Types of Data and Information

Ridership

In public transport, ridership is the number of passengers boarding a mode of the public transit system
Types of transit ridership information used by planners include ridership by:
- System
- Route
- Day
- Specific bus trip
- Per hour and per bus stop
One of the most common types of service planning concepts involves the increase of service frequencies to increase ridership
Performance measures could include:
- Estimated annual ridership
- Boarding per service mile
- Boarding per service hour

In an era of reduced budgets and the potential need to reduce service, service frequency decreases provide a guideline of what kind of ridership losses would be sustained if cuts in service are required Performance measures in this scenario include:
- Estimated annual ridership
- Estimated scenario operating cost
- Net operating cost per service mile
- Net operating cost per passenger trip

Public participation requires an understanding of the various communication methods that the riding and non-riding public wish to interact with, as well as a willingness to receive the public’s input.
Public participation ensures that decisions are made in consideration of and to benefit public needs and preferences
Sources of public input include:
- Community meetings
- Correspondence with agencies
- Complaints and requests to customer service representatives
- Observations and information received by transit drivers
- Concern through public officials
- Other organizations

An onboard survey can be used to collect a wide variety of data including:
- O/D information
- Transit use characteristics of passengers
- Demographic passenger profile
- Passenger satisfication/attitudes
- Comparison/contrast of ridership segments
- Specific passenger comments
Focus groups are a cost-effective means of exploring the attitudes of a specific target group
- Users
- Potential users
- Voters/employees

Transit operations personnel are responsible for:
- Fleet management
- Maintenance operations
- Scheduling activities
The person responsible for fleet management monitors, controls, and modifies the transit fleet routes and schedules on a day-to-day basis (dynamic scheduling)
Modifications take abnormal situations into account including:
- Vehicle breakdowns
- Vehicle delay
- Detours around work zones/incidents
- Route/schedule deviations
Transit operations personnel are responsible for demand-responsive transit operation
Transit operations personnel may be responsible for:
- Assigning vehicle operators to routes
- Checking vehicle operators in and out
- Managing transit stop issues

For cost-effective route planning, GIS needs to take into account:
- The street network
- Ridership demand
- Demographic and socio-economic data
Planners can use this information to understand the characteristics of neighborhoods and commercial areas within walking distance of existing and potential bus routes and bus stops

Analyzes and displays travel patterns on the bus system in the context of surrounding land use, demographics, and socioeconomic characteristics
Provides staff, local officials, and the public with easy to understand graphical information depicting service levels and system performance
Targets the marketing of transit services to specific geographic and socioeconomic markets
Analyzes the characteristics of current and potential riders at each bus stop in order to prioritize bus stops for ADA improvements
Controls the administration of on-board surveys and analyzes survey results to understand the travel patterns of its riders and validate ridership forecasting models
Evaluates new bus stop locations for relative accessibility and estimates the ridership potential of each alternative location
Quickly evaluates the impact of potential service changes
Transfers information efficiently between databases on transit operations, land use, population characteristics, and ridership patterns

Research shows transport price changes affect:
- Trip frequency
- Route
- Mode
- Destination
- Scheduling
- Vehicle type
- Parking location
- Type of service
Price sensitivity is often measured using “elasticities,” defined as the change of goods consumption caused by each one-percent change in price or other characteristics, such as travel speed or transit service
Elasticity values are classified by their magnitude:
- 1.0 refers to unit elasticity
- Elasticities of less than an absolute value of 1.0 are called “inelastic” meaning insensitive to price change
- Elasticities of greater than an absolute value of 1.0 are called “elastic” meaning sensitive to price change
Cross elasticities are the percentage change in the consumption of a good resulting from a price change in another related good

Particular attention is given to methods used to estimate:
- System-level ridership
- Passenger miles
- Service Reliability
- Passenger transfers

Gather ridership and performance data for various transit services
Retrieve data from APCs, AVL systems, fare boxes, and other soruces
Develop existing data collection instruments and methodologies for improved efficiency or accuracy
Ensure data integrity; research and correct the cause of inconsistencies
Perform database management and organization of public transit data
Provide statistical information and report analysis of public transit data
Respond to data requests promptly and accurately for internal queries, as well as those of local, state, and federal agencies
Develop, maintain, and submit monthly, quarterly, and annual operational reports for internal, local, state, and federal agencies, such as the Federal Transit Administration and the National Transit Database
Ensure requirements are met and documents are submitted for continued eligibility for grant funding
Provide current detailed GIS data maps for a variety of purposes, including scheduling software-based mapping, bus stop inventory, display-quality route maps, and demographic representations
Develop and present complex data in an accessible and understandable form
Support special projects and research transit-related topics as needed