The Express Newsletter From Jawnt - #4

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Post initially published here.

⏲️ In brief

🚧 What does the I-95 bridge collapse mean for the future of transit in Philadelphia?

• The I-95 bridge reconstruction has gone better than expected, with temporary lanes already opened.
• In the meantime people have adapted, with some commuters switching to SEPTA.
• But what lasting impacts, if any, will the collapse have on transit in Philly?
• More info below ⤵️

🎫 The history of transit fares, from tokens to tap-and-go. Read more in our recent blog post.

• The technology we use to pay for a ride on public transit is constantly evolving.
• We gave a brief overview of this topic in our last newsletter, but now we’ve gone deeper with a blog post examining the history of transit fare payments.

🚎 Mobility news

🚧 Deeper dive:  I-95 bridge collapse

• In the wake of the I-95 bridge collapse, many expected the worst.
• But repairs are ahead of schedule, and Philly avoided cataclysmic congestion.
• The better-than-expected traffic in the weeks following the collapse offers an important lesson:
  - We often think about rush hour traffic as a fixed demand for roadway…
  - But the immediate aftermath of the collapse showed that people can adapt their travel fairly easily.
  - People can switch routes, skip discretionary trips, or take another mode.
• Americans tend to assume there isn’t enough roadway, but the takeaway from this incident is that there’s probably too much!
• So what does it mean for transit?
  - SEPTA stepped up to the plate and added more service to several Regional Rail lines.
  - The immediate impact was a 14% jump in ridership across four lines.
• But the long-term impact may be more transformative…
  - In the wake of the collapse, City Council scheduled hearings on the long-proposed Roosevelt Avenue Subway.
  - Councilmember Mike Driscoll has pointed out that if the project were built, Northeast Philly would be less reliant on I-95 in the future.
• So far the bridge collapse has led to positive indicators for Philly transit, but with temporary lanes on I-95 already open, we’ll be watching to see if the momentum holds 👀

🚇 The uneven recovery of transit ridership

• Not all transit agencies are faring the same in terms of regaining ridership: Depending on the week, New York’s MTA reaches 70-85% of its pre-pandemic ridership.
• SEPTA is a bit farther behind, reaching 50-65% in recent weeks.
• In the San Francisco area, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has struggled more than some of its peers.
  - Its ridership has been hanging between 35-42% of pre-pandemic levels.
  - The system was designed to serve commuters coming into San Francisco from the suburbs…
  - So it has been hit particularly hard by remote work flexibility.
• BART and many of its peer agencies are exploring different ways to reinvent themselves to adapt to the new normal.
  - This includes seeking new sources of funding to offset decreased fare revenue,
  - Changing fare structures to attract more riders,
  - And adapting transit service to fit rider needs beyond the 9-5 commute.

🧡 Jawnt news

🚋 It’s conference season! We’ll be at the APTAtech Conference in Anaheim and ACT's Annual International Conference in Seattle. Let us know if you’ll be there - we’d love to catch up!

🚴 Jawnt’s own Leo Walsh and Andreas Mazarakis went to 30th Street Station last month to help our customer Amtrak enroll their employees in subsidized Indego bike share passes.

🚌 Interested in joining the Jawnt team or know someone who might be? We’re hiring! Take a look at our current job postings.

💐 Potpourri

🚌 Philadelphia’s newly passed FY2024 city budget includes dedicated funds to provide free transit passes for city employees as well as individuals living at or near the poverty level.

🔔 Leslie Richards, CEO & GM of SEPTA, was highlighted in a recent profile by Philly Mag. It’s worth the read if you have 30 minutes to spare :)

🏢 A great benefits package is a difference maker in a competitive job market and can foster higher worker engagement and productivity. We’ve gathered everything you need to know about the world of employee benefits in our latest blog post.