment in which DART operates.

This week: a prominent transit think tank singles out DART for getting it right; New York City subways are on the rebound; and transit systems in the West are enhancing their payment systems. Read on to find out more.

Growing options in Texas

San Marcos Corridor News provides a detailed report on the state of transit in Texas. The upshot:

[M]any Texans, including many of our most essential workers, haven’t stopped relying on public transit during the pandemic. As Texas’ explosive population growth continues to put pressure on our roads and transportation networks, advocates hope to keep public transit a viable mobility option.

The article goes on to give a nice shout-out to DART:

Researchers stress the need to look beyond the status quo to new ideas and modes of mobility. […] Michael Walk, a research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, points to DART as an example. […] “DART and its regional partners stand out for their approach,” Walk says. “They don’t limit themselves to traditional transit offerings within individual jurisdictions; instead, they offer regional passes, support innovative services and focus on regional mobility.”

Back on track in New York

New York City’s transit is on its way back to being the bustling system it was pre-pandemic – in fact, it’s recording the highest ridership numbers since the pandemic began, with more than 2.2 million on the subway system alone. Metro Magazine notes:

Prior to the pandemic, average weekday ridership totals routinely exceeded 5.5 million in the subway system. That figure fell by more than 90% to a low of roughly 300,000 daily trips last April as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in the New York City area. […] MTA employees continued to provide service for the frontline healthcare professionals and other essential workers who needed to get to work during some of the most troubling days in New York City history.

Contactless in California

In other transit news, Southern Nevada adds bikesharing to its transit app; Monterey and Salinas, Cal., offer a new option for contactless fare payment; and DART’s Student Art Contest gets some play in Good Life Family magazine.

This is an ongoing series that will keep you informed about the goings-on in the transit industry. Hopefully, it will provide little perspective on the larger environment in which DART operates.

This week: a prominent transit think tank singles out DART for getting it right; New York City subways are on the rebound; and transit systems in the West are enhancing their payment systems. Read on to find out more.

Growing options in Texas

San Marcos Corridor News provides a detailed report on the state of transit in Texas. The upshot:

[M]any Texans, including many of our most essential workers, haven’t stopped relying on public transit during the pandemic. As Texas’ explosive population growth continues to put pressure on our roads and transportation networks, advocates hope to keep public transit a viable mobility option.

The article goes on to give a nice shout-out to DART:

Researchers stress the need to look beyond the status quo to new ideas and modes of mobility. […] Michael Walk, a research scientist at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, points to DART as an example. […] “DART and its regional partners stand out for their approach,” Walk says. “They don’t limit themselves to traditional transit offerings within individual jurisdictions; instead, they offer regional passes, support innovative services and focus on regional mobility.”

Back on track in New York

New York City’s transit is on its way back to being the bustling system it was pre-pandemic – in fact, it’s recording the highest ridership numbers since the pandemic began, with more than 2.2 million on the subway system alone. Metro Magazine notes:

Prior to the pandemic, average weekday ridership totals routinely exceeded 5.5 million in the subway system. That figure fell by more than 90% to a low of roughly 300,000 daily trips last April as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in the New York City area. […] MTA employees continued to provide service for the frontline healthcare professionals and other essential workers who needed to get to work during some of the most troubling days in New York City history.

Contactless in California

In other transit news, Southern Nevada adds bikesharing to its transit app; Monterey and Salinas, Cal., offer a new option for contactless fare payment; and DART’s Student Art Contest gets some play in Good Life Family magazine.