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Mass transit gets boost from ridesharing

January 23, 2017

“Mass transportation” is such an antiquated term. It helps to think in the mindset of a tourist now, as in the fact that ridesharing can be interchangeable with transit, or “transit-agnosticism.”

Some travelers are starting to think of ridesharing services and mass transit interchangeably thanks to new “first-last” mile partnerships that connect visitors with traditional public transportation. So are experts and local governments. Knowing about it could change the way you get around on your next vacation or business trip.

“Think of mass transportation as part of the vacation,” says Jeff Schramm, a Missouri University of Science and Technology. “It’s a way to experience a new place and learn about it and the people that live and work there.”

“Mass transportation is an old-fashioned way of talking about transportation supply,” says Matt Caywood, co-founder of TransitScreen, a mass transit technology company. “It’s defined as a type of transportation that carries a lot of people. But that’s not the perspective of the tourist, who’s just trying to get somewhere in a new city.”

Here’s what’s happening: Instead of adding bus lines or building train tracks, cities turn to the sharing economy to build out their transportation networks. Diana Mendes, a senior vice president for HNTB, a Kansas City-based infrastructure firm, tracks public-private ventures all over the country. They include the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

Read the complete article at USA TODAY

 
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