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The SEAT of Poor Public Transit

Poor public transportation is one of the most largest factors keeping communities in poverty. Public transit in Memphis is no different. Here, the Memphis Area Transit Authority is the only transit provider, and the vast majority of its users depend on it for everyday life. However, many testimonials have shown just how MATA's underfunded transit system fails to provide adequate transportation to those who need it most. We've found that there are four main categories of issues with transit: Safety, Efficiency, Access, and Timeliness, or SEAT for short.
Safety
  • No-show buses force riders to wait for hours in unsafe places or the dark.
  • Since buses drop off so far from workplaces, many people have to trek through the city before or after daylight. 
  • ​The poorly designed bus stops expose riders to the elements.
  • Nasty conditions attract wildlife (RATS and ROACHES) around bus stops and even the buses themselves.  ​
Access
  • The vast majority of bus routes arrive at least every 30 minutes, if not more. 
  • Many routes travel through unnecessary parts of town, and will detour into inefficient locations.
  • Only 26% of jobs are reachable in 90 minutes, while only 5% are reachable in 30.
Efficiency
  • Jobs in Memphis are becoming more and more widespread, with many taking place in the suburbs. The current transit fails to connect low-income neighborhoods around Memphis to the farther suburbs where their users work.
Timelines
  • MATA offers no indication of late or cancelled buses, wasting valuable time for dependent riders.
  • If a bus is cancelled, routes are stretched so thinly that the nearest bus stop is a half hour’s walk away.
Additionally, people in areas of higher social status do not rely on transit, so the transit standards in these areas must be higher to attract customers. This leads to a transit system whose quality corresponds to the wealth of the area, leaving impoverished communities with the most lacking options. This keeps them from accessing jobs, stores, and education, only raising the ceiling for escaping poverty. This is explained by Ghost Seay in the below video: