Book Review: Steven Higashide’s “Better Buses, Better Cities”

“A well-planned and well-funded bus transit system opens up a community to a larger world, better paid jobs, educational opportunities, and the potential for a better life.”

Let’s face it, transit systems—and especially the bus—are not very interesting or sexy aspects of public life. When we think of a bus, we do not necessarily think about the planning that went into bringing that bus to our regular stop and dropping us off at a convenient place for transfer or a walkable distance to our jobs. We arrive at the designated time, wait a short period, board, say hello to the driver as we pay (or tap our fare), bop along with the poor suspension, and stare out through the window with our headphones blaring a podcast or a Spotify playlist, hoping none of our fellow commuters strike up a conversation and that no traffic holds up the journey. Can you name the last time you had a regular bus trip that was memorable? No, me neither. Unless you were faced with some inconvenience such as a late connection or an irate fellow traveller causing a disturbance, the bus journey should be the very definition of blank and unrecognized time.

But, of course, there are many people who are very passionate about transit systems. And, in public transportation expert Steven Higashide’s book Better Buses, Better Cities: How to Plan, Run, and Win the Fight for Effective Transit (Island Press, 2020), these are explored in great detail and—dare I say—with great excitement.

The book lays out a framework for how to improve or—in some cases—completely reset a bus system. The main focus is on frequency, reliability, walkability, safety, and fairness. To this point, Higashide pulls positive and negative examples from Houston, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, New York City, Indianapolis, and Watertown, Massachusetts. Higashide explores cities and districts where past bus use had been considerably low or badly planned and executed. Changes in structure, municipal budget increases, and creative thinking have allowed these cities to implement transit systems. While still far from perfect (there are too many variables ever to achieve perfection), these changes have greatly improved the lives of those in these communities. When funding is created or redistributed and creativity is employed and encouraged, transit can suddenly transform into a lifeline.