Why You Should Adopt GTFS-ride
There hasn’t been an open standard for ridership data until now. GTFS-ride standardizes fixed-route ridership data, with the aim to improve collaboration between transit agencies and their partners, including software companies building rider-facing applications and analysis platforms like Remix.
Our excitement about GTFS-ride could not be contained, which is why we shared the wealth of knowledge through a webinar featuring Dr. J. David Porter, one of the principal creators of GTFS-ride, and Hunter Abel, a service planner from MARTA making real-world decisions built off the use of this data standard.
You can check out the recording here.
Can’t tune in? Here are our main takeaways:
What are the benefits of GTFS-ride?
The primary benefits of GTFS-ride include better informed analyses and decisions for service planning. As described in the webinar, Hunter Abel used interactive ridership data in Remix to understand which route segments are unproductive in order to design new routing that uses more productive segments.
Additional benefits include easier NTD reporting, better data sharing and reduced inefficiencies from having to digest multiple data specifications, and better transparency and improved public perception for transit agencies sharing ridership data with external stakeholders.
“ As service planners, we know where the hotspots are but having [interactive ridership data] allows us to communicate with our stakeholders so that they can better understand where we want to make major stop improvements and where they may want to offer major stop improvements. Being able to use Remix’s ridership layer on the fly has been very beneficial. Prior to Remix’s interactive [ridership] tool, we were using static data which isn’t as helpful in communicating a story and a message to our stakeholders on two corridors that have been identified for high capacity improvements.” — Hunter Abel
What are the challenges of GTFS-ride?
Without adoption, a data standard will flounder. In the case of GTFS-ride, there’s a chicken-and-egg situation for adoption, so to speak. Transit agencies are reluctant to adopt until software and hardware companies adopt GTFS-ride, and vice versa.
So what can I do to help?
Glad you asked! Spreading the word and having conversations about GTFS-ride helps, but it’s not enough. As a transit agency, you can adopt the data standard and nudge your private partners to adopt it as well.
Standardized open formats (like GTFS-ride, GTFS, GBFS, MDS) create flexibility for how cities and transit agencies use data, minimize the cost of transforming and analyzing data, and ensure interoperability across systems. The data standard ecosystem is evolving quickly so we encourage cities and transit agencies to remain flexible in which standards they adopt and keep an ear close to the ground for new specifications that arise.
Want to learn more? Watch the webinar here or contact us.
As always, a big thank you to our webinar presenters Dr. J. David Porter and Hunter Abel.
J. David Porter is a Professor and Associate Head of Graduate Education in the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Oregon State University. Dr. Porter received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Dr. Porter’s research focuses on the design, modeling, and performance evaluation of data collection systems in application domains such as manufacturing, intralogistics, and transportation.
Hunter Abel is currently a Service Planner for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. In this role, Hunter is responsible for evaluating existing bus service, including analysis of ridership data at the route and stop level, and the development of service modifications to further improve MARTA’s bus network. In addition, Hunter is currently the Deputy Project Manager for MARTA’s Arterial Rapid Transit projects, which will enhance bus service and passenger experience along three major bus corridors in the City of Atlanta. Hunter uses Remix on a regular basis to continually brainstorm how MARTA can better deliver a robust bus network and identify where MARTA’s upcoming Arterial Rapid Transit projects will have the greatest impact in improving the overall passenger experience.
