Polar ice melting, action? Reduce #publictransit ridership

Chicago Tribune: "The rule of thumb in the transit industry is that a 10 percent hike can reduce ridership by about 3 percent, said Ian Savage, a Northwestern University economics professor who specializes in transit issues."

Tulsa Public Schools high school students can ride city buses for free 7 days a week as program expands

tulsaworld.com: "Tulsa Public Schools high school students can ride Tulsa Transit buses free of charge seven days a week, starting Aug. 1.

TPS Rides, a year-old partnership between the school district and the Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority, is being expanded from weekdays to include weekends, TPS announced Tuesday."

Counties provide what state won’t for transportation: leadership | NewsCut | Minnesota Public Radio News

Minnesota Public Radio News: "But county boards are faced with a choice: Provide the leadership on transportation issues that state leaders are unable or unwilling to provide, or wait for someone to somehow change the reality that Minnesota state government does not work.

There’s no sign that’s going to happen, especially with the growing influence of outstate legislators to call the shots for metro residents."

Bloomington Transit offers free rides June 15

Indiana Daily Student: "Bloomington Transit will offer free rides on all fixed routes June 15 in honor of National Dump the Pump Day.

They will be joining other public transportation systems nationwide to participate in the 12th annual event, which is sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association.

The day encourages people to use public transportation instead of driving, to save money, support local transit systems and use less gas."

MN - Ramsey County likely to increase sales tax for public transportation

twincities.com : "The St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce submitted a letter supporting the additional quarter-cent sales tax for transit, noting that transit “has become essential for businesses to attract and retain employees.”"

Whatever is spent on buses will come back many times in the reduction of auto and sprawl externalities.

Use of #publictransit associated with lower obesity rates

EmaxHealth: "King has said this research has suggested that along with benefits to the environment and more access to transportation for residents, investments at a community-level into public transit systems may also serve to benefit public health by decreasing rates of obesity. The study found that for each increase of 1 percent in a county’s population who frequently ride on public transit, obesity rates decreased by 0.2 percent.
Jacobson has commented that there is an opportunity for more physical activity when public transit is used instead of driving a car. When you drive your own car the walking part of a trip is cut out. A walk to and from a bus station or train station offers the opportunity for extra physical activity.
This study has been published in the journal Preventive Medicine. Researchers at the University of Illinois
analyzed the impact of the use of public transit on obesity. The findings offer support for how effective encouragement of use of public transit can be used as a strategy to fight obesity. It's an interesting thought that deciding to use mass transit instead of your car may help you stay fit and trim."

Minnesota - Students protest proposed transit cuts

MSR News Online: "At the end of 2016, more than 10,000 Metro Transit student passes were in use. Last Tuesday, May 2, several Minneapolis young people concerned about losing their primary means of transportation to school and other destinations publicly denounced the legislature’s proposed cuts to transit funding."

#freetransit leads to better school attendance

newscenter1 : "RAPID CITY, S.D. -
The city of Rapid City is touting results from the Rapidride Youth Ridership program.

Officials say that it is indeed having an impact on school attendance numbers. The Youth Ridership program offers free rides to area youths 18 and younger. Since September 2016, the number of youth riders has increased by nearly 2,500."

Public transportation advocates speak up in Minnesotaine

MSR News Online: "“Our main goal is to spread awareness,” Pachuta stated. We want to make sure people know about the state legislature proposing a 40 percent cut to transportation. We want people’s voices to be heard about what impact this will have on their lives. We really hope the governor and state legislature are paying attention.”"

Sprawl buyers remorse

Woodbury Bulletin : "The term "podunk" describes an insignificant and out of the way town or village. While it may be true that Woodbury was largely rural with a small population 50 years ago, what is wrong with that? And what is so great about Woodbury transforming into a giant suburban superpower full of impervious surfaces, cookie-cutter homes, big box stores, redundant fast food troughs and lights that cut out the stars at night? As someone who lives in the last remaining rural part of Woodbury's east side, I take pride in our agricultural and farming existence. We wake up early, get our hands dirty and don't take the beauty and gift of the earth around us for granted. My family has accepted and benefited from the inevitable adjacent development, but we certainly don't take pride in references to our land being a "blank slate ripe for rapid growth.""

Colorado Springs UCCS free buses for one week

Mountain Metro | Colorado Springs: "COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— All University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) students, faculty, and staff will be able to ride Mountain Metropolitan Transit fixed-route buses for free Monday, April 17 through Friday, April 21."

Employers suffering from car cultrue - Streator, IL

mywebtimes.com: ""Access to transportation for people with limited means is a problem in Streator. We have heard from employees who have trouble retaining their workforce, because they don't have reliable transportation," Wrighton told the council.

In fact, he said, one company has approached the city to express its willingness to help subsidize public transportation, so it can keep its good employees on board."

MN - #Autosprawl trolls want racist cuts to #publictransit

MSR News : "If one didn’t know any better it would appear the legislators were motivated by some kind of bias against city dwellers or at least certain segments of city dwellers.

Presently, both the House and Senate transportation committees are proposing deep cuts. The Metropolitan Council has said that it needs 74 million over the two-year budgetary period to keep pace and operate on its current level.

Yet the Republican led legislature’s proposal fails to acknowledge the request and instead has decided to cut the existing Metro Transit budget by about 24 million over the next two years. This would leave the Met Council $122 million short of what it needs to operate over the period."

Support your local #publictransit advocates in Indiana

Transportation Priorities at a Crossroads - Inside INdiana Business: "IndyGo's Marion County Transit Plan invests in a bigger fleet and longer hours (including weekend and later service), cutting travel times with wider coverage and new rapid transit lines. It triples the number of potential riders and doubles jobs within walking distance of high-frequency routes.

Indy's business community has made mass transit part of our economic agenda for nearly a decade; local employers want a system that reliably serves today's workers and appeals to new talent.

Access to employees is the common denominator that motivates growing businesses to invest and expand. The Millennial workforce is moving to major metropolitan areas, preferring walkable neighborhoods with convenient transit access - 20-30-year-olds use public transit twice as often as their older peers."

Southern Indiana, hard for poor to get to work

Tri-State News : ""We're just glad to be able to do our part to assist those people because there are so many people in this area that are qualified to work and the jobs are available," said Pastor Rabon Turner of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church. "If the only issue you are having is not being able to work, that's why we are here.""