Despite much progress, hard work and innovation, many transit authorities in Canada in the US are being forced to cope with the realities that ridership has reached a plateau.

So what gives? I have a theory.

There is a growing gap between what people expect and what transit agencies are providing.

Thanks to deep smartphone penetration, we all go through our daily lives accompanied by a myriad of apps and services. This includes getting around. Our phones — portable and fixed in space by GPS coordinates — are well suited to guide us through the physical world in multiple ways. We use mapping apps to find our way and plan our routes, and other apps to call an Uber or a cab,