The Uber-fication of Public Transit with Remi Desa
We have to understand why people are not using bus service or public transit. If we can address that, and we can make it more convenient and more people want to use it, then I think we can put policies around public transit. But without that, it’s difficult to force people to do things when you don’t give them a better alternative.
Listen to this episode
Intro
Remi Desa, CEO and Co-Founder of Pantonium, sits down with Brooke to discuss his company’s innovative proposal to improve public transit: on-demand buses. Remi believes in a future where public buses can respond in real time to their users instead of following a set schedule. His concept has already been implemented in several cities in North America, demonstrating huge increases in bus ridership, and decreases in mileage and operating costs. Remi’s combined background in engineering and entrepreneurship has led him on a fruitful journey to change how we experience public transportation.
In this episode, Brooke and Remi discuss:
- The huge increase in digital communication and data that has made his vision a reality
- The North American tendency to treat public transportation as a last-resort, instead of a viable, efficient option
- The necessary spectrum between on-demand models and set schedule models
- Maintaining public transport accessibility
- Cities’ risk aversion to changing their transportation systems
