We can agree that enhancing social, environmental and economic outcomes for all constituents helps to build more prosperous communities. The challenge is finding equitable and efficient solutions that create meaningful change—all while preserving profit margins and working within existing municipal infrastructure frameworks. Urban transit systems are one part of that solution. The potential for innovation is clear. The challenge: About 80 per cent of urbanites commute alone in cars everyday, while only about 10 per cent use transit such as buses.

As The Sustainability Leader’s Richard Blundell explains in a recent TEDx Corktown presentation in Toronto, we face an unprecedented opportunity to improve the way we move people around our cities. We can do it with on demand transit using electrified bus fleets. This sustainable reimagining of bus transportation would improve transit accessibility, cover larger areas, improve profitability and dramatically boost productivity and efficiency. The result of a shift to on demand transit: positive financial outcomes that make cities more economically viable.

Watch Richard’s complete TEDx talk to learn more about the game-changing potential of electrified, on demand bus networks powered by smart technology: