Scheduled to Fail: How Transit Agencies Are Running Buses Nobody Rides—and What Data-Driven Tools Can Do About It
Across American cities, buses run predictable routes on predictable schedules—even when ridership patterns have shifted dramatically and seats remain empty mile after mile. Outdated planning frameworks and a reluctance to embrace real-time analytics are costing agencies millions while leaving actual commuters underserved. A new generation of AI-powered optimization tools is beginning to challenge that status quo.