Using Smart Farecard Data to Support Transit Network Restructuring: Findings from Los Angeles

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (6) ◽  
pp. 202-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pragun Vinayak ◽  
Zeina Wafa ◽  
Conan Cheung ◽  
Stephen Tu ◽  
Anurag Komanduri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Metropolitan Regions ◽  
Trip Purpose ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Market Shares ◽  
Transit Market ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
In Transit

Recent technological innovations have changed why, when, where, and how people travel. This, along with other changes in the economy, has resulted in declining transit ridership in many U.S. metropolitan regions, including Los Angeles. It is important that transit agencies become data savvy to better align their services with customer demand in an effort to redesign a bus network that is more relevant and reflective of customer needs. This paper outlines a new data intelligence program within the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) that will allow for data-driven decision-making in a nimble and flexible fashion. One resource available to LA Metro is their smart farecard data. The analysis of 4 months of data revealed that the top 5% of riders accounted for over 60% of daily trips. By building heuristics to identify transfers, and by tracking riders through space and time to systematically identify home and work locations, transit trip tables by time of day and purpose were extracted. The transit trip tables were juxtaposed against trip tables generated using disaggregate anonymized cell phone data to measure transit market shares and to evaluate transit competitiveness across several measures such as trip length, travel times relative to auto, trip purpose, and time of day. Relying on observed trips as opposed to simulated model results, this paper outlines the potential of using Big Data in transit planning. This research can be replicated by agencies across the U.S. as they reverse declining ridership while competing with data-savvy technology-driven competitors.

scholarly journals Planning for the First and Last Mile: A Review of Practices at Selected Transit Agencies in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2222
Author(s):  
Hossain Mohiuddin
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Gap Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Plan Implementation ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Transit Agencies

A transit trip involves travel to and from transit stops or stations. The quality of what are commonly known as first and last mile connections (regardless of their length) can have an important impact on transit ridership. Transit agencies throughout the world are developing innovative approaches to improving first and last mile connections, for example, by partnering with ride-hailing and other emerging mobility services. A small but growing number of transit agencies in the U.S. have adopted first and last mile (FLM) plans with the goal of increasing ridership. As this is a relatively new practice by transit agencies, a review of these plans can inform other transit agencies and assist them in preparing their own. Four FLM plans were selected from diverse geographic contexts for review: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), Riverside (CA) Transit Agency (RTA), and Denver Regional Transit District (RTD), and City of Richmond, CA. Based on the literature, we developed a framework with an emphasis on transportation equity to examine these plans. We identified five common approaches to addressing the FLM issue: spatial gap analysis with a focus on socio-demographics and locational characteristics, incorporation of emerging mobility services, innovative funding approaches for plan implementation, equity and transportation remedies for marginalized communities, and development of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructures surrounding transit stations. Strategies in three of the plans are aligned with regional goals for emissions reductions. LA Metro and Riverside Transit incorporate detailed design guidelines for the improvement of transit stations. As these plans are still relatively new, it will take time to evaluate their impact on ridership and their communities’ overall transit experience.

Transit Planning Optimization Under Ride-Hailing Competition and Traffic Congestion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keji Wei ◽  
Vikrant Vaze ◽  
Alexandre Jacquillat
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Public Transit ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Nonlinear Program ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Planning Optimization ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Transit Agencies

With the soaring popularity of ride-hailing, the interdependence between transit ridership, ride-hailing ridership, and urban congestion motivates the following question: can public transit and ride-hailing coexist and thrive in a way that enhances the urban transportation ecosystem as a whole? To answer this question, we develop a mathematical and computational framework that optimizes transit schedules while explicitly accounting for their impacts on road congestion and passengers’ mode choice between transit and ride-hailing. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear program and solved using a bilevel decomposition algorithm. Based on computational case study experiments in New York City, our optimized transit schedules consistently lead to 0.4%–3% system-wide cost reduction. This amounts to rush-hour savings of millions of dollars per day while simultaneously reducing the costs to passengers and transportation service providers. These benefits are driven by a better alignment of available transportation options with passengers’ preferences—by redistributing public transit resources to where they provide the strongest societal benefits. These results are robust to underlying assumptions about passenger demand, transit level of service, the dynamics of ride-hailing operations, and transit fare structures. Ultimately, by explicitly accounting for ride-hailing competition, passenger preferences, and traffic congestion, transit agencies can develop schedules that lower costs for passengers, operators, and the system as a whole: a rare win–win–win outcome.

Empirical Analysis of Long-Run Elasticities and Asymmetric Effects of Transit Demand Determinants

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (8) ◽  
pp. 274-284
Author(s):  
Lisa Li ◽  
Dena Kasraian ◽  
Amer Shalaby
Keyword(s):  
Policy Making ◽  
Demand Elasticity ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Dynamic Panel Model ◽  
Transit Service ◽  
Demand Elasticities ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Transit Agencies

The effects of transit ridership determinants can be quantified as demand elasticities which are often used to inform transit planning and policy making. This study seeks to determine the impacts of transit service supply, fare, and gas prices on ridership by quantifying the short-run and long-run demand elasticities, as well as test whether transit ridership exhibits an asymmetric response to the rise and fall of these factors using a panel data of 99 Canadian transit agencies over the period of 2002–2016. The results of the dynamic panel model show the effects of transit service and fare to be greater in the long run. The short-run fare elasticity was found to be –0.24 while the long-run elasticity was –1.1. Furthermore, the demand elasticity with respect to service levels was also found to be inelastic (0.28) in the short run but elastic (1.3) in the long run. The cross-elasticity of gas prices was estimated to be 0.17. The existence of asymmetry was analyzed using decomposition techniques to separately estimate the coefficients for the rise and fall in each of the determinants. The equality of these coefficients was tested against each other and it was found that ridership responded more to an increase in transit supply than a decrease. The importance of these results to policy making are then discussed.

Use of Planning Support Software in Transit Services

2005 ◽  
Vol 1927 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-136
Author(s):  
Zhong-Ren Peng ◽  
Sarah Hawks ◽  
Kate West
Keyword(s):  
General Trend ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Planning Support ◽  
Transit Services ◽  
Customer Services ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
Support Software ◽  
In Transit ◽  
The U.S

Many U.S. transit agencies have been using planning support software to assist in daily planning, operation, and customer services. However, the literature is not clear about the extent to which transit agencies are using planning support software programs for daily activities. To determine the state of the practice in the use of planning support software in the U.S. transit agencies, a survey was conducted. The survey found that the use of planning support software confirms the general trend in the use of information technology: that is, its use is directly related to the size of the transit agencies. Larger transit agencies tend to use more planning support software, while small agencies do not use that much. Probably one of the most important findings is that many smaller transit agencies consider the purchase and use of planning support software in transit planning, operation, and marketing as unnecessary, especially given the difficulties in obtaining funding, training staff, and hiring and retaining technical support personnel. However, those difficulties are mainly caused by constraints in budgeting and technical staffing issues rather than the undesirability of or the unproved or unrealized benefits related to the use of planning support.

Density and Captivity in Public Transit Success: Observations from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Study

2000 ◽  
Vol 1735 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve E. Polzin ◽  
Xuehao Chu ◽  
Joel R. Rey
Keyword(s):  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Public Transit ◽  
Good Time ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
The Public ◽  
Transit Market ◽  
Personal Transportation ◽  
Transit Use ◽  
In Transit

The new millennium provides a good time to reflect on transportation-industry trends in some fundamental external factors that influence transportation behavior and planning response. In the public-transit industry, urban density and transit captivity have long been fundamental conditions driving transit planning and service and facility investment decisions. In light of demographic and economic changes, it is useful to revisit the issue of the importance of these factors to the transit market. Findings from a comprehensive analysis of the 1995 Nation-wide Personal Transportation Study (NPTS), which explored current transit-travel behavior, are reported. Two key findings reflect on two historical axioms in transit: ( a) the extent to which density influences transit use and ( b) the importance of the transit-dependent market. The research findings reiterate the significant influence that development density has on public transit mode share and bring to light some revealing data on the influence of urban-area size on transit use. The importance of transit dependency on transit use is documented, and trends in transit dependency over the past few decades are revealed. Finally, the implications of these trends for the public-transit industry are discussed.

scholarly journals The Multimodal Connectivity at Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Stations and the Impact on Ridership

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mintesnot Woldeamanuel ◽  
Craig Olwert
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Social Equity ◽  
Bus Rapid Transit ◽  
Rapid Transit ◽  
Transit Planning ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Transit Use ◽  
The Impact

A multimodality index (MI) is developed to evaluate the accessibility and convenience of transit use by investigating the connectivity of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with other modes of travel. Better connected stations increase transit system ridership, resulting in environmental and social equity gains. The integration of the Orange Line BRT system in Los Angeles with other travel modes, including bicycles, pedestrians, regular buses, and private automobiles, was analyzed using field observations and LA Metro data to create a multimodality index (MI). While multimodal connectivity of the Orange Line BRT system varies across stations, a positive relationship exists between ridership and the MI, indicating that the MI is a reliable predictor of transit ridership and a useful tool for transit planning.

Analysis of Effects of Fare-Free Transit Program on Student Commuting Mode Shares: BruinGo at University of California at Los Angeles

2003 ◽  
Vol 1835 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent Boyd ◽  
Melissa Chow ◽  
Robert Johnson ◽  
Alexander Smith
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
University Of California ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Demonstration Program ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Mode Share ◽  
Commuting Mode ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
The University

Spring 2002 concluded the second year of the BruinGo pilot demonstration program of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). BruinGo allows students and employees of UCLA to board buses of the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Lines (Big Blue Bus) free of charge. At a time when the future of BruinGo is at stake (both its existence and the possible expansion of the program to other transit agencies), a brief analys is of what has been accomplished by the program at this stage is provided. The program is analyzed using two methods: ( a) the analysis of the changes in the commuting mode share for all off-campus student commuters and ( b) an intricate process of geocoding survey data in which the relationship of the proximity of a student’s residence to the Big Blue Bus lines and the corresponding choice of mode to campus is analyzed. The conclusion is that providing fare-free transit to students did, in fact, increase transit ridership and decrease students’ reliance on the automobile to reach campus. Transit ridership for 2001 (the first year of BruinGo) increased by more than 50% over ridership in 2000 (the year before BruinGo), while more than 1,000 fewer automobile trips were taken to the UCLA campus each day. Even more striking is the rate at which students are leaving their cars at home in the areas best served by the Big Blue Bus. After BruinGo, fully 50% of all students in walking distance of a direct line to campus took transit (compared with 35% before BruinGo). That is much higher than in other areas. The mode share of walking and bicycling also decreased dramatically, however.

Current State of Practice in Transit Ridership Prediction: Results from a Survey of Canadian Transit Agencies

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (8) ◽  
pp. 179-191
Author(s):  
Ehab Diab ◽  
Dena Kasraian ◽  
Eric J. Miller ◽  
Amer Shalaby
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Current State ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
In Transit

With the emergence of new technologies, new data sources, and software, it is important to understand the current approaches used by transit agencies in ridership prediction. This study reports the results of a recent web-based survey conducted in 2018 among 36 Canadian transit agencies to understand their current state of ridership prediction practice. The study presents a wide range of results, starting from agencies’ used prediction methods to the challenges faced by transit agencies as a result of the observed changes in ridership estimates after the introduction of new automated data collection systems. The study also discusses the transit agencies’ level of satisfaction with the currently used methods and data inputs and factors that are incorporated in their methods. In addition, it develops a better understanding of the requirements of robust ridership prediction models from the transit agencies’ perspective. This paper provides planners and researchers with a comprehensive examination of the different aspects and issues that are related to the current state of transit agencies’ ridership prediction practices.

scholarly journals The Causal Effect of Bus Rapid Transit on Changes in Transit Ridership

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-103
Author(s):  
Orion Stewart ◽  
◽  
Anne Vernez Moudon ◽  
Brian Saelens ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Causal Effect ◽  
Bus Rapid Transit ◽  
Rapid Transit ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
In Transit

scholarly journals Keberlanjutan Transportasi di Kota Surabaya Melalui Pengembangan Kawasan Berbasis TOD (Transit Oriented Development)

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ketut Dewi Martha Erli Handayani ◽  
Putu Gde Ariastita
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Road Network ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Sustainable Transportation ◽  
Development Plan ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Transit Oriented Development ◽  
Transit Ridership ◽  
In Transit

Development plan of monorail and tramway in Surabaya City aimed to encourage the movement based transit. TOD (Transit Oriented Development) is model for integration of transportation and land use in order to encourage the transit ridership. The result of study in worldwide show the success of TOD application in increasing the usage of transit mode by developing policies on land uses around station/terminal. Therefore, it needs to adopt TOD in transit area of Surabaya City to achieve the sustainable transportation. This study conclude criteria of TOD that can be applied in transit area of Surabaya City are mixed land uses, high intensity of activities around station/terminal, integrated design of circulation and road network, and pedestrians/cyclists friendly design.Development plan of monorail and tramway in Surabaya City aimed to encourage the movement based transit. TOD (Transit Oriented Development) is model for integration of transportation and land use in order to encourage the transit ridership. The result of study in worldwide show the success of TOD application in increasing the usage of transit mode by developing policies on land uses around station/terminal. Therefore, it needs to adopt TOD in transit area of Surabaya City to achieve the sustainable transportation. This study conclude criteria of TOD that can be applied in transit area of Surabaya City are mixed land uses, high intensity of activities around station/terminal, integrated design of circulation and road network, and pedestrians/cyclists friendly design.

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