Select Page

I am getting a primer in public transportation this summer both via my lived experiences and my areas of study with my internship. Everywhere I have lived for long periods of time, Gettysburg and State College, there are both local, considerably vibrant public transportation networks consisting of buses. This summer, living in DC I am exposed to so many more options including the Metro, bike sharing, trains, car sharing, bus rapid transit, and extremely walkable places. I love riding the Metro to work each day and being able to participate in the privilege of a hearty public transportation network. Public transportation is a great leveler and is necessary for a just, equitable society. Being able to navigate space and enter areas efficiently is an issue of human rights and access to equal education and work opportunities.

I was tasked with studying the topic of MaaS for my internship which stands for Mobility as a Service. This is an idea that was spearheaded in Helsinki, Finland and entails all modes of transportation, either public or private be accessible via one service. Much of the read I have done on the topic terms it as “Netflix for transportation”. This would mean as a user you pay a single monthly fee, which depends on how much access you’d like and have access to all modes of transportation. Most of these systems have a digital interface. This means that when you wake up in the morning you are informed of how long it will take you to get to your desired destination and it would highlight any possible delays that would necessitate leaving early. Additionally, it shares the carbon foot print associated with each method of transportation. I find this idea of a streamlined, transnational in some cases, public-private partnership for transportation to be incredibly innovative. Transportation and congestion account for huge parts of global warming and increases in carbon in the atmosphere and these programs attempt to reduce their impacts.

I’m very excited to continue studying and experiencing public transportation. One thing I’ve definitely learned this summer is to be more aware of the access to it.