Toward a Transit Hierarchy of Needs

The Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center operates demand response transit service in the Mississippi Delta region with 45 vehicles. The city of Gadsden, Alabama runs buses on four fixed routes, but not on weekends or after 3 P.M. The Chicago Transit Authority runs some of its heavy rail lines with no worse than 15-minute frequency, all day and night, on weekdays, weekends, and holidays. All three agencies operate what the federal government characterizes as public transit service, but they differ greatly in what roles they can play in the lives of the people that they serve. A political leader or transit advocate in Gadsden, who wants public transit to fulfill more of the needs of the city’s residents, could take cues from places like Chicago where transit has a larger role. Obviously this person will need to press for increased funding, but if they get it, spending it wisely presents its own challenges. They run the risk of fixating on the conspicuous elements of transit…