The Proof of Youth

New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens. "The European Mind Cannot Comprehend This." City Beautiful.

These are the (respective) internet communities, memes and influencers that have brought America's rising generations together around transit. As Petra Mihelko of Transportation Riders United puts it, these phenomena "put into words" what the youth want: Beautiful, useful, connective places that can be traveled within and traveled to in all sorts of ways.

Mihalko, a Gen Zer, and Beau Brockett, a questionable Millennial, talk about how and why so many young Michiganders (and older folks, too) want good buses, trains and more.

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To learn more about transit efforts across the state, check out Transportation Riders United and the Michigan Environmental Council.

All credit for this episode's title goes to The Go! Team.

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Common Groundwater is hosted by the Michigan Environmental Council and Beau Brockett Jr.

Our music is "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi, arranged by Derek Zhang and performed by Jackson resident Taj Wallace.

Transcript

The Proof of Youth

[00:00:00] 

Beau Brockett: Hey folks, you are tuning into Common Groundwater, a podcast by the Michigan Environmental Council where we talk about environmental issues that are felt across the state widely and deeply. We go to those places to talk about the stories around them and some of the solutions to them. I'm Beau Brockett your host, and you are listening to the second episode of our miniseries all about transit across Michigan.

 Joining me today is Petra Mihalko of Transportation Riders United to talk about some of the more cultural or like 'on the ground' sorts of aspects of transit across the state.

So thanks for joining us today. 

Petra Mihalko: Of course. Thank you so much for having me, Beau. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. 

So obviously as a staff member of Transportation Riders United. transit is very much part of your life professionally. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. 

Beau Brockett: Would you maybe mind talking a little bit about that, [00:01:00] your side of your life, but then also a bit how transit is part of your personal life too?

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. professionally, I'm the design specialist at Transportation Riders United. I've been here for almost two years. And, It's interesting. I do a lot of the more like designing stuff. So I do a lot of our graphics, managing the website, like helping manage like social media and our communications team.

 And, occasionally I do get out in the field and get out to some rallies, get out to some meetings, go up to Lansing and talk to some of the legislators. But I do a lot of the behind the scenes stuff, compared to a lot of my coworkers. Like Megan or Joel. And then, obviously transit is a really big part of that. TRU is Metro Detroit's transit advocate. 

We do a lot of education, advocacy, mobilization in the region. And we've also started to do a lot statewide as well, like with state funding, up in Lansing personally. I've, let's see, I didn't have a car for almost three years.

I'm finishing up at U of M right now. And, I didn't [00:02:00] have a car for my sophomore, junior, and start of my senior year and that meant that I had to take the bus everywhere. I'm originally from Downriver, so that has definitely impacted a bit of going to, trying to visit family, coming down to Detroit to do stuff, going all throughout like the metro area and Ann Arbor and, taking like Amtrak to visit my friends in Kalamazoo and stuff.

So all throughout Michigan. And I also used to be a bus driver as well, actually for a year. I drove buses for the University of Michigan and that kind of has informed all of my perspective. 

Beau Brockett: Very cool. This might be just me just geeking out over a silly thing, but it does seem super cool that you are a bus driver, especially just so early on in life too.

Petra Mihalko: That's a big thing a lot of people talk about. Like I, when I started at TRU, I was like, this is probably the only place where they're gonna be like, 'This is cool.' Yeah. And they're like, 'Oh my God, that's so cool.' 

But yeah, the University hires a lot of students to drive and I just needed a job, and I was like, 'This pays, they'll train me.'

And yeah, I'm really happy I've gotten to do it 'cause it's [00:03:00] nice. It's very helpful for a lot of this advocacy stuff to know like what the drivers actually see and stuff. And I've done some other work with the University of Michigan's transit department on the side and I've been able to do that because I used to drive for them.

Beau Brockett: Oh, okay. Very neat. 

Last episode we had my coworker Ross Gavin on. He's a council member for the city of Berkley and does a lot of our transit work with his full-time job. And, he was talking about how his, like really, his first, big introduction to transit was around college.

 And it made me realize how many students, or for how many people, that is like their first introduction, in some cases. But also how, I went to Albion College, I went to a small-town college . I remember how much of a pain that was when you didn't have a vehicle when you had to go get groceries or make a big clothing trip or something. It seems like college is like that great first place. 

Petra Mihalko: I think it really is for a lot of people, especially like with people who grew up in the suburbs or grow up in a rural area.

Yeah. Like I know so many people who like, they just have never ridden a bus. They don't know how to [00:04:00] and like a big thing is teaching like students how to ride the bus. Yeah. but it's nice to see people actually get excited at that opportunity. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's very cool.

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. 

Beau Brockett: Maybe this is a good, unintentional segue into maybe the main topic of our, discussion. You know, I mentioned at the start we were talking a little bit about some of the cultural aspects of transit, the actual experiences. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. 

Beau Brockett: But I think I was particularly interested in, and I think you are interested in as well, like how there seems to be like a, an especially strong movement or appreciation for transit from like younger generations like yours and mine. and so I, I'd love to dig in a little bit into that. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. I think, I feel like really starting with Millennials, you actually get to like people really liking transit and want, like really wanting it. yeah. But you don't really hear amongst like older people. And Gen Z as well has taken that and ran with it.

Beau Brockett: Totally. Alright. And I should ask: I'm like on the cusp of Millennial and Gen Z. Are you Gen Z officially? 

Petra Mihalko: I'm Gen Z officially. I'm, I'm early twenties, [00:05:00] so I was Like, I can't even do the, 'Do you remember 9/11?' So I am, I'm very much Gen Z, but I have been told I have Millennial traits by those around me. 

Beau Brockett: Okay, gotcha. I'm a bit of a chameleon. For this discussion I will float to the Millennial side so you have two different perspectives, but, I totally, get that. 

Petra Mihalko: This is an allyship. 

Beau Brockett: Yes, that's right. Yeah. No millennial hate or Gen Z hate between us. Before we maybe get big picture around, like, young people in transit would you maybe mind first talking a little bit more about your own experiences, either as a driver or a rider, just being a younger person? 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. It's really interesting 'cause I feel like I've ridden transit in different capacities. I've rode it as a tourist. My actual first introduction to transit was, aside from like maybe taking like the tram at Disneyland or the People Mover once growing up, I did a three-week exchange trip to Germany, through Trenton High School and, 'cause I, went to Grosse Ile growing up. 

We rode the bus all the time. Like we went to Berlin and Munich for a few [00:06:00] days and rode like the subway, the train. It was really cool to see everything over there. And then here, like I've ridden, I've been a rider in like Metro Detroit, Windsor, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, taking it in Grand Rapids. My partner lives in Chicago, so I am very familiar with the CTA [rail] too.

And it's been a range of experiences, we shall say. I've had the wonderful I'm downtown Detroit and I can just immediately hop on the QLINE after getting off like the [Detroit to Ann Arbor bus], or like the Number Four Woodward [bus]. My partner's originally from Holly, and I've done Ann Arbor to Auburn Hills at Great Lakes Crossing. That is a two-and-a-half-hour odyssey. That's just the time on the bus. That doesn't count for waiting for the bus too. It's three hours in total drive. 

Beau Brockett: Oh, so there's transfers involved. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. So. Yeah. And I've seen I've seen like the cut runs and stuff too. So it's interesting.

I feel like you can tell when you're talking to somebody who's just ridden it on vacation, [00:07:00] they're like, 'I love transit all the time.' And I'm like, 'I love it too. But have you ever been stranded during winter for half an hour?' 

But overall my experience has been mostly positive and I really appreciated it during those years where I didn't have a car because it actually let me, like, live my life, and it wasn't the most convenient thing in the world, but I was able to actually get groceries. I was able to start working like down here in Detroit, because of the D2A2 bus that goes to Ann Arbor. I was able to visit friends and get to my friend's apartment from the train station in Kalamazoo. And, like, when I'm visiting my partner in Chicago, like, we have the CTA, Metra, PACE and all of 'em. 

So yeah, it's been like, it's been a gap from this is something I take for fun, this is something I take 'cause it's more convenient, and this has been a lifeline for me, but I feel like I've seen it all so far. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah, no, I think that's really valuable. Yeah, especially since I, in all honesty, as we've done this podcast [00:08:00] series and done some other work at the Environmental Council, I feel like a bit of a poser of sorts because I'm in that first stage still of transit-riding where I'm taking the train, I'm taking more regional buses--Indian Trails, Michigan Flyer, things like that. And sometimes it's for work, sometimes I need to take them. But I haven't gotten that full experience of like 'I need to take this inner metro area bus route to get from one place to another.'

Petra Mihalko: There's still a lot of value in that first one too, and especially 'cause a lot of people, I think a big thing people don't realize is even if you have access to a car, sometimes transit is just much better to have as an option and be there, and that's now the camp that I fall in, the camp I want to be in for my life. Because , there's a lot of opportunities as well . My mom lives on Grosse Ile. Transit doesn't go to Grosse Ile, so I would have to get picked up in Trenton or drive to visit her. But at the same time, like I was able to take the bus to work today instead of working or instead of driving . I like take it when it's really busy for like games and stuff. Sometimes [00:09:00] even, like I'm on campus at U of M and I'm like, 'Oh, I really wanna run to the grocery store tonight.' So usually I drive to do my groceries. But I'm like, 'I can just take the bus and stop by the grocery store 'cause I need two things.'

Beau Brockett: Love that. And, maybe that gets to like at one of the core values I feel like both of our organizations talk about with transit . Some people depend on transit to get to everything or to get to a lot of their stuff. Other people don't necessarily depend on it in that sense, but it's always nice to have that backup option.

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. It's something that benefits everyone just by being there and whether it's because you need it or it's you want it, or even if you don't ride, it's just like we depend on so many people who rely on transit. Like it's a really big like economic engine as well. And it's really important for like climate goals as well.

 I'm sure it's something you guys work a lot with. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. You know, and another sort of strange part about this podcast, not only are my transit experiences not super deep but like when we talk about transit, we also don't, we don't always necessarily bring out the environmental aspects of it just because it's [00:10:00] so holistic in many ways.

So like the environmental benefits of cutting down on single-occupancy vehicles and things like that are important, but it's just one part of the larger puzzle piece. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. Yeah. Puzzle piece is a really good way to word it. Yeah. 'cause we've worded it a lot like that.

There's so many components of it and we've talked quite a bit about the environmental side, especially with like recent statewide campaigns in the past few years. But, yeah, it's just amazing to see how it impacts like every single facet of someone's life. 

Beau Brockett: Totally. Yeah. 

We've talked about our own personal experiences. Do you want to go out a little bit and talk about. I don't know, young people at large in Michigan. 

Petra Mihalko: Yes, I'd love to. 

Beau Brockett: Okay. where do you wanna start? Do you wanna start with maybe some of the more professional, technical sides of things or do you wanna go into the more cultural side of it?

Petra Mihalko: Get the boring stuff out of the way first. I can spend more time on the fun stuff. 

Beau Brockett: Sounds good. 

Okay. I, feel like I'm a broken record in bringing up the last episode, and I should say to our listeners in the audience, you do not have to listen to these episodes [00:11:00] in order. They're not meant to be that way-- 

Petra Mihalko: but you should watch the other one after this one. 

Beau Brockett: Yes, totally. After this one is key. But in our last episode, Ross, my coworker, talked about how there was like a statewide report about building out Michigan's population, essentially retaining people in Michigan and bringing more people, especially young people, into the state.

 And transit made the cut. It made like one of the top-line items. And this was like a very serious study done to these are the things that young professionals or young people want in the state. 

Petra Mihalko: That was a really big thing, like to see and really amazing just to see the state starting to recognize that as well.

Beau Brockett: Have there been any other sorts of like studies or like proofs of people loving transit that you like to showcase? 

Yes. We, funnily enough, actually right now I'm doing the proofreading on a bunch of one-pagers about why transit's essential for various different populations. 

Like it's been in the works for a while, but one is about how transit's important for young people in Michigan. Like there's been so many studies from like the University [00:12:00] of Michigan, by Crain's Detroit, by the state, by like the [Regional Transit Authority] here within, Metro Detroit. And even just even now, you have like national news outlets, writing stories about how much young people want transit.

Nationally, but especially in Michigan. Like the big thing with this is that we're seeing these national trends are even more stark in Michigan. Less young people have driver's licenses than they used to. Yeah. less people can afford cars than they used to. Or even if they can't afford a car, it's hard to have two, if you're like a two-person household.

 And a lot of people just genuinely want to ride the bus. I think of this old study from like 2014. That was, it feels weird saying 2014 was old now. But Yeah. We realized, I was like, that's, I was like, that's like over 10 years ago. Wow. But, the, it was like something like 70% of Millennials in Metro Detroit said they want more transit.

And that's like a big thing. and so many people have left the state say a big reason why they left is [00:13:00] because they feel like they , to drive here. So it's definitely been noticeable and there are countless facts and figures and reports to back it up. 

Yeah. we just did a bit of an office clean at the Lansing office of the Environmental Council, and the amount of studies we found around transit as like a proof of being something good for Michigan was astounding.

We have pictures of it. 

Petra Mihalko: Wow. You'll have to show me. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah, I'll show you. I'll show you at the intermission. But that's is really good to see that it's almost undeniable now to say like that, that, to, to counter that we don't need transit here in Michigan. Very cool.

Looking more on the cultural side of things, if that's the right phrase, this is where I really came to realize how much people love transit around our age. Like we have entire, like Facebook community groups formed around sharing memes. We have your classic Reddit threads Or your Reddit-- 

Petra Mihalko: subreddit-- 

Beau Brockett: things of that nature . Do you feel like those have been like really things that you've also noticed at your organization [00:14:00] as well? 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. It's interesting 'cause we've been TRU, has been in an effort right now of actually engaging more young people, 'cause we're, we're like a legacy organization. Like we are on year 25 now of existing. So we've been working on building that gap between young people like knowing and caring about transit and actually starting to get involved. 

But in my personal life as well, it's every single person I know is like, 'I like transit.' Like it's unpopular to not like transit. I think a big reason why is because of all these like internet phenomenons. For me, it was really like the all the YouTube channels during Covid. Things like City Beautiful , City Nerd. I got to meet City Nerd.

 TRU had him last summer we had him at the, Ford Theatre in Dearborn, and that was really cool. People like those two, they've been I think, really influential in actually like showing young people the benefits of transit and actually like putting into words the thoughts we've been having about 'Oh, it'd be nice not to have to drive, blah, blah, blah.' And really showing people that you're [00:15:00] not alone in thinking that. There are other people in this world. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. I think, to, just to go off that, I feel like, one of the. 

 common criticisms that I hear, and maybe I probably had a few years back around transit, was like, the criticism I had toward it was just because I didn't realize that the transit we could have is something I actually wanted. Yeah. Like the system that I saw in place in my small towns that I lived in wasn't necessarily fully sufficient. And at no fault of the [transit] agencies. It was funding issues, or infrastructure issues that were out of their sort of control. 

But once I was able to use transit in a way that was truly like, convenient and beneficial for me, I was like, 'Oh, I really do like this. I really can have this everywhere.' 

I feel like that is a common theme that I've seen with friends and just with folks in general. Once you get the little taste of what transit is capable of, you love it. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. I feel like I don't have any studies or anything to back this up, but I feel like younger people just, we travel more than like younger people used to. And we, we go abroad for a spring break or something, or like a [00:16:00] summer trip.

You spend a week in some like European city or like some like South American city and you're like, 'Oh my God, this is so nice. I can just hop on the train at 2 a.m. and be fine and get home after a night at the club' or something. And I think that really has a big part to play too, of just like you said, giving people that little taste and then they can see what we could have.

 And it's, it's funny you bring up like the, 'what we have as well currently' because a lot of the stuff we do is getting people to acknowledge as well that what we have isn't perfect. No transit system is, but some are definitely better than others. But still seeing like the merit in, what we have and incorporating it into your lifestyle and actually like being able to use it when it's available with DDOT, SMART and all the 77 agencies throughout Michigan.

Beau Brockett: Yes. Yeah. 

I'd love to like maybe pivot, after intermission to something more action oriented so to speak.

 Before we do though, are there any other sorts of like scientific, [00:17:00] cultural, experiential, touch points you want to make sure we touch on? 

Petra Mihalko: Let's see. I think a big cultural thing too can be taking it with friends as well.

 I've noticed as a student in Ann Arbor just like running into people on the bus or walking on the street, it's not something you really get when you drive. And that's been like a really fun, serendipitous, like, thing that occurs in my life. Even just getting to ride the bus line home with friends because you guys didn't drive there separately.

Yeah, I think that's another cultural aspect that plays into it, like the social, dynamic of it. So, so yeah, that's my final thought there. 

Beau Brockett: Okay. That sounds good. In that case, I think we're at a perfect point to have a quick intermission. So to folks listening, stay tuned and you'll hear from Petra and I soon.

Beau Brockett: Hey folks, you are tuning into Common Groundwater, a podcast by the Michigan Environmental Council. Petra and I are talking about transit, specifically the youth in transit, us in transit. We left off at the break talking a lot about like the ways in which, younger folks interact [00:18:00] with transit, as users, as people who appreciate it. And then we talked about some of our own experiences. 

Question for you about the why behind it all, like . What are the things that people in general, but especially like your Millennials, your Gen Zers, what do they especially care about when it comes to transit? What gets them so excited about it? 

Petra Mihalko: I really think a big thing is just financial anxiety and affordability. Like Millennials lived through the recession, Gen Z is looking down the gun of something similar.

Yeah. And we also lived through the Covid pandemic too, and we all have like really strong memories of this and just how hard it can be to make ends to meet. It's no secret that, like, costs of things are rising, whether it's housing, whether it's a car, whether it's groceries, and wages are not keeping up. So I honestly think that is such a big reasoning for it. 

And again, another as well is like we all just wanna live more sustainably. like we're all very conscious about climate change .

[00:19:00] Because so much of our emissions comes from the transportation sector and because of our reliance on single-occupancy vehicles and whatnot, a lot of people see transit as a way to actually decouple ourselves through like organic change in our lifestyle from this, from all this. 

And I think a big part is, there's a lot that goes into it, as well but, yeah, just imagining like a better world, a better tomorrow where it would just be really nice, like you don't have to spend time driving or in traffic. You don't have to spend time worrying about, driving home from the bar.

Or like, what are you gonna do if it's too far of a drive for someone like getting dozy behind the wheel or something? Just so much that goes into it. But yeah. Lot of it's our anxiety. 

Beau Brockett: Right? Climate anxieties, financial anxieties. Well, and as we talked about earlier, you said Transportation Riders United really likes to use the, like the symbol of like a puzzle for transit. And that seems like just it, right? 

Well, speaking of Transportation [00:20:00] Riders United: your organization, my organization, folks across the state are making what feels to be, at least in my five years at the Environmental Council, to be like an especially big push to increase transit funding, to add to transit infrastructure. Would you mind talking a little bit about what your organization is doing right now? Yeah. And maybe looking toward in the future? 

Petra Mihalko: So we, let's see. We're coming off of a pretty productive session in the state legislature recently. When I started at TRU, we started focusing on a lot of statewide campaigns and like policy changes, really focusing for funding.

The technical term is local bus operating funds, but basically the money the state gives to all the agencies to actually run their buses. Instead of doing like big, capital expansion projects. Now we're we're still doing a lot with state investment, especially with the recent road funding stuff.

Locally we're doing a campaign, we're working with a bunch of allies and partners in Detroit to try to double the size of [the Detroit Department of Transportation] as an agency. and [00:21:00] really they're doing a lot of great work at the agency as well, but we're really trying to push [Detroit City] Council to give them the funding they need to make these things happen.

We're working on a lot of regional transit expansion, trying to get like transit to every single community in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb County. 

And a lot of just messaging around transit too, like really trying to show people that transit is cool. Transit can be sexy. 

And getting people to ride the bus as well and make sure they know that buses exist in their community. I'd say that's a lot of the things that we're working on right now. 

Beau Brockett: I like that. So we have the statewide approach, of working on, largely, funding, changing the funding mechanisms or increasing funding. 

You have more, the more local where you're working on expanding. 

And then you have the emotional, personal sort of aspect, where you're encouraging people, like making people feel less worried and more excited about transit.

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. It's a lot of the education stuff as well that goes into that too. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. And I, I have to say that my organization is very state oriented. We work on statewide issues. And so our organizations have been working together to not only make sure [00:22:00] that we get good funding in this sort of like budget cycle in Michigan where there's billion-dollar road talks or road funding talks going on right now, but not a whole lot for transit. But also of changing, wanting nee to change the structure too. So that in the future when we do fund more, we make sure that transportation is holistically funded, equitably funded.

That was a very long-winded way of saying, even though my organization is very statewide, I feel like something that we've been talking about internally and externally, time and again, is just how successful transit millages have been recently. And I feel like Transportation Riders United has been like an to make it happen. Yeah. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. We've been very proud of our recent wins. Like how, SMART renewed their millage in 2022 in Macomb. Oakland voted to end opt out, so every single community now pays for SMART. That was a really big thing and failed in 2016, succeeded now. And, the state legislature, due to the hard work of a lot of our advocates and a lot of people from [00:23:00] the ground calling their legislators, they were able to like, abolish the system that -- there still needs to be like a public vote to actually change it, but now, like Wayne County is on the path to have all of its communities opt in, so now every single community should be able to get that service because they're paying for that service. And that's a really big deal. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. Well, between those three counties, Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, that's a large portion of the Michigan's population that lives right here. 

Petra Mihalko: Yeah. And a lot of this stuff ends up helping out, like, the other communities as well, because like then the state legislators are seeing, oh, transit really matters to people, and if they matter throughout the state as well, which gets into a lot of the stuff you guys do too with us.

Beau Brockett: Yes. Yeah, very true. Since we talked so much about, young people in transit or people in general in transit, I'd love to like maybe talk a little bit too about the ways in which individuals can, like, help make a difference in the world. 

I know Transportation Writers United, obviously you just said earlier that, you do a lot of like educational work.

So you're interacting with [00:24:00] people a lot. What are some of the ways that you encourage individuals, to make a difference in this front? 

Petra Mihalko: There's a lot of different ways that you can go about it. I think the big thing is just learn your, who your organizations are. Learn who your advocates are in your area . Just look up, like if there is a riders union, like ours, whether it's like through one of the political parties in the area, just like getting involved, joining their mailing list. If you have the means, donate, even if it's a really small amount. I've learned that those small amounts can make a big difference when they add up.

And taking, taking a few minutes outta your day to actually email, call your leaders, whether it's your council members, whether it's at the agencies. Or it's like a state legislator, the more you really show up and you say something, it really goes a long way. Like these people, you're their constituents and they're listening to you and even if you don't think they'll really listen to you, or even if they seem really aligned with transit already or anything else you care about just take a few minutes to call them, say a story if you [00:25:00] have it. Even if not, say it's important to you. If you're sending an email like, you can base off of a template, but just edit a few words of stuff. Add like your own anecdote at the end. 

That is advice from actually, Senator Mallory McMorrow.

 We've done a lot of work with her, and she's been like a personal, really big inspiration to me when I see her speak. She's always emphasized this importance of just make sure you are actually telling your leaders that this matters 'cause they can't read your mind.

Beau Brockett: Yeah. Right. Yeah . I, you know, I never, I don't know if you feel this way too, but before joining an environmental organization, I didn't think that emails mattered that much. 

Petra Mihalko: Yep. 

Beau Brockett: But holy smokes, they really do. and especially the more local you get, the more impactful they are. 

Petra Mihalko: It's crazy how much just one conversation can change things and what's five seconds for you ends up like going a really long way. And I, I was really scared to get involved as well, 'cause like calling my legislator seems scary. I'm like, I don't know this person. But like you have to start somewhere and getting over that first hurdle really does a lot.

Beau Brockett: If I could add on a personal thing that [00:26:00] I wanna work on as a transit fan, something we talked about earlier, and that is for me to take the bus more. Like, I live in Lansing. As far as Michigan goes, I feel like we have a pretty good system. 

Petra Mihalko: [Capital Area Transportation Authority] is amazing. 

Beau Brockett: Especially with its interconnection between MSU. And so I think I'm gonna make, I think, doing the things that you are passionate about makes you more passionate about them. Yeah. And if I'm passionate about transit, take the bus a little bit more and really get a better experience.

So I think I'm going to personally do that as a way to help myself. I dunno, contribute to the cause of the work. 

Petra Mihalko: I think that's a wonderful role, and I try to do it too as well. Even though like now I have access to a car, I still try to like take the bus when I can. And especially I think about it if there's a trip where I don't have the opportunity to 'cause even the, lack of doing something can also be a story as well. Be like, I'd really like to take the bus here, but I can't.

Beau Brockett: We've covered a lot of ground today. Are there any sorts of, points or stories that you wanted to make sure we mentioned about anything we talked about or anything otherwise? 

Petra Mihalko: Let's [00:27:00] see. I would like to take a second just to echo, it's really important to get involved and speak your mind on these matters, especially given everything that's going on. You hear from a lot of food advocates, 'The future is local,' and I think that really goes for a lot of issues like transit or like with climate. Really letting your local leaders know that this is something that matters to you. And like connecting with other young people around you.

Be like, 'Hi, do you know how to get involved with this person?' Like we have this really big community of people that care about transit and, we can all care about it and fight for it together. We just need to talk to each other and really put that foot out there. 

Beau Brockett: That's true. Yeah. Like we have the clubs in place. We have the groups, yeah, the Facebook community, the Reddit communities. 

Petra Mihalko: So yeah. No doom scrolling, no apathy. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. I think that's a wonderful, those are wonderful words to leave off on. Yeah. 

Petra Mihalko: Do you, anything you wanna say?

Beau Brockett: Oh, thank you. Never had this, thrown back at me. No. I feel like I was able to share everything I wanted. You did a great job of covering so many, [00:28:00] viewpoints, and perspectives. So thank you. 

Petra Mihalko: You're welcome. 

Beau Brockett: With that then, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today.

Petra Mihalko: Of course. Thank you for having me. It's a big honor. 

Beau Brockett: Yeah, not a problem. And thank you to our audience as well for tuning into this episode, and to other episodes in the past.

If this is your first time tuning in, know that there are links in the description below where you can access information about either of our organizations, get more information on transit nearby to you, and, opportunities to, like, help make a difference. As we mentioned earlier, there's a lot of, movement going on at the state and local levels to make sure that transit is fully funded and that it's infrastructure meets the needs of the people it's meant to serve. With that, thanks again and stay tuned. 

Petra Mihalko: Have a good day.