The 'Business Case' for Real-Time Transit Data

Transit agencies struggling to sustain ridership in the face of increasing on-demand services have looked to improve their quality of service and user experience. A new research review suggests that real-time arrival and departure data is crucial to that effort.

Sidewalk Labs editor Eric Jaffe reports on a review of studies by researchers from the University of Tennessee and Georgia Tech that evaluated the impacts of real-time data, as well as the barriers to adoption. In a Q&A with researcher Candace Brakewood, Jaffe explains:

The primary benefits include reduced wait times (people use an app to time their walk to a stop or station), reduced travel time (people adjust their trip choices), and increased transit use (people like reduced wait and travel times). In time, the higher-order impact stands to be even greater: a future where integrated real-time data from all transportation options enables a true mobility system that rivals private car use on convenience.