Transportation deserts remain in Beaver County

Midland has just learned public transportation is returning to the borough, but there are still many communities in western Pennsylvania that remain without service.

The lack of access to public transportation can be problematic for many residents in these communities. These transportation deserts, often in rural areas, impact those who are unable to drive themselves around, whether through physical disability, lack of vehicle access, or other reasons, and many also may not be able to use alternative transportation options such as taxi services.

A transportation desert is defined as an area with poor or no public transportation options. Midland fit this description for the last few years after the Beaver County Transportation Authority dropped its routes there in 2017 for cost reasons. But while the BCTA announced this week it will again offer a route this summer in Midland, transportation deserts are still in some Beaver County communities like Monaca and Bridgewater.

Art Guzzetti, vice president for policy and mobility for the American Public Transportation Association and a former Beaver County resident, said he is not shocked how transportation authorities like BCTA cut routes in areas that don’t fit the needs of the region.

”They had express routes taking people from Beaver County and outlying county into downtown Pittsburgh, and one of those has been cut, which is not unusual today,” he said recently. "Transit systems have adjusted, saying one time this was rock solid, but, right now, we just have to use our resources in the most logical and efficient way, and that service really isn't meeting our service standards right now.”

Guzzetti said public transit systems such as BCTA will utilize civic mapping tools to determine the optimal fixed-route areas for their Demand and Response Transit programs. BCTA's route selection is based on the fare revenue earned and the usage of fixed routes in county areas.

BCTA General Manager Mary Jo Morandini said the Midland Route was discontinued in 2017 due to insufficient ridership that didn't justify the funding. With a new route going into the area, Midland’s transportation issues may be solved, but some places in the county will remain without coverage.

Guzzetti said if people are looking for excellent and frequent public transportation options, living in low-populated areas like Beaver won’t fill that need because of BCTA's goal to find the best way to utilize its resources to service the county, even if that means limiting routes and focusing its efforts toward ride-share programs. He said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, urban systems such as the Pittsburgh Regional Transit were able to identify the essential services and increase their routes and services.

“A lot of the core transit systems has been re-emphasized because the pandemic revealed ridership,” Guzzetti said. “Some riders never went away, and some riders did go away. This made transit authorities wonder who the core rider was and let's serve them better. Let's make their service more frequent. They're the ones that are going to be there for us. Maybe they are home commuters that ride, a few times a week, you know, let's serve them, too. But they're not our core riders.”

Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft tend not to service transportation deserts due to the profitability aspect – though no public transportation exists and, consequently, it would make sense for ample riders to drive around, rural areas are not as profitable due to lower population density, longer travel distances and relatively lower incentives for drivers.

These factors are often mentioned as potential challenges. According to Pew Research Center findings in 2019, nearly 19 percent of rural Americans use ride-hailing apps. In comparison, the usage rates are higher in urban and suburban areas at 45 and 40 percent, respectively.

Thus, the area relies heavily on BCTA’s ride-share program. BCTA’s DART, service is a system that provides shared rides with advanced reservations, and transportation is provided from the passenger's doorstep. Guzzetti supports the ride-share program the BCTA offers residents, saying it is crucial for many individuals who rely on medical appointments not close enough to a fixed route.

“We have to embrace mobility as a kind of gift embracing universal mobility to say, no matter what your walk of life, public transportation,” Guzzetti said.

“Let's say we have someone who has a disability who is not going to be in the workforce, but with a good ride option, they will," he said. "It's wise to invest in mobility provided through transit. It's just a matter of how much resources we have and how we manage them.”

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Transportation deserts remain in Beaver County