Recommendations in Support of the Economic Viability of U.S. Public Transportation Systems Post-Pandemic: An Analysis of Digital Technology and Barriers to Implementation

Abstract

Historically, mass transportation systems in the United States have struggled to get adequate funding to scale and provide necessary transportation service for their regions—limited by a country that invests mostly in car-centric mobility. The COVID-19 pandemic caused fundamental changes to commuting patents with the normalization of telecommuting and remote work, increasing vacancy in Central Business Districts and reducing ridership levels in favor of working from home. Legacy and newer transportation agencies were faced with the challenge of providing adequate transportation services in light of decreased ridership, high debt, and decreased revenues overall. This paper researches the role of digital technology as a means of providing U.S. public transportation systems with the means to bolster their service and meet the dynamic needs of a post-pandemic economy and new ridership patterns, in addition to, identifying the barriers to the successful implementation of digital technology in U.S. public transportation systems. I argue that digital technology can efficiently and financially support U.S. transportation systems’ post-pandemic needs and bolster ridership. Through the use of interviews and a case study of New York City’s Metropolitan Authority, I will analyze potential digital technologies that can improve the financial sustainability of U.S. public transit systems and their barriers to implementation. These findings may inform policy recommendations and changes to existing federal and state legislation, to help widespread implementation of digital technologies in mass transportation systems, not only in NYC but throughout the United States.