Transit and Technology

By Steve Poftak
July 18th, 2008

One of the great frustrations for bus riders everywhere is the unpredictability of service. Some systems have addressed this, in part, by setting up systems that allow passengers to know when the next bus will arrive. The Washington DC Metro system allows bus riders to call a number, enter a stop-specific code, and get an estimated arrival time for the next bus.

Leafing through a copy of “Leveraging ITS Data for Transit Market Research: A Practitioner’s Guidebook” (don’t ask; but see pg. 59 for the example) reveals the utility of that approach. The Chicago Transit Authority tested arrival time notification by setting a stop with a notification system and using a stop with similar volumes but no system as a control.

Riders who were aware of arrival times registered a 27% improvement in wait times, yet there was no actual change in wait times.

What does this tell us? Technology can be a low cost way to improve the customer experience and increase satisfaction.