MTA Launches Bus Dashboard
In a continued effort to better reach customers, earlier today the MTA announced a new bus dashboard showcasing rider focused metrics. Here is more information about the dashboard via the press release I received:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today launched a new online dashboard detailing customer-focused performance metrics for bus routes as part of MTA New York City Transit’s strategy to improve service across the city’s bus network.
The data on the bus performance dashboard is based on farebox, GPS and other information and can be filtered by borough, types of service such as local/limited, express or Select Bus Service, and time periods such as weekday peak or off-peak hours. No other transit system in the world is considered to provide the same level of detail in an online dashboard.
MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford cited improvements to bus service in all five boroughs as one of his top four goals when he started his position in January. Although service reliability for buses is largely dependent upon road conditions and traffic law enforcement, NYC Transit is committed to making improvements to its fleet, safety, service management, customer amenities, transparency and customer service, as well as working with city government and community partners to make routes more efficient.
“Good bus service is critical to millions of New Yorkers and this new dashboard gives both customers and MTA management a good idea of the service we have now and how to improve it,” said MTA Managing Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim.
“When I came to New York City Transit, I immediately recognized the importance of bus service because millions of our customers rely on buses as a viable mode of transportation, and New York City presents one of the largest and most challenging bus operating environments in the world,” said New York City Transit President Andy Byford. “While we look to our partners in City government to help address congestion and traffic enforcement, we are doing everything we can to improve the performance and transparency of our system. This new tool will help us measure and track the customer experience in meaningful ways that will help lead to improvements in the system.”
The dashboard is live now at http://busdashboard.mta.info and displays data on multiple metrics including:
- Average bus speeds (new metric)
- The average time customers wait at bus stops longer than scheduled (new metric)
- The average time customers spend on trips longer than scheduled (new metric)
- The percentage of customers whose trips are completed on time (new metric)
- Percentage of service delivered vs service scheduled
- Mean distance between bus equipment failures
- Passenger environment quality
“I am very pleased to see that New York City Transit is serious about providing better service and greater transparency to customers with this new bus performance dashboard,” said Andrew Albert, New York City Transit Riders Council chairman and MTA Board member. “Now more than ever, riders are holding the MTA accountable, and having this bus performance data helps them advocate for improvements and track when promises are being delivered. I am excited to see how this data will help customers and the other strategies in the works to improve bus service in all the boroughs.”
I plan on checking out the dashboard to see what kind of useful information is being shared. On paper it sure sounds like a very usable tool to help inform riders. However as much as it might be, it still will not replace actual improvements that riders can truly see & experience first hand in their commute.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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