What are the best transit cities in the US? The best Bus Rapid Transit lines? The most useless rail transit lines? The missed
opportunities?
In the US, the 25 largest metropolitan areas and many smaller cities have fixed guideway transit-rail or bus rapid
transit. Nearly all of them are talking about expanding. Yet discussions about transit are still remarkably unsophisticated.
To build good transit, the discussion needs to focus on what matters-quality of service (not the technology that delivers
it), all kinds of transit riders, the role of buildings, streets and sidewalks, and, above all, getting transit in the right places.
Christof Spieler has spent over a decade advocating for transit as a writer, community leader, urban planner, transit
board member, and enthusiast. He strongly believes that just about anyone-regardless of training or experience-can identify what makes good transit with the right information. In the fun and accessible Trains, Buses, People: An Opinionated
Atlas of US Transit, Spieler shows how cities can build successful transit. He profiles the 47 metropolitan areas in the US
that have rail transit or BRT, using data, photos, and maps for easy comparison. The best and worst systems are ranked
and Spieler offers analysis of how geography, politics, and history complicate transit planning. He shows how the unique
circumstances of every city have resulted in very different transit systems.
Using appealing visuals, Trains, Buses, People is intended for non-experts-it will help any citizen, professional, or
policymaker with a vested interest evaluate a transit proposal and understand what makes transit effective. While the
book is built on data, it has a strong point of view. Spieler takes an honest look at what makes good and bad transit and is
not afraid to look at what went wrong. He explains broad concepts, but recognizes all of the technical, geographical, and
political difficulties of building transit in the real world. In the end,Trains, Buses, People shows what is possible with the
right tools to build good transit.