Transit riders are worried about safety. Police in Philly are trying a new approach
Homelessness and drug use became more visible on public transit during the pandemic, worrying commuters. Philadelphia is now pairing cops with social workers to help those in need.
Public transit systems in the U.S. are struggling. Ridership plummeted during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the numbers are still only 61% of what they were before the pandemic.
This is partly because commuters have been slow to return to in-person work. Another factor, though, is wariness.
"I would say safety is absolutely a reason why we see a decline in ridership," says Yasha Zarrinkelk, coalition manager with the advocacy group Transit Forward Philadelphia. "There's a hesitancy for riders to get back on the transit system."
Some of that hesitancy is based on high-profile violent crimes, such as the mass last week or the in front of multiple witnesses on a train in Philadelphia last fall.
