izations, including Workers’ Dignity and their MCRU campaign, as it represents a pathway to economic opportunity that is vital. The MCRU campaign is rooted in principles of equity, and utilizes public awareness campaigns, advocacy, and community organizing as key strategies to facilitate change.
Recently, MCRU released its Bus Route Report Card: Nashville Bus Riders Highlight Key Transit Priorities, which is a compilation of grades by over 600 riders on 36 different routes of the Nashville’s WeGo public transit system. The report compiles responses based on 10 standards of quality public transportation and analyzes the results. The report found that the highest-rated bus routes based on safety, accessibility, convenience, reliability, and other measures are in predominantly white neighborhoods, while routes rated lower are in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods.
The takeaway from the report is more than simply grades, however, as there are tangible and real world needs that MCRU seeks to address. Some of these include:
- Increasing public safety investments, as 14 of the top 20 most dangerous pedestrian crossings are in working-class neighborhoods, and there have been 1,636 pedestrians injured and 78 fatalities after being struck by vehicles in dangerous intersections since 2014
- Expanding bus service to 24-hours for low-income night shift workers
- Increasing bus frequency in heavily populated working-class neighborhoods on weekdays
- The building of bus shelters at every bus stop in the city, with a priority on neighborhoods historically neglected by city services
In addition to raising awareness about the need for public transit investments, through its community organizing efforts, MCRU has gained several substantial victories to improve the public transit system and address transit equity. These victories include the institution of free bus transfers (saving each rider about $540 monthly); expanded hours on nights and weekends for routes; reduced bus fares across the board; eliminating the 24-hour reservation requirement for AccessRide, which serves many disabled riders; and the inclusion of a bill pay kiosk after the public transit system cut bus service to the Nashville Electric Service.
While these accomplishments are to be lauded, more transformational changes are needed, ones that require major public investment. One issue is that public transit improvements and initiatives are funded through ballot measures, which often pit voters who rely on public transit against voters that don’t use it as often. And the scope of these measures is incredible. According to the Eno Center for Transportation, which houses a database of all transportation ballot measures, in the 2018 fall election cycle, there were over 250 transportation measures in 25 states, amounting to a potential $55 billion investment in transportation. Nashville was one of the cities with a measure, which failed by a 2-to-1 margin. The measure sought sweeping changes to the transit plan, along with an investment of more than $5 billion. MCRU and Workers’ Dignity launched the People’s Alliance for Transit, Housing, and Employment (PATHE) in conjunction with Nashville’s transit measure to advocate that community benefits agreements and considerations were included in the plan.
Ultimately, transit equity is a vital issue for every community. By considering the role transit plays in people’s lives, nonprofits can leverage their influence to ensure that their constituencies have access to equitable transportation options that can lead to a healthier and more secure future.—Derrick Rhayn