Transit Needs Tech and Innovation Now More Than Ever

Source: Gov Tech Published: September 17, 2020

Transit trends calling for more mode integration or data-driven decision-making have not been swept to the sidelines as the sector recovers from the COVID-19 crisis. In fact, transit may be leaning more on these efforts as it looks for more opportunities to rebound from sharp pandemic-related declines.

“Whether it’s service reliability, or analyzing data to make smarter decisions, or passenger information, these are trends that existed before the pandemic, but we’re seeing it now accelerate this digital transformation across agencies and cities around the world, and ultimately, I think, that will really help the industry emerge much stronger,” said Jonny Simkin, CEO of transit data platform Swiftly, during a CoMotion LA panel Sept. 17.

By now, the struggles faced by transit are not unknown. The novel coronavirus crisis and related economic downturn have presented public transit with a set of unprecedented challenges related to regaining ridership, ensuring public safety and managing the economic fallout that comes with drastically reduced funding.