Evaluating the Impact of Real-time Transit Passenger Information on Ridership and Mode Share

This proposal is for a research collaboration to develop, implement, and assess an integrated transit information platform in Atlanta. We propose combining all of MARTA’s real-time information sources – including bus tracking, train locations, and service alerts – into a proven platform known as OneBusAway. Additional regional transit schedule and real-time bus tracking data will be added into the platform as available. Development and implementation of this platform will be coupled with an assessment of its impact on transit rider behavior. Utilizing a novel approach that measures individual ridership change with smartcard data, we will study the travel frequency of passengers in order to quantify changes in frequency of travel on MARTA attributable to real-time information.

Final Report

Evaluating the Impact of Real-time Transit Passenger Information on Ridership and Mode Share

Presentations:

1. “A Method for Linking Transit Smart Card Data and Survey Responses to Evaluate Travel Behavior and its Application to a Before-After Analysis of Real-Time Information”, presented at the 94th Annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C., January 11-15, 2014.
2. "An Analysis of Real-time Commuter Rail Information in Boston", presented at the 93rd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C., January 12-16, 2014.
3. "Evaluating the Impacts of Real-Time Transit Information on Bus Riders in Tampa, Florida", presented at the APTA Bus and Paratransit Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, May 4-7, 2014.
4. “OneBusAway”, presented at the Intelligent Transportation Society Georgia Chapter's Monthly Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, June 26, 2014.
5. “The Impacts of Real-time Information on Transit User Perceptions, t-HUB Workshop: Equity and Transit System Performance Measurement”, presented at the Unviersity of Connecticut's t-HUB Workshop in Hartford, Connecticut, September 24, 2014.

Project Information Forms:

1. January 2014

​Publications: 

1. Anders, Joel, Candace Brakewood, and Kari Watkins, “A Case Study Analysis of New Fare Payment systems in Public Transit” Transportation Research Board 2014 Annual Meeting.
2. Berrebi, Simon, Kari Watkins, and Jorge Laval, “A Real-Time Bus Dispatching Policy to Minimize Headway Variance”, in review (revise and resubmit) Transportation Research Part B.
3. Brakewood, Candace, and Kari Watkins, “A Method for Linking Transit Smart Card Data and Survey Responses to Evaluate Travel Behavior and its Application to a Before-After Analysis of Real-Time Information”, in review (revise and resubmit) Transport Policy.
4. Brakewood, Candace, Francisca Rojas, P. Christopher Zegras, Kari Watkins, and Joshua Robin. “An Analysis of Real-time Commuter Rail Information in Boston” Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2015.
5. Brakewood, Candace, Gregory Macfarlane, and Kari Watkins, “The Impact of Real-time Information on Bus Ridership in New York City”, accepted for Transportation Research Part C.