A concept to bridge the gap between transit ridership and food procurement has been revealed and America’s smaller transit agencies want to know exactly how they may secure federal funding for implementation. With rising costs for food, energy, transportation, and commercial rents, macroeconomists are wondering if they're witnessing a digital marketplace for quadrupole double returns. The idea encourages smaller transit agencies to begin reimagining how they capture data on their transit networks. SEPTA in this concept serves as an idea for large cities. Increasing rider access to healthy foods and vegetables help alleviate the “food desert” crisis while supporting local economies. This is done by connecting riders to participating farmers markets or grocers. This encourages local commerce to become more environmentally sustainable when farmed food and riders are publicly transported in concise distances together resulting in less CO2-eq emission and increased access to healthy food.
An environmentally impactful rider purchases food fare that may be redeemed at participating organic farmers markets or grocers. Utilizing this inclusive purchase method, the rider is now directly incentivized to conveniently couple their transit with their food access. Agencies are encouraged to triangulate between rider, transit line, and food procurement. Riders arrive at markets via environmentally conscious transit routes and present a QR code or debit card containing the food fare. The market transacts the rider's food fare and confirms the vouchers redemption. The rider’s “food-chain” becomes a measurable impact where the rider, route, food fare, farmer and grocer all become traceable data. Hyperlocal economic stimuli are achieved. Have a look below and leave comments!
