#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.""

#freetransit becoming popular as a way to reduce drunk driving

Need a sober ride home on New Year's Eve? Public transportation is free - StarTribune.com: "But revelers who hit it too hard don’t have to risk getting a ticket and the hefty fines that come with a DWI. On Thursday, representatives from the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments, the Hennepin County and Ramsey County sheriff’s offices and the Minnesota State Patrol teamed up to encourage celebrants to use free public transportation for a safe ride home."

Indianapolis victory for mass transit

indystar : "Proponents of a public transit ballot referendum to increase bus service in Indianapolis declared victory Tuesday night, hailing the income tax hike approved by voters as a long-term solution for the city's transportation woes and a benefit to workers and employers, alike.

"Today our city has taken a monumental step toward improving talent retention, enhancing economic development and growing our tax base," said Mark Fisher, vice president of government relations and policy development of the Indy Chamber."