The U.S. transportation system has long been rife with inequality, making it more difficult for low-income people, people of color, and people with disabilities to get where they need to go. When Covid-19 hit, ticket revenues shrank, workers got sick, and services were cut, even as low-income "essential workers" disproportionately depended on public transit to get to work. In rural communities, where public transit was already sparse and unreliable, owning a car literally became a matter of life and death. In this episode, Laura explores the history; a century ago, fears of a communicable disease helped turn the tide against public transportation for decades. Today, in the midst of another pandemic, how are public transportation systems, rural and urban, going to survive? What alternatives exist? And what if we consider not just new 'modes' of transport and new infrastructure, but the principle of "mobility" itself? Could new systems and better information sharing solve our transportation challenges?
Episode Duration: 26 minutes and 46 seconds
Episode Number: 116
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THE LAURA FLANDERS SHOW is an award-winning public affairs series that reports on community-led initiatives across the U.S.
creating a more inclusive society.
Host Laura Flanders - a New York broadcast journalist, author and contributing writer to The Nation - talks with experts and people on the front lines of artistic, cultural, social and economic movements.
Each episode blends reporting with in-depth interviews of leaders in the arts and small business world, profiling individuals and organizations uplifting and revitalizing their communities.
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