Quote:
Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan
We can sum this thread up in just a few words. Multiple residents of cities across the country are stating facts as well as personal experiences as to how and why transit systems have gotten way worse over the last few years in regards to crime and crackheads on trains but Crawford has ridden these trains a few times and doesnt buy any of it cause there has always been homeless people on trains.
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Correct. I see zero evidence that public transit has notably more issues than pre-pandemic. And, in any case, I don't believe this issue drives ridership trends.
The fact is that ridership plunged March 2020, nationwide, and started clawing its way back as soon as the pandemic waned. This is almost certainly almost entirely due to changed commuting patterns, bc off-peak and weekend ridership has fully recovered.
If what people are saying is true, and people are avoiding transit due to something other than commuting patterns, then ridership would be down in non-commuting hours. But it has fully recovered. The question of "bum counts" or "public disorder counts" can't really be measured, so I believe most of these perceptions are largely skewed by incessant political narratives demonizing urban life in the U.S.
It's probably true that at the height of the pandemic, one would notice "more bums" bc there were barely any "normal" riders. 90% of the riders were gone, but obviously the bums weren't staying home. But those days are long past.