Data Practices Profiled Data Practices
- Date: February 18, 2022
This Guidebook surveys both the current state of data practices at small transit agencies around the country, as well as recent advances in this domain. Following an initial desk review of the transit literature, notable implementations of data practices by small agencies were selected for more detailed research. For these profiled data practices, interviews with transit staff were used to document the context and methods of the practice, significant barriers faced, and the outcomes and lessons learned following implementation.
Technology Adoption at Frederick Trans IT
Over the past several years, TransIT, a small urban agency in Frederick, Maryland, has implemented a number of technology upgrades to improve the passenger experience, data collection, and data reporting. These upgrades included installing automated passenger counters (APC) and automatic vehicle location (AVL) devices on its fixed-route fleet, launching a new mobile ticketing app, and purchasing nine fully electric vehicles.
Customer Mobile App at Pullman Transit
Over the past several years, TransIT, a small urban agency in Frederick, Maryland, has implemented a number of technology upgrades to improve the passenger experience, data collection, and data reporting. These upgrades included installing automated passenger counters (APC) and automatic vehicle location (AVL) devices on its fixed-route fleet, launching a new mobile ticketing app, and purchasing nine fully electric vehicles.
” Where’ s My Bus” at EPTA
After conversations with Bluefield Transit, another small transit agency in West Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority (EPTA) learned how they could create a real-time bus location web interface with their Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) data. EPTA enlisted the Berkeley County Information Technology (IT) department’s help to develop a similar interface. The site can be viewed easily on a mobile phone in addition to EPTA’s website.
GTFS Creation at CATA
Crawford County and Venango County, Pennsylvania consolidated their transit services in 2016, with Venango County Transit merging into CATA. The consolidation of services required a merging of both agencies’ datasets, which were in very different formats. To accurately merge data, create a better inventory of stops, and improve trip planning for customers, the agency created a GTFS feed using the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) GTFS Builder and Google Earth.
Blacksburg Transit Real-Time Bus Location Text Service
Blacksburg Transit (BT) provides service in Blacksburg and Christiansburg, VA, with much of its service centered on Virginia Tech University. Driven by requests from students for more real-time information, BT partnered with a computer science program at Virginia Tech to launch a real-time bus location texting service. This service was later turned into a mobile app that enabled users to see bus locations and passenger loads in real-time, use a trip planner, and receive alerts from BT, among other features.