ModeShift

For decades, the bus system in Greater Manchester, UK failed to deliver reliable service for the region’s residents. The main culprit? A shift towards privatization in the’80s that allowed dozens of companies to operate in the city. As a result, ridership dwindled and services were slashed. In 2021, a UN-backed report described Manchester’s bus system as an "abject failure" and a "masterclass in how not to run an essential public service."

Yet in recent years Greater Manchester has seen a remarkable turnaround. Led by Mayor Andy Burnham, the region retook control of its bus system in 2023 and began rolling out a revamped transit system called the Bee Network. Made up of buses,trams, trains, and shared buses, the Bee Network has reversed the trend of falling ridership and helped connect residents in the midst of widespread growth and development in Greater Manchester.

In this episode, Mayor Burnham – who is currently in the public eye as a possible contender for Prime Minister – joins the show to dig into the history of buses in the city, his long history with political activism, and the remarkable and surprising impacts of the Bee Network.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Americans want better transit, and they’re making it known at the ballot box. Across the country, voters are approving policies that fund new infrastructure and reinforce existing transit services. In 2024 alone, 51 ballot measures passed nationwide, collectively securing over $25 billion in transit funding.

In today’s episode, we head to the boomtown of Columbus, Ohio to see how City Council President Shannon Hardin and COTA CEO Monica Tellez-Fowler collaborated on a years-long effort to design a transit initiative that truly resonated with voters.

We also head to Nashville, Tennessee to speak with Sabrina Sussman about how lessons learned from a failed past campaign informed a successful transit campaign in 2024. Finally, we explore how both cities are putting these funds to work—from launching new rapid bus lines to laying down hundreds of miles of new sidewalks.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Across America, millions of families are feeling the effects of an affordability crisis. As the cost of living continues to rise, one-quarter of us have no savings, and over half couldn’t afford a $1,000 emergency. 

As we scramble for solutions, one bold idea is staring us in the face: transit. 

In today’s episode, Adie Tomer, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies land-use and transportation, offers case studies and historical context to show how leaning into transit can put money back in Americans’ pockets and expand opportunities for employment and wage growth. With Adie as our guide, we travel from Florida to London, and from Ohio to an experimental housing project outside of Phoenix, to learn how transit can truly be an engine of prosperity.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Few technological advances have captured our attention like the rise of autonomous robotaxis. From San Francisco to Austin, Los Angeles to Miami, you can now hail a white Jaguar Waymo driven by…no one. 

Yet for Arielle Fleisher, AVs are about much more than cool technology: she sees them as a means to making streets safer. She also sees them as part of a broader integrated transit strategy that gives people more options.

In this episode, Fleisher, who serves as policy development and research manager at Waymo, unpacks several initiatives that strengthen the bonds between Waymo and public transit, and explains how Waymos can be a boon for public health.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

It’s no secret that America’s streets are dangerous: roughly 40,000 people die on our roads every year. In response, over the past couple of decades, 60 cities have embraced VisionZero — a framework for road safety developed in Sweden — to make roads safer by slowing down cars and expanding curbs and other infrastructure that makes pedestrians and cyclists more visible.

Although VisionZero has a mixed record in America, the tiny, dense city of Hoboken, New Jersey has emerged as proof that VisionZero can save lives and cut down on injuries. 

Much of that success can be attributed to the work of Ravi Bhalla, who served as mayor from 2018 until earlier this year. Bhalla added bumpouts to intersections, crosswalks and slowed speed limits across the city. As a result, Hoboken hasn’t seen a single road death since 2017 and drastically cut serious injuries. 

In this episode, Bhalla explains how a lack of safety was hurting Hoboken, the resistance he confronted in his pursuit of new policies, and their cascading impacts on the community.

Listen to ModeShift on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.