RSG092: Jarrett Walker Tells Us Why Uber and Lyft are Hurting Public Transportation

If you ask Uber and Lyft about all the benefits they provide to cities, you might think that they’re the next best thing since sliced bread. While there’s no doubt Uber and Lyft have revolutionized the way people get around cities, are they doing more harm than good? Today, I’m talking to a big name in the transportation space about Uber and Lyft’s impact on public transportation. 

If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.

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Intro

  • Today I’m chatting with Jarrett Walker, author of Human Transit, on the impact Uber and Lyft are having on public transportation
  • Excited about this interview because public transportation is a topic I don’t know much about
  • Jarrett Walker, today’s guest, is a big name in the transportation space and has been an international transportation consultant for over 25 years
  • We’re going to talk about Uber, Lyft and public transportation – he has some critical yet important points to make
  • Don’t forget to leave a review for the RSG podcast on iTunes! It helps the podcast get cool guests like Jarrett and more – you can leave a review here

Interview with Jarrett Walker

  • Jarrett Walker in an international consultant in public transit planning and policy
  • Also the author of the book Human Transit, and the blog humantransit.org
  • Mostly works on the reform of bus networks, the design and redesign of bus networks and bus layer of public transit networks
  • Was a ‘teenage transit geek’ in Portland, OR
  • Get your first audiobook FREE when you sign up with a 30 day trial of Audible! Sign up with Audible using our link to receive your first audiobook free here.

Current State of Public Transportation

  • Need to maximize ridership & address problems of climate and justice
  • How to make transit more attractive to wealthier people?
  • Struggle between those who are trying to make transit useful and those trying to make it sexy
  • Generational changes in public transit as well – pursuing a useful service for more people

Public Transit and Uber + Lyft

  • Immediate impact of Uber/Lyft was to compete with public transit
  • Took some number of fortunate riders off public transit
  • Effect on ridership – and on elite opinion
  • Taxes are one way to counteract the negative impact U/L has had on public transit

Potential Solutions for Solving Tension Between Rideshare + Public Transit

  • Integrated transit apps
  • Spatial problem of managing space in cities
  • Greater transparency of information and providing people with information to make smart decisions

Outro

  • Big thanks to Jarrett for coming on the podcast and talking to us about Uber/Lyft and public transportation
  • There was actually a lot more I wanted to talk to him about – sounds like we may have to bring him on for another episode?
  • If you have questions for Jarrett, let me know in the comments! What would you like to hear in the next episode?

Show Notes

If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.