Linking transit programs to housing can lower administrative costs and streamline the process for riders.
A new free transit program in Seattle will provide free travel to 10,000 public housing residents, reports Daniel C. Vock in Route Fifty, shifting funding that was originally targeted to young transit riders. Youth in Washington state will now receive free fares thanks to a state program.
This isn’t the city’s first experiment with free transit for public housing residents. “In fact, Seattle provided nearly 2,000 public housing residents free fares under a pilot program that started in 2019, according to the mayor’s office.” The city also took steps to provide free transit to some low-income workers during the pandemic.
Tying transit incentives to housing can help the city streamline the program, explained Katie Wilson, general secretary of the Transit Riders Union. “The approach makes administering the program easier, and it could make it easier for residents who, for example, lose a pass to show they qualify for the program.” Advocates like Wilson hope the city and state will continue to expand free transit programs to more residents.
FULL STORY: Another City Expands Fare-Free Transit
Free Transit Starts September 1 for Seattle Youth
Sound Transit is launching a fare-free program for young riders in the hopes of educating and recruiting future riders and making schools and jobs more accessible to transit-dependent youth.
Philadelphia Could Lose Free Transit Program
The city’s upcoming budget doesn’t include the Zero Fare program, which offers free SEPTA fare to more than 24,000 residents.
Popular Tampa Bus Route Going Fare-Free
The initiative, which starts on January 5, is funded by parking fees.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service