Our Principles

Going car-free should feel like an upgrade, not a sacrifice.

Before drawing a single line, we agreed on what the network is for. Every choice since has been measured against these principles.

Three goals: longevity, happiness and productivity

• Longevity: daily movement, cleaner air, safer streets, and easy trips to doctors, groceries and friends. Walking to a stop and riding an e-bike add the steady activity that adds healthy years.
• Happiness: less stress, more money in your pocket, and more places to go, at any hour, on any day.
• Productivity: dependable access to jobs, school and training for everyone, including people who can't or don't want to drive.

When two options were close, we picked the one that served more of these goals at once.

Car-free as an upgrade

Most transit is designed as a safety net for people with no other choice. We wanted to design something people choose. That set a high bar. The network has to come often, run late, be simple, feel warm in January, and reach the places people actually want to go.

The post-ownership economy

We stream music instead of buying albums. We rent tools, share rides and subscribe to services. Getting around is next. Our network works like a membership that every resident already has, paid for once by the community instead of by each household on its own.

Simple beats clever

A system people can't remember is a system people don't use. Wherever we could, we chose the rule that's easiest to explain: everybody rides free, the schedule is the same every day, and the buses come often enough that you don't need a timetable.

Partners welcome, never required

We designed every piece so it stands on public funding and public right-of-way. Employers, health systems, colleges and neighboring communities are welcome to join, add a stop or sponsor a trip. The network never waits for them.