S2 Ep 6: Mary Buchanan & Ron Thompson - Measuring Transit Equity in 6 Cities

High Frequency

In June, TransitCenter released the Transit Equity Dashboard. The dashboard uses maps and graphs to show how transit access varies by race, class, and other demographic factors in 6 major urban regions.

TransitCenter Senior Research Associate Mary Buchanan led the development of the dashboard. In this episode, Mary explains the importance of access to opportunity metrics, and how these metrics can be used to measure equity. Mary also shares major findings from the dashboard, and explains how this type of data can bolster advocacy efforts for more equitable service.

Ron Thompson is Policy Officer at Greater Greater Washington. Ron joins us to reflect on what the dashboard tells us about inequitable transit access in the DC region. In particular, he describes the East-West divide in the city, and how it affects access to hospitals for Black and Latinx residents.

“The data illuminates that in many US regions, the transit systems are providing more access to white people compared to people of color, while at the same time in those cities we know that the demand is much higher from people of color for transit.” - Mary Buchanan

To access the Transit Equity Dashboard, click here.

To view a video tutorial of the dashboard, click here.

For more on Greater Greater Washington, click here.

For more on TransitCenter, visit us here.

Hosted by Kapish Singla
Edited by Ali Lemer and Kapish Singla
Produced by TransitCenter
Music: “Comma” - Blue Dot Sessions
Disclaimer: Political views raised by guests on the podcast do not reflect the views of TransitCenter.