Podcast Episode 31 - Ride Sharing, Taxis, and Transit

The TransitMatters Podcast returns from break with a discussion on Lyft and ride sharing services with special guest Tyler George, General Manager of Lyft Boston. Tyler has a spirited discussion with hosts Josh Fairchild, Jeremy Mendelson and recurring panelist, sound engineer (and former General Manager for both Zipcar's Chicago operation and for Hubway bike share here in Boston) Scott Mullen. Our discussion focused on ride sharing services and its effect on the Taxi industry and Transit. This episode was recorded in the studios of WMBR 88.1fm Cambridge, engineered by Scott Mullen, and edited by Charleston Sarjeant.

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Podcast 06 - Dealing with Overcrowding | Guest: Amateur Planner

We are joined by the Amateur Planner to talk about transit challenges such as crowded trains and buses, planning and managing bus routes, taxis, parking, fares, and some ways we can do to improve our transit system.

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Over Capacity:  This train sat in the Downtown Crossing station for 2.5 minutes due to overcrowding.

Links to news and other items mentioned in this show:

• Boston City Council moves to regulate Uber & Lyft

• Boston Hubway stations open through December

• New parking garage opens in Salem

• Boston offers free parking on Saturdays during the holiday season

• MBTA reports record ridership (again)

• The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup (UCLA)
• The Walkable City by Jeff Speck
• EZ-Ride shuttle from North Station to Lechmere, Kendall, Cambridgeport
• Cities in Motion 2 game
• Watertown seeks more, better bus service (letter)
• MBTA Route Performance Indicators (pdf)
• Traffic Hackers data on driving times (project of Amateur Planner)
• EVENT: Livable Streets 10 in 1 Street Talk, Tuesday 12/16 at 6pm

Visit the Amateur Planner site for even more informative transit analysis, including a fantastic look at Route 70 and 70A in Cambridge, Watertown and Waltham.

The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews and more. We focus on sustainable transportation planning, operations and policies in Boston and beyond. Transit Matters is a joint project of local transit enthusiasts Marc Ebuña, Jeremy Mendelson and Josh Fairchild.

Read more about the podcast and send us your questions, comments and ideas for topics or guests >> contact us.  Or share your thoughts on anything we discussed in the comments below.

Like this project? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the RSS feed (iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes.

Podcast 05 - Post-Election Roundup | Guest: Walking Bostonian

Above: Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates in the 2014 race at the MassEquality 2014 Gubernatorial Forum. (Flickr: Tim Pierce)

The panel is back for a post-election show crush-loaded with over an hour of the latest transportation news and analysis, this time joined by the Walking Bostonian (Matthew Danish) to explain how the theory of induced (travel) demand applies to roads and transit in Boston. We learn about everything from our most frustrating transit line (hint: it's green) to efforts to re imagine a boulevard of death (Commonwealth Ave in Allston & Brighton) to an entirely new neighborhood about to be created in Allston -- if we get it right.

November's show would not be complete without a recap of the election including the repeal of gas tax indexing, speculation on transit's future under Governor Charlie Baker and how we might build on the legacy of the late Mayor Menino.

We also discussed: making Commonwealth Ave (Allston/Brighton) safe for people; Mass Pike straightening and the future West Station; restoration of some weekend commuter rail service; the Fairmount Line; South Station expansion and the North-South rail link; thinking about Hubway as part of the public transportation network; a lazy bike safety report; the Lynn ferry experiment; and potential transit solutions for the Seaport District.

The Transit Matters Podcast is your source for transportation news, analysis, interviews and more. We focus on sustainable transportation planning, operations and policies in Boston and beyond. Transit Matters is a joint project of local transit enthusiasts Marc Ebuna, Jeremy Mendelson and Josh Fairchild.

Read more about the podcast and send us your questions, comments and ideas for topics or guests >> contact us.  Or share your thoughts on anything we discussed in the comments below.

Like this project? Share it around, tell your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to the RSS feed (iTunes) to be notified of new posts and episodes.