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