The Future of Public Transportation

This new book “The Future of Public Transportation” is written by transit industry leader Paul Comfort and over forty top public transport leaders, CEOs, futurists and associations. This book examines the transformations coming this decade of the 2020's to North American and global cities and the public transportation systems that serve them allowing readers to become more informed and ready for these changes.

In the next few years technology enhancements will produce and expand game changing new mobility options such as autonomous vehicles on regular bus routes and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) smart phone apps allowing passengers to plan, pay for and subscribe to a full menu of traditional public transit and private microtransit options for their travel. Cities will further regulate and optimize the rampant expansion of e-bikes and e-scooters. Mobile public transit fare paying options will expand including allowing the use of not only cell phone and tap and go credit cards but even wearable fare payment bracelets, necklaces and watches.

Traditional transit systems are rebooting their bus networks, adding in high frequency routes and reducing the friction that slows their buses by adding bus only lanes, transit signal priority (TSP) and electronic fare payment systems. Take a look at who is doing what and how it's resulting in increasing ridership in many cities after a decade of decline.

Uber and Lyft have now entered the public mobility marketplace and are supplementing or replacing public transit services for many. Transit fleets are becoming greener shifting to alternative fuels like electric or hydrogen, large multi-national firms are transforming how we build and operate new rail and other capital projects through Public Private Partnerships (P3). Hyperloop and air taxis are looking more like science than fiction. Cities are becoming “smart” and eliminating traffic in the public square or charging for its usage in peak times. Most transit software is moving to the cloud and privately-owned electric automobiles could be the autonomous taxicabs of tomorrow.

All these trends and innovations in technology and business models are explored in depth in this book with the collaboration of thought leaders, industry associations, CEOs and the major companies that are creating and utilizing them.