How One City Tried to Solve Gridlock for Us All

Kansas City is the largest U.S. city to adopt a zero-fare policy since its public bus system stopped charging riders in 2020. This policy change gives riders more financial flexibility and improves social and physical health outcomes as residents are walking more to get to bus stops and are also more connected to the community through increased access to transportation.

The government’s new mass transit system is making transportation cheaper and more accessible amid fare increases. With its fleet of buses and taxis, the Borno State Mass Transport System is strategically placing shuttle buses in areas with high commuter traffic, making affordable transportation more accessible.

The Bike Chicago program promotes active transportation and targets mobility hardship — common within working-class communities — by providing access to free bikes. The program launched in 2022 and has distributed over 2,000 bikes out of its 5,000 goal — with plans to continue distributing through 2026. After receiving a bike, about 12% of recipients report riding it almost daily, while 28% rides it three to five times a week.

The Final Mile project built 335 miles of bike lanes across five U.S. cities in 24 months to provide more transportation options outside of driving cars and make bike riding more accessible, thus addressing the urgent climate crisis, equitable access to goods and services and public health.

The Kansas City Streetcar provides fare-free transportation for residents, which helps to get them downtown and promote more economic development. The fare-free streetcar also makes transit more equitable by removing barriers for low-income passengers and improving mobility for people with disabilities.

Caltrain's $2.4 billion electrification of 51 miles of track replaced diesel trains with faster electric ones, resulting in ridership increases (it doubled on weekends) and shorter trips. This also led to an 89% reduction in riders' exposure to toxic pollution and an estimated 250,000 metric tons of annual carbon emissions reductions.

The Park East freeway teardown was completed 20 years ago and opened up 24 acres of prime real estate that has since seen increased property values, more space for pedestrians and recreation and has generated over $1 billion in private investment. The teardown has also resulted in less vehicle emissions in the area and further development and revitalization of the surrounding neighborhoods. Now, other areas in the city are turning to the success of the Park East teardown to inspire more freeway removals.

A community-led nonprofit restarted New Orleans’ bike-sharing program Blue Bikes with a focus on affordability and equity after a for-profit company ended it during the pandemic. The founders used the bike stands and tools left behind from the original program, the city provided spaces for the bike racks, and the funders provided money for a fleet of bicycles.

Since it began operating in 2018, the Pulse has become one of the most successful bus rapid transit services in the country, leading to other states adopting similar systems. The Pulse is a cost-effective public transit mode that has dramatically increased ridership despite a national trending decline. In June 2021, the Pulse had carried almost five million passengers and counting.

South Dakota Habitat for Humanity affiliates are tackling the affordable housing crisis by shifting from building single homes to developing entire subdivisions. In Sioux Falls, Habitat completed a 26-unit project and in Rapid City, Habitat purchased land and secured a $12.5 million funding package to build 40 units in the organization's largest-ever South Dakota development. Both projects are pricing homes below $300,000, making ownership more accessible to working-class families.