Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence’s Post

Amid a sharp decline in bus ridership during the pandemic and a commitment to boost mass transit for a greener future, City of Iowa City made a bold move: free rides. But, with no fare transactions to track, proving the program's impact was a challenge. Enter GovEx Coach Rachel Bloom and Data Analyst Maeve Mulholland, who teamed up with Iowa City leaders to develop a creative solution to the problem, gain further insight into the program, and increase equity in access to public transportation. Since implementing its free-fare program, the city has used data to show an increased bus ridership of 40% — compared with a 10% post-pandemic increase nationwide — and a reduction in tailpipe carbon emissions by approximately 284 metric tons. 🚍 🎧 Listen to the latest episode of the GovEx Data Points Podcast to find out how the found numbers to crunch! https://hubs.ly/Q02MqmFn0

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