Ever ride the bus for 24 hours for fun? We didn’t think so, but we found someone who did.
You won’t meet many people like Azhar Chougle. During the day, he’s either “thinking about transit, talking about transit or on transit,” he said.
Azhar is the director of Transit Alliance Miami, a non-profit organization advocating for walkable streets, bikeable neighborhoods, and better public transit. Their goal is to get Miami moving safer, faster, and happier through data-driven research, community engagement, and policy advocacy.
Az believes it’s possible to get around in Miami without a car – he doesn’t have one. “But there are very few places where you can do so happily, and not everyone can live there,” he said.
Two years ago, Transit Alliance reversed $15 million in transit cuts. Now Az and the group are advocating for something new — an overhaul of our bus system. This is the first community led, advocacy driven bus-system redesign in the country. It will increase frequency, improve connections and expand service to make transit more accessible to places with increased demand. The redesign will take two years to complete.
“We can have a city that’s more mobile and where people can get around in ways other than being in a car, and that’s the way I live my life and I want people to have access to that,” said Az.
Learn more about Transit Alliance Miami on their website, Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.