Back to Better: Managing Transit Congestion for Improved Commuter Experience Amid COVID-19

Crowding on trains and buses is not a new challenge. Many commuters and city dwellers are used to congestion, especially during peak hours. Transit agencies have historically been confronted with alleviating this congestion while continually promoting increased ridership. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has dramatically altered ridership and calls for a new understanding of how to effectively manage crowding to protect commuters. Conversely, transit agencies have had to manage an extreme lack of crowding on certain lines throughout shelter-in-place.

In April 2020, City Tech hosted a virtual roundtable and gathered a group of subject matter experts specialized across the private and public sectors to discuss the evolving dynamic between transit operations and public health. This roundtable explored solutions that were being considered for crowd management pre-pandemic that can now be adapted to align with public health considerations and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

While the new challenges transit agencies face are complex, this scenario offers an opportunity to develop new partnerships and practices that not only allow our cities to bounce back, but to return to something better than what we knew before.

Molly Poppe, Chief Innovation Officer of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), summarized CTA’s current challenge as providing efficient service equitably across the system, despite limited buses, trains and workforce, to allow for safe, reliable trip planning. Poppe shared that “CTA needs to assume COVID-19 is always a threat. Transit agencies and service providers should adapt accordingly to protect customers and sustain operations.” Dr. Wayne Giles, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, echoed that until the pandemic completely subsides, commuters will need to abide by social distancing and that the best way to encourage this behavior is by making the healthy choice the easy choice.

In Chicago, city and regional transit lines have experienced up to a 97% decline in ridership during shelter-in-place orders. Others, however, are seeing a smaller decrease closer to 40-50%; these lines serve lower-income neighborhoods on the City’s south and west sides, which are home to many of the essential workers staffing our hospitals, grocery stores, and other crucial operations. Commuters along these lines are continuing to experience crowded trains and buses, which poses a serious public health threat.

Participants from CTA, Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Metra, and Pace agreed that service needs to be more agile. Dynamic scheduling that responds to demand could help lower the wait time for transit and reduce the number of riders per vehicle or train. However, limited equipment inventory and staffing are major obstacles for providing dynamic scheduling. Until transit operations can offer that agility, supplement solutions to crowding must be considered.

Rikesh Shah, Head of Innovation at Transport for London, reflected on tactics used during the London 2012 Summer Olympics to help manage commuter congestion. Beyond operations, he said agencies must deliver information to commuters that identifies choices while trip planning. New tools that assess transport services and broadcast that data in real-time to commuters can inform decisions, improve rider experience, and help show that a transit operator has the customer at the heart of its proposition which can build trust.

Participants from Intel and Engineering USA provided examples of existing capabilities that, if implemented on transit, can generate better data for both real-time decision-making and long-term analysis. Weight sensors and heat mapping can help determine real-time congestion; density alarms and proximity wearables can offer response tactics to maintain social distancing; and thermal monitoring and contact tracing strategies, respectively, can prevent and monitor the spread of disease.

When considering these solutions, there will need to be a transparent use and benefit communicated around any collected data to ensure responsible usage and to maintain public trust. In the case of COVID-19, the data captured through new technology must lend to an operational plan that communicates crowdedness to commuters and offers alternate routes or scheduling if their first choice does not abide by social distancing guidelines. Additionally, these solutions should be implemented universally across a transit system to provide all commuters equal access to advanced trip planning resources.

Encouraging commuters to adopt advanced trip planning is a large-scale behavior change. Doug Palmer, Vice President and behavioral scientist at Ideas42, highlighted the unique opportunity to develop a strategy that leans on the “fresh start effect.” Shifting the perspective to be a new beginning rather than something temporary can help riders adopt and sustain new behaviors, especially if the change yields an improved experience.

The immediate and most important improvement will be increased safety measures that can help essential workers and those traveling during social distancing feel comfortable during their commutes. After we have recovered from this pandemic, the same solutions can apply to the simpler problems we knew before – When should I leave the office to get a seat on my bus ride home? Will there be room for a stroller on the next train car?

To support new behaviors, transit agencies can consider leveraging strategic partnerships or building their own programs to manage commuter demand. Commuter rewards programs can encourage multi-modal options, traveling outside of peak hours, or suggesting better trip plans for riders – ultimately reducing congestion. Similarly, employer-based programs can engage large, concentrated groups by offering transit benefits to alleviate rush-hour congestion, especially in the downtown core.

The main takeaway of this discussion revealed that implementing new technology within transit operations and encouraging adjustments in commuter behavior can offer not only a near-term response to COVID-19, but solutions to long-lasting challenges. Prioritizing the availability of capacity information and sharing that data with riders before a trip is taken and in real-time will help inform and address any concerns when returning to transit. While there is a great need and sense of urgency to solve the issues we are experiencing right now, there is an opportunity for forward thinking that simultaneously solves problems of our past and future.

As an urban solutions accelerator, City Tech has always been focused on our cities’ biggest problems. Our unique position allows the ability to quickly develop sustainable, tech-enabled solutions. The current pandemic has revealed the complexities of certain issues and, while the circumstances are not ideal, City Tech is fortunate to accept the call to action, continue our mission, and do that alongside our consortium of partners. We are hopeful this discussion and continued conversations will lead to implementable interventions that can help our cities exit this pandemic happier, healthier, and more productive than before.

About the Author: Kate Calabra is the Partnership Development Associate at City Tech. Kate works to facilitate strategic partnerships and collaboration to build solutions for critical city challenges. Before joining City Tech, Kate managed corporate sponsorships and coordinated national, educational events as a Senior Associate at the American Planning Association. Previously, she was a Fellow at the Metropolitan Planning Council, a Chicago-based nonprofit that develops and promotes strategies for equitable, regional growth. Kate holds a bachelor’s in Public Policy with a concentration in Urban Studies as well as a bachelor’s in Community Psychology from DePaul University and is completing her master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Michigan State University. Currently, Kate is a member of Women in Planning and Development. Kate also serves on the Associate Board of Housing Opportunities for Women as well as the Events Committee for Territory, a nonprofit focused on strengthening civic engagement and community involvement among Chicago’s youth.