“Transportation BINGO” challenged residents and officials to ditch the car

When we asked officials, advocates, and residents around DC to take a week-long transportation challenge, we set out to get more people experiencing the strengths and weaknesses of transit systems in the Washington region.

The challenge, dubbed Transportation BINGO, ran from January 28 to February 4, ending on Bus to Work Day, which coincides with Transit Equity Day and honors the birthday and legacy of Rosa Parks.

The bingo card format encourages locals to use buses and other public transportation, rewarding players for taking different types of trips by bus and other public transportation, including multi-modal (bus and metro), bus transfer, bike on a bus, express bus, and more. Our aim was to have elected officials, who legislate and drive policy related to public transportation, get out of their cars and experience the bus.

We were inspired to create TranspoBINGO by Action Committee for Transit, a group in Montgomery County, which challenged councilmembers and other elected officials in the county to use only public and active transportation over the course of a week, and share their experiences of the strengths and weaknesses of non-car transportation systems on social media. We saw the value of experiencing and witnessing the lived experience of individuals relying on the bus to get to work, school, and around the city.

How’s your #TranspoBingo going this week? pic.twitter.com/gaBMkF7uRM

— Charles Allen (@charlesallen) January 29, 2020

Local officials get on board

DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6), Takoma Park Councilmember Kacy Kostiuk (Ward 3), Eleanor Ory (candidate for DC Shadow Senator), Jordan Grossman (candidate for DC Council, Ward 2), Patrick Kennedy (candidate for DC Council, Ward 2 and an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner), several DC Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, and others all participated in TranspoBINGO.

(Disclosure: The GGWash Elections Committee has endorsed Kennedy in the DC Council election in Ward 2)

Many said the challenge encouraged them to ride the bus more, and in new and different ways. Kostiuk told us the challenge led her to use the bus at times when she might have otherwise relied on a car for convenience. “I tried to participate in a conscious way to see what it would mean if I did not have the choice of getting around other ways, like by car,” Kostiuk said.

We know that Metrobus is heavily used, with more rides per day than Metrorail, and that over half of District Metrobus riders make under $30,000 per year. And we think that experiencing the bus helps elected officials better understand the challenges faced by bus riders, and better serve residents—particularly low-income residents—by legislating for more and better service and infrastructure.

After participating in the challenge, Grossman told us he had used the bus more over the course of the week, which highlighted for him “the importance of focusing on improving the frequency and reliability of our buses more broadly.”

“The challenge really does drive home the importance of frequency and reliability, and we’re far from where we need to be,” Kennedy said.

These lived experiences are crucial, particularly as elected officials consider and weigh in on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s proposed 2021 budget, which includes service changes and cuts, as well as fare increases.

It’s easy for elected officials to only see the dollars and cents of budget cuts and service changes when they look at public transportation, but using it every day allows them to see the real effect it has on people in the District.

“Buses are critical links for people in all parts of the District to access jobs and services. They’re not just full of tourists, but people going to schools and jobs. Supporting buses and improving service is crucial,” said Allen, a regular bus rider.

TranspoBINGO didn’t just provide the opportunity for constructive engagement with what mechanisms can improve the bus, but also highlighted what people love about riding the bus.

“I like that you get to talk with people you might otherwise never meet,” Kostiuk said. “If you’re riding with your kids, you can read and interact with them instead of driving. Or if you’re alone, you can maybe get a little work done.”

“I see my city on the bus,” Allen said when we asked him what he liked about riding the bus.

The rules, and the winners

The TranspoBINGO card had 25 squares, including one “free” space. Players were allowed to mark one square per trip. Most players filled seven to 10 squares, but a few players rode to the top of the pack:

1st Place: Eleanor Ory (22 squares)

2nd Place: Evan Yeats, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, 4B01 (19 squares)

3rd Place: Andrew Miller, Ward 7 resident (16 squares)

Councilmembers Allen and Kostiuk each marked off 10 squares. Kennedy won the Ward 2 candidates pool with 14 squares to Grossman’s 11 squares. Between the organizers, Palmer marked 22 squares and Maisler marked 12 squares.

We hope to continue and expand TranspoBINGO next year, and we encourage you to contact your elected officials to participate and to champion more and better bus service.

This challenge was co-sponsored by Greater Greater Washington, Coalition for Smart Growth, and the authors of this article (Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Erin Palmer and Rachel Maisler).