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TRANSIT
TCRP REPORT 126
COOPERATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAM
Sponsored by
the Federal
Transit Administration
Leveraging ITS Data for
Transit Market Research:
A Practitioner's Guidebook
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TCRP OVERSIGHT AND PROJECT TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2008 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
SELECTION COMMITTEE*
CHAIR OFFICERS
Robert I. Brownstein
AECOM Consult, Inc. CHAIR: Debra L. Miller, Secretary, Kansas DOT, Topeka
VICE CHAIR: Adib K. Kanafani, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
MEMBERS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
Ann August
Santee Wateree Regional Transportation Authority
John Bartosiewicz
MEMBERS
McDonald Transit Associates J. Barry Barker, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY
Linda J. Bohlinger Allen D. Biehler, Secretary, Pennsylvania DOT, Harrisburg
HNTB Corp.
Peter Cannito
John D. Bowe, President, Americas Region, APL Limited, Oakland, CA
Metropolitan Transportation Authority--Metro Larry L. Brown, Sr., Executive Director, Mississippi DOT, Jackson
North Railroad Deborah H. Butler, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation,
Gregory Cook Norfolk, VA
Veolia Transportation William A.V. Clark, Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Nathaniel P. Ford
San Francisco MUNI
David S. Ekern, Commissioner, Virginia DOT, Richmond
Fred M. Gilliam Nicholas J. Garber, Henry L. Kinnier Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia,
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Charlottesville
Kim R. Green Jeffrey W. Hamiel, Executive Director, Metropolitan Airports Commission, Minneapolis, MN
GFI GENFARE Edward A. (Ned) Helme, President, Center for Clean Air Policy, Washington, DC
Jill A. Hough
North Dakota State University
Will Kempton, Director, California DOT, Sacramento
John Inglish Susan Martinovich, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City
Utah Transit Authority Michael D. Meyer, Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of
Jeanne W. Krieg Technology, Atlanta
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority Michael R. Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington
David A. Lee
Connecticut Transit
Neil J. Pedersen, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore
Clarence W. Marsella Pete K. Rahn, Director, Missouri DOT, Jefferson City
Denver Regional Transportation District Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson
Gary W. McNeil Tracy L. Rosser, Vice President, Corporate Traffic, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, AR
GO Transit Rosa Clausell Rountree, Executive Director, Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority, Atlanta
Michael P. Melaniphy
Motor Coach Industries
Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO
Frank Otero C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
PACO Technologies Linda S. Watson, CEO, LYNXCentral Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Orlando
Robert H. Prince, Jr. Steve Williams, Chairman and CEO, Maverick Transportation, Inc., Little Rock, AR
DMJM+Harris
Jeffrey M. Rosenberg EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Amalgamated Transit Union
Michael Scanlon Thad Allen (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC
San Mateo County Transit District Joseph H. Boardman, Federal Railroad Administrator, U.S.DOT
Beverly Scott Rebecca M. Brewster, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, Smyrna, GA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
James S. Simpson Paul R. Brubaker, Research and Innovative Technology Administrator, U.S.DOT
FTA George Bugliarello, Chancellor, Polytechnic University of New York, Brooklyn, and Foreign Secretary,
Frank Tobey National Academy of Engineering, Washington, DC
First Transit Sean T. Connaughton, Maritime Administrator, U.S.DOT
Frank Wilson LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Interior, Washington, DC
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC
William W. Millar John H. Hill, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
APTA John C. Horsley, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Robert E. Skinner, Jr.
TRB Officials, Washington, DC
John C. Horsley Carl T. Johnson, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
AASHTO J. Edward Johnson, Director, Applied Science Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space
J. Richard Capka Administration, John C. Stennis Space Center, MS
FHWA William W. Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
TDC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Nicole R. Nason, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator, U.S.DOT
Louis Sanders James Ray, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.DOT
APTA James S. Simpson, Federal Transit Administrator, U.S.DOT
SECRETARY Robert A. Sturgell, Acting Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT
Christopher W. Jenks Robert L. Van Antwerp (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General,
TRB U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC
*Membership as of January 2008. *Membership as of May 2008.
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP REPORT 126
Leveraging ITS Data for
Transit Market Research:
A Practitioner's Guidebook
James G. Strathman
Thomas J. Kimpel
Joseph Broach
Paul Wachana
CENTER FOR URBAN STUDIES
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Portland, OR
Kathryn Coffel
KITTELSON AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Portland, OR
Steve Callas
TRIMET
Portland, OR
Bart Elliot
ENSPIRIA SOLUTIONS, INC.
Greenwood Village, CO
Rebecca Elmore-Yalch
NORTHWEST RESEARCH GROUP, INC.
Boise, ID
Subject Areas
Public Transit
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2008
www.TRB.org
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM TCRP REPORT 126
The nation's growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, Project B-29
and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current ISSN 1073-4872
systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand ISBN: 978-0-309-09942-4
service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve Library of Congress Control Number 2008929050
these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to © 2008 Transportation Research Board
adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to intro-
duce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative
Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by
which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions COPYRIGHT PERMISSION
to meet demands placed on it. Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining
written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report
published or copyrighted material used herein.
213--Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this
and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation
publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the
Administration--now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA,
report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), FMCSA, FTA, or Transit Development Corporation endorsement of a particular product,
Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem- method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for
educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of
solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and success- any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission
ful National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes from CRP.
research and other technical activities in response to the needs of tran-
sit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit
research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment,
NOTICE
facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and
The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research
administrative practices.
Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Pro- Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing
posed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was autho- Board's judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the
rized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act purposes and resources of the National Research Council.
of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement out- The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review
lining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooper- this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration
for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions
ating organizations: FTA, the National Academies, acting through the expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and
Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not
Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research orga- necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council,
nization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the the Transit Development Corporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and
Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to
procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council.
may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility
The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National Research
of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identi- Council, the Transit Development Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration
fying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS (sponsor of the Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or
Committee defines funding levels and expected products. manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are
considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed
by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project state-
ments (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide techni-
cal guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process
for developing research problem statements and selecting research
agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research pro-
grams since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve
voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to
reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on dissemi-
Published reports of the
nating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research: tran-
sit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other support- are available from:
ing material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for Transportation Research Board
workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure Business Office
that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry 500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
practitioners.
The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively and can be ordered through the Internet at
address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore
complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. Printed in the United States of America
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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 126
Christopher W. Jenks, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Crawford F. Jencks, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Senior Program Officer
Eileen P. Delaney, Director of Publications
Kami Cabral, Editor
Ellen M. Chafee, Assistant Editor
TCRP PROJECT B-29 PANEL
Field of Service Configuration
Minnie Fells Johnson, Plantation, FL (Chair)
Susan S. Altshuler, Alternate Concepts, Inc., Boston, MA
Paul Casey, Big Blue Bus, Santa Monica, CA
David Faria, Technology Solution Providers, Fairfax Station, VA
Jane Glascock, Seattle METRO, Shoreline, WA
Loren "Ben" Herr, Texas Transit Association, Austin, TX
Elizabeth G. Jones, University of NebraskaLincoln, Omaha, NE
Johanna Zmud, NuStats LLC, Austin, TX
Eric Pihl, FTA Liaison
Sean Ricketson, FTA Liaison
Fred L. Williams, FTA Liaison
Thomas Palmerlee, TRB Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research reported herein was performed under TCRP Project B-29 by the Center for Urban Stud-
ies at Portland State University (PSU). PSU was the contractor for this study and also served as the fiscal
administrator.
James G. Strathman, Director of the Center for Urban Studies and Professor of Urban Studies and Plan-
ning, PSU, was the Project Director and Principal Investigator. The other authors of this report include
Thomas J. Kimpel, Research Associate in the Center for Urban Studies; Joseph Broach and Paul Wachana,
Graduate Assistants in the Center for Urban Studies and Urban Studies Ph.D. students at PSU; Kathryn
Coffel, Associate Planner, Kittelson and Associates, Inc.; Steve Callas, Manager of Service Performance and
Analysis, TriMet; Bart Elliot, Strategic Account Manager, Enspiria Solutions, Inc.; and Rebecca Elmore-
Yalch, President and CEO, Northwest Research Group, Inc.
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FOREWORD
By Gwen Chisholm Smith
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
TCRP Report 126: Leveraging ITS Data for Transit Market Research: A Practitioner's Guide-
book, describes currently used intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and Transit ITS
technologies that have the greatest promise for transit market research. This guidebook
documents ITS and Transit ITS technologies currently in use, assesses their potential to pro-
vide market research data, and presents methods for collecting and analyzing these data.
Also, the guidebook provides three in-depth case studies that illustrate how ITS data have
been successfully used to improve market research practices. The guide should be useful to
small, medium, and large transit agencies.
Transit agencies use market research for a variety of purposes--scheduling and opera-
tions planning, long-range planning and design, performance analyses, market penetration
and market segmentation analyses, and gathering data on mode choice and travel patterns,
consumer perceptions, consumer preferences, pricing elasticity, customer satisfaction, mar-
ket segmentation, market usage, scheduling, trip planning, supply and demand, crime
mapping, and new product and service evaluations. Also, market research can show where
to target resources to have the greatest impact on maintaining and increasing ridership.
Because the data are used extensively throughout the major departments within transit
agencies, reliable and cost-effective market research is a priority.
While transit market research is becoming more expensive, intelligent transportation sys-
tems (ITS), including Transit ITS (formerly known as advanced public transportation
systems, or APTS), are transforming the way transportation and transit agencies operate.
Because ITS and Transit ITS involve real-time data capture, these technologies have poten-
tial to inexpensively capture objective market information at high levels of data accuracy
and completeness. Transit agencies should be prepared to capitalize on these efficiencies for
transit market research. The use of these data by transit operators, transportation planners,
and transit marketers presents significant opportunities for both short-term and long-term
gains in transit use. In addition, transit properties that leverage objective customer infor-
mation from these systems may be able to be more proactive in serving transit customers.
Currently, little information exists about the types of ITS and Transit ITS data best suited
for market research or about the extent of ITS and Transit ITS data use for this purpose by
transit agencies in the United States. This guidebook provides information on the technolo-
gies with the greatest potential for recovering data to support market research activity. The
guidebook also addresses issues that need to be resolved to ensure easier and more effective
use of data within transit organizations.
Under TCRP Project B-29, "Transit Market Research: Leveraging ITS and Transit ITS
Data," the research team conducted a comprehensive review of literature, practice, and
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findings related to ITS and Transit ITS deployments potentially related to market research
opportunities. The research team collected data from a representative sample of transit
agencies about known and potential uses of ITS and Transit ITS data either as substitutes
for, or in conjunction with, primary market research activities. For the data collected, the
research team identified the market research purpose, type of data used, the data validation
process, and how data were collected and analyzed to fulfill the market research objective.
The research team conducted case studies that include a summary of the ITS and Tran-
sit ITS technologies and applicable data used within transit agencies and assess the impacts
of the use of ITS and Transit ITS data on market research practices.
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CONTENTS
1 Summary
3 Chapter 1 Introduction
4 Definition and Benefits of Market Research in an ITS Environment
6 What the Guidebook Covers
7 Chapter 2 Introduction to Market Research and ITS Data
7 Understanding Customers: Traditional Market Research Techniques
11 Inventory of ITS Data for Market Research
15 Benefits and Limitations of Combining Traditional and ITS Data
20 Chapter 3 ITS Data Applications in Market Research
20 ITS Data Applications: Monitoring Service Delivery
25 ITS Data Applications: Leveraging Traditional Market Research
28 Chapter 4 Data Management, Reporting, and
Staffing Considerations
28 Enterprise Database Architecture Supporting the Use of ITS Data
31 Architectures Supporting Data Integration
33 Implementing Enterprise Data Management and Integration
34 ITS Data Validation
34 Reporting and Analysis Tools
37 Institutional Issues
40 Staffing Issues
43 Chapter 5 Lessons Learned, Issues, and Concerns
48 References
50 Appendix A Chicago Transit Authority Case Study
61 Appendix B City of Madison--Metro Transit Case Study
67 Appendix C TriMet Case Study
