Transform Transit

As part of my Leadership in Government Fellowship I created three tools. The Transit Data Primer is digital and the other two are only available in physical form.

Transform Transit: the Board Game

Transform Transit is a board game, an educational simulation, a way to laugh, and a call for help. Hopefully it will start conversations about how we can transform transit agencies, so they can provide the service we need.

Increased investment will not be enough; transit agencies themselves need to be transformed. Transformational change will require maintaining daily operations while implementing new programs and technological systems; retooling how we design and build infrastructure; changing agency culture; and reshaping the relationships between communities and government. All while overcoming the human dynamics inside agencies that slow change. This amount of work will require actively recruiting a new generation to join the existing change-makers at all levels. They will need support and training we don’t currently offer our public sector employees.

If you are familiar with board games you will likely have played resource management games where you collect resources and have to decide how to spend them to achieve the goals of the game. For public transit a critical resource is funding, but this game focuses on a different resource: the time and energy of agency leaders. There is a finite amount of staff time, leadership attention, and energy anyone has to deal with bureaucratic obstacles, political drama, and toxic work cultures.           

Game in action

The audience could be public sector employees, transit advocates, and public policy and transportation students. Or anyone who loves a cooperative board game about bureaucracy! Please contact me to find out ways to play.

Sample event and project cards for Transform Transit
Sample Project and Event cards
Suggest new Project cards
Suggest new Event cards

Transform Transit: the Zine

The final piece is a ‘zine about transit equity change-making written for an audience of fellow transit agency insiders. Just like old school ‘zines it is only available in print form. Please email me if you are interested in a copy.

If you have a copy, you can download the endnote links.