Remote work is the answer public transit and inter-city bus services have been looking for all along
If public transit agencies can target these workers with WiFi, charging outlets, and amenities like call booths, they will be in a unique position to capitalize on ridership increases.
Hey reader,
This week’s essay is about one of my favorite topics — public transportation. I live in a very walkable neighborhood in a small town. Most of the amenities I need and want are a walk or bike ride away.
Yet, I own a car, and I absolutely hate that fact. Here I present a case for how public transit agencies and inter-city bus service operators can attract remote workers and thus reduce the need for individual car ownership among this growing population of workers.
I hope you enjoy, and would love to hear what you think. Please respond to this email with your thoughts!
Community Shoutouts
Welcome to the 5 new subscribers since last week’s dispatch! I hope today’s essay inspires you to get on a bus in the coming days.
A few readers responded to last week’s essay stating that they’d never heard the term “async work” before. I’d love to know if there is terminology used here or elsewhere in the remote work space that you aren’t familiar with. Could be an interesting topic for an upcoming newsletter.
Now, let’s hop the bus.
Remote work is the answer public transit and inter-city bus services have been looking for all along
Summary
If public transit agencies and inter-city bus networks can target workers with WiFi, charging outlets, and, big picture dreaming here, amenities like call booths (because no one likes sitting next to the guy talking loudly on his phone), they will be in a unique position to capitalize on ridership and reap the rewards.
Knowing that I can get work done while in transit is a highly motivating factor to even commute to a coworking space or cafe in the first place when it’s not required that I do so.
Across the United States, 5 percent of workers take public transit to work on a daily basis. In dense major cities, that number is higher, while in smaller cities and rural areas, it’s lower. Millions of Americans depend on bus and rail service as their primary means of transport, and if transit agencies play their cards right, millions more could choose to do so in the coming years.
Still, public transit ridership in the US has fallen since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and in many cities that rend had begun before the pandemic started.
Here is why this doesn’t have to be the case.
American metro areas haven’t made it easy for public transit riders
Crowding onto a bus during the height of Covid wasn’t most people’s idea of a good time. Beyond those who depend on public transit as their primary means of transportation, seats on buses, light rails, and subways went largely unfilled.
Most Americans, outside of major metros like New York and Chicago, view public transit as inefficient and slow, and ultimately, more of a pain than driving — even in heavy traffic.
This is particularly true in rural communities and smaller cities, where a one-way ride is likely to take 30 minutes or more, trains aren’t available, and buses make the rounds only every hour (and sometimes less frequently).
In some parts of the country, safety on public transit is also a primary concern.
Some 52 percent of Americans describe where they live as suburban, according to a 2017 American Housing Survey. Suburbs are, by design, not optimized for public transit. Indeed, they are optimized for nothing other than cars and sprawl.
Public transit flows most efficiently when cities are built in predictable patterns, ideally in a grid. Remote workers have the power to provide a massive boost to public transit agencies, and because they live everywhere now, they need to embrace it.
How remote workers fit in
Transit agencies and inter-city bus operators must embrace and target the remote work movement. WiFi on buses and trains is an absolute necessity, and it’s easier than ever to bring to fruition through emerging technologies like DH Wireless Solutions, Tanaza, and Starlink.
When a ride on public transit — even a long one — isn’t slowing down the productivity of a rider’s day — rather, it increases it — that rider will be more apt to choose to ride public transit rather than driving or booking a rideshare.
I live in a small town of 3,000 people, which is 20 minutes away from the small city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Our town is serviced by Grand Valley Transit, and I’m fortunate to have a bus stop a quick walk from my home. Service runs each hour.
I frequently go into Grand Junction to work at a coworking space or cafe (where I write most of these newsletters) and whenever possible, I take the bus. It takes one hour and requires one transfer.
Because I’m fortunate to work remotely, I often open my laptop and complete small tasks while in transit. I may look abnormal now — I see the gazes from other passengers — but in 10 years this will be the norm. The fact that I can get necessary evils like email and Slack messages out of the way instead of having to focus on driving is invaluable. I have even worked on writing and editing projects on these bus rides.
Knowing that I can get work done while in transit is a highly motivating factor to even commute to a coworking space or cafe in the first place when it’s not required that I do so.
Public transit is in a unique position to benefit
The Urban Mobility 2.0 Index, a study conducted by Arthur D. Little, found that 2/3 of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050 and that the demand for public transit will increase dramatically due to the congestion in cities.
As autonomous vehicle technology increases, urban residents will increasingly become accustomed to not driving. However, this technology will not solve congestion if Little’s population migration metrics are to be believed.
Also increasing over that time period will be the number of remote workers. This will shift the dynamics of traffic patterns, as fewer knowledge workers are in a rush to get to an office by 9 am. If public transit agencies and inter-city bus networks can target these workers with WiFi, charging outlets, and, big picture dreaming here, amenities like call booths (because no one likes sitting next to the guy talking loudly on his phone), they will be in a unique position to capitalize on ridership and reap the rewards.
Inter-city bus services can change the game
For example, take a look at the Bustang service from the Colorado Department of Transportation. Launched in 2015 as Colorado’s only inter-city bus service, Bustang connects the corners of the state via coach bus service. I’ve taken the Bustang across Colorado many times, most frequently from Grand Junction to Denver or vice-versa, though several other route options are available.
I frequently describe the experience as a “business-class Greyhound.” The buses are nicer, the seats more spread out, and the big win is onboard WiFi, provided by a transceiver that beams 4G wireless coverage as a private connection.
The trip across the Rockies from Grand Junction to Denver takes about five hours and includes stops in most towns along the way, several of which are mountain resort communities. Even beyond work tasks, WiFi encourages ridership by providing entertainment and allowing riders to stay in contact with colleagues, family, and friends.
It’s now possible in Colorado to commute across the state by bus, be deposited at a transit center in your destination, and then connect right there to local bus or train service to your final destination. Not only is this making public transit efficient, it allows riders to maintain their day’s productivity even while traveling, and its eco-friendly to boot.
It’s time for remote workers to step up to the plate
Things could be heading in the right direction. Greyhound was recently acquired by FlixMobility, whose priority is to expand intercity bus service in the United States. FlixMobility CEO told Smart Cities Dive, “The traditional intercity bus network needs to stop the erosion of traffic and that will require investments and new ideas,” said Schwieterman. “FlixBus can bring that.”
The company operates in 36 countries and is bringing influence from Western Europe, where public transit is ubiquitous, to Greyhound.
Because most digital nomads and even remote workers who spend most of their time in one place don’t own a car, or share one car with a partner, being able to commute around the country and within single locations by bus is both highly convenient and more affordable than Ubering and flying everywhere.
As remote workers, we need to be proactive about taking transit when possible, rather than immediately opening the Uber app and booking a ride. It’s more eco-friendly, cheaper, and doesn’t have to inhibit our productivity.
Mountain Remote news and further reading
The future of gas(less) stations is arriving. Regardless of one’s thoughts on Elon Musk, this is a huge development and is sure to spur competition.
It’s a fitting follow-up to a story I wrote for Matador Network in 2020 about the UK’s first gasless gas station.
Incentive programs are luring thousands of remote workers to place like Tulsa, Oklahoma. All these non-coastal cities need now is WiFi on their buses.
Thanks for reading! See you next week.