The definition of "On Time" varies from transit system to transit system, making comparisons difficult. When compared using the same standards, a more accurate portrait of transit performance emerges.
A recent post on the TransitCenter website catches transit systems moving the goal posts when it comes to measuring on-time performance. Transit officials set their own performance standards, without referencing any national standard, and can change those standards when its expedient to do so.
"Baltimore’s MTA recently came under fire by the Baltimore Sun and advocates for doing just that last year, after it boasted of improving its on time performance following the 2017 redesign of the bus network in Baltimore," according to post.
To cut through the fog of self-serving arbitrariness, the team at TransitCenter chose one universal standard, "[using] publicly available open data to look at 2018 transit agency performance, and picked an (ambitious) standard used by SFMTA: 'On Time' definition of 1 minute early, 4 minutes late."
Once the standard is set to a universal scale, the on-time performance of most systems declines, but a few trends in quality performance also emerge. "The systems that rise to the top tend to be in less congested cities (no surprise there – congestion is the primary source of bus delays). The top three cities for reliability saw smaller ridership losses on their bus system from 2016-2017 than the national average," according to the article.
FULL STORY: Your Bus Is On Time. What Does That Even Mean?
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Colorado Bill Would Tie Transportation Funding to TOD
The proposed law would require cities to meet certain housing targets near transit or risk losing access to a key state highway fund.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.