Ayleah is a student at Swarthmore College majoring in Economics and minoring in Global Studies. She is interested in learning more about urban planning and researching public health disparities.

Ayleah’s work was focused on creating a transportation program in suburbs and rural areas like Bucks County. She is exploring why there is a need for transportation in these areas mainly because there is a lack of reliable and affordable public transportation in these areas.

“From my own experience back at home in North Carolina, I know relying on public transit can make one trip take an entire afternoon. It’s not all that uncommon for families to delay getting medication, finding help at food banks/shelters, or keep up with financial services just because there’s no way for them to get across town. Over time, these problems compound, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly, disabled, veterans, or families. For these reasons, I believe investing into private transportation services, such as uber/lyft assistance, van shuttling, and helping pay for auto repairs, would be more effective measures at providing transportation assistance to people in rural and suburban areas as opposed to providing public transit.”