Browsing by Subject "Bus rapid transit"

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Accessibility Evaluation of Transitways in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Region
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2020-04) Owen, Andrew; Carlson, Kristin
This report presents the results of a transit accessibility analysis for five transitway scenarios within the Metropolitan Council's jurisdiction. The details of the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors selected for this study can be found in the Arterial Transitway Corridors Study report. Census block level access to jobs are evaluated in two stages. The first stage compares the May 2019 transit network with the funded transit network including the C Line, Orange Line, and Green Line Extension. The second stage uses the funded network as the new baseline for comparison with three prospective BRT routes including the D Line, B Line, and E Line. The accessibility change between each scenario is interpreted as the number of additional jobs a worker can reach when the selected BRT alternative is included in the transit network compared to the baseline accessibility level for the same travel duration. The remainder of this report will refer to each network scenario as the May 2019 baseline, funded baseline, and prospective network.
Addressing Accessibility and Equity Along Transitways: Toward a Mixed Methods Toolkit—Part 1
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2021-01) Carlson, Kristin; Owen, Andrew
This report presents the results of a transit accessibility analysis for the B, D, E, Gold, and Rush Line transitways in the Twin Cities. Census block level access to grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and high schools is evaluated in two stages. Stage one evaluates the B, D, and E Lines, while stage two builds on stage one by adding the Gold and Rush Lines to the transit network. Accessibility results are disaggregated by five worker demographic categories including age, educational attainment, monthly earnings, race, and sex. The results highlight access to two destinations, which capture some of the choice set available to workers. The D Line consistently improves travel times to grocery, healthcare, and high school destinations. Between 30% and 50% of the workers living within a half-mile of a D Line transit stop experience a 1-to-5-minute travel time savings. The B and E Lines also bring travel time savings to the workers living near these transit routes but to a lesser extent than the D Line. Blocks within the Gold Line corridor experience the greatest travel time reduction to high schools, while the Rush Line area experiences significant travel time reductions to grocery destinations.
Addressing Accessibility and Equity Along Transitways: Toward a Mixed Methods Toolkit—Part 2
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2021-03) Fisher, Thomas; Hang, Joseph; Ogranovich, Dan; Chao, Lynda
This report presents a mixed-methods toolkit for use in community engagement as part of transitway planning and design. Although the tools apply to any type of transit in any location, they were developed in relation to three planned transitways in the Twin Cities: the B, Rush, and Gold lines. The report looks at one or more station areas along these lines, analyzing their accessibility and equity issues and showing how the toolkit might be used to improve the experience of transit users. The report also describes each tool, gives examples of its use, and discusses how, when, and where it might best be used as well as who might use it and for what reason. The tools work independently, but they also constitute a single toolkit, complementing each other as part of community engaged transit planning. The tools also work remotely as well as for in-person settings, on digital platforms as well as in print, and asynchronously as well as synchronously. The tools have an educational component, explaining in simple language and through visual descriptions the meaning of the various terms frequently encountered in transitway planning and urban design, with the goal of equipping people with the knowledge they need to have a more informed engagement process.
After Study of The Bus Rapid Transit A Line Impacts
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2018-12) Tomhave, Benjamin; Zhang, Yufeng; Khani, Alireza; Hourdos, John; Dirks, Peter; Olsson, Jack; Tao, Tao; Wu, Xinyi; Cao, Jason
In response to the limited awareness surrounding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the A Line, this study provides answers to questions regarding the operation and public perception of the A Line in the Twin Cities region, Minnesota. Two traffic scenarios were studied, one for high-volume oversaturated traffic during the Minnesota State Fair, and a second for normal operating conditions. For both scenarios, intersection queue length and traffic flow rate were compared before and after an A Line bus. It was found that in both time periods (Fair and non- Fair), the dwelling of an A Line bus during a green traffic signal did not have a statistically significant impact on intersection queue length or traffic-flow rate at either of the two researched stations. From an analysis of the 2016 On-Board Survey, it was determined that passengers are more satisfied by the overall service of the A Line than local buses while there is not a significant difference in overall satisfaction compared to express buses, light rail and commuter rail. The top three important service attributes to overall satisfaction are “paying my fare is easy,” “hours of operation,” and “handling of concerns/complaints.” It is recommended that the transit agency improve the attributes that have higher relative influences and lower mean performances. Based on this criterion, the attributes that should be given priority are “shelter/station conditions and cleanliness” and “behaviors of other passengers and atmosphere on board.”
An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Bertolaccini, Kelly
In March 2015, CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system operating in Connecticut in the United States, opened after nearly 16 years of planning and controversy. The 15.1-km (9.4-mi) busway connects the town of New Britain to the state capital of Hartford. The analysis conducted in this paper investigates whether or not CTfastrak and the transit system restructuring that occurred between 2013 and 2016 improved overall transit accessibility in the region, and if so, whether or not the distribution of these improvements is equitable. This exploration provides strong evidence that overall transit accessibility has improved in the region. Horizontal, or spatial equity, did worsen slightly as a result of this highly localized project. However, vulnerable populations experience more improvements and fewer decreases in transit accessibility than the general population. Though these analyses seem promising, an analysis of the distribution of transit access among workers hints that while many people are experiencing increases in general accessibility, they may not have meaningful access to their place of employment.
Assessing Neighborhood and Social Influences of Transit Corridors
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2012-07) Fan, Yingling; Guthrie, Andrew
This research investigates neighborhood and social influences of major transit improvements in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. To delineate a comprehensive picture, this research focuses on four transit corridors—Hiawatha LRT, NorthStar Commuter Rail, Cedar Avenue BRT, and Central Corridor LRT—each of which is at a different stage of planning, construction, or operation. The project undertakes a general quantification of neighborhood social change in transit served areas. For each corridor, the researchers also investigate inter-neighborhood and inter-corridor variations in social change, and examine residents' and business owners' perceptions of neighborhood social change, as well as of the specific impacts of transit corridors. A mix of quantitative analysis and survey research is used. By examining a wide range of system development stages including planning, construction, and operation, research findings will help policy makers determine at what point in the timelines of major transit capital projects policy responses are needed and likely to be most effective. By covering a variety of transit technologies including LRT, BRT and Commuter Rail, as well as a diverse range of urban and suburban neighborhoods, results from this research will help policy makers make more informed decisions about how to prevent and mitigate socially harmful neighborhood changes associated with various types of transitways. The research also presents strategies for engaging residents and businesses with negative, neutral and positive perceptions of transit projects in the transitway development process.
Bus Rapid Transit Technologies: A Virtual Mirror for Eliminating Vehicle Blind Zones: Volume 2
(Center for Transportation Studies, 2005-01) Sergi, Michael Knoll; Donath, Max
The FTA has identified the concept of Bus Rapid Transit as a means to increase the efficiency of transit operations while maintaining transit’s proven safety record. According to the FTA website www.fta.dot.gov, “BRT combines the quality of rail transit and the flexibility of buses. It can operate on exclusive transitways, HOV lanes, expressways, or ordinary streets. A BRT system combines intelligent transportation systems technology, priority for transit, cleaner and quieter vehicles, rapid and convenient fare collection, and integration with land use policy.” Because of the limited right-of -way available to build new the FTA has identified lane assist as an emerging technology, which the premise behind lane assist technology is to unique environments, such as narrow lanes. Lane assist technology will allow desired higher operating speeds while maintaining the safety of the passengers, BRT public. Vehicle and the motoring BRT vehicles to operate at the increase the safety of BRT vehicles as they operate in the more will enable deployment of BRT systems. (and possibly dedicated) lanes for BRT operations. The third objective will be to develop long term relationships with Metro Transit, the Federal Transit Administration, bus manufacturers, and technology providers to develop and implement strategies to improve transit operations. For instance, improving the ability of a bus driver to merge into and out of traffic is a high priority. Improved bus guidance technology will make bus only shoulders a viable alternative throughout the country. Progress towards meeting this objective has been made, but considerable effort will have to be expended to make lane assist technology ubiquitous throughout the transit industry.
Bus Rapid Transit Technologies: Assisting Drivers Operating Buses on Road Shoulders: Volume 1
(2003-12) Alexander, Lee; Cheng, Pi-Ming; Donath, Max; Gorjestani, Alec; Newstrom, Bryan; Shankwitz, Craig; Trach, Walter
The FTA has identified the concept of Bus Rapid Transit as a means to increase the efficiency of transit operations while maintaining transit's proven safety record. According to the FTA website www.fta.dot.gov, "BRT combines the quality of rail transit and the flexibility of buses. It can operate on exclusive transitways, HOV lanes, expressways, or ordinary streets. A BRT system combines intelligent transportation systems technology, priority for transit, cleaner and quieter vehicles, rapid and convenient fare collection, and integration with land use policy." Because of the limited right-of-way available to build new (and possibly dedicated) lanes for BRT operations, the FTA has identified lane assist as an emerging technology, which will enable deployment of BRT systems. The premise behind lane assist technology is to increase the safety of BRT vehicles as they operate in the more unique environments, such as narrow lanes. Lane assist technology will allow BRT vehicles to operate at the desired higher operating speeds while maintaining the safety of the passengers, BRT vehicle and the motoring public.
Comparing importance-performance analysis and three-factor theory in assessing rider satisfaction with transit
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2017) Cao, Jason; Cao, Xiaoshu
Transit ridership depends on its quality of service. Many studies have analyzed rider satisfaction surveys to explore important service attributes and/or identify improvement priorities. Importance-performance analysis (IPA) is capable of serving both purposes. However, it assumes that service attributes have a symmetric influence on rider satisfaction. To relax the assumption, this study applies three-factor theory to classify service attributes into basic, performance, and excitement factors. Using the 2013 data of bus, bus rapid transit (BRT), and metro transit riders from Guangzhou, China, it compares the results from two alternative IPA and two applications of the three-factor theory. Explicit IPA and implicit IPA classify service attributes somewhat differently but produce similar improvement priorities. For the three-factor theory, the importance grid yields more plausible results than regression with dummy variables. This study further concludes divergent improvement priorities for different services: comfort while waiting at station/stop and service reliability for bus; safety while waiting, safety while riding, and comfort while waiting for BRT; and spatial coverage for metro transit. If resources are abundant, transit agencies could also improve customer service for bus and comfort while riding for BRT.
Data-Driven Support Tools for Transit Data Analysis, Scheduling and Planning
(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute Center for Transportation Studies, 2011-07) Liao, Chen-Fu
Many transit agencies in the U.S. have instrumented their fleet with Automatic Data Collection Systems (ADCS) to monitor the performance of transit vehicles, support schedule planning and improve quality of services. The objective of this study is to use an urban local route (Metro Transit Route 10 in Twin Cities) as a case study and develop a route-based trip time model to support scheduling and planning while applying different transit strategies. Usually, timepoints (TP) are virtually placed on a transit route to monitor its schedule adherence and system performance. Empirical TP time and inter-TP link travel time models are developed. The TP-based models consider key parameters such as number of passengers boarding and alighting, fare payment type, bus type, bus load (seat availability), stop location (nearside or far side), traffic signal and volume that affect bus travel time. TP time and inter-TP link travel time of bus route 10 along Central Avenue between downtown Minneapolis and Northtown were analyzed to describe the relationship between trip travel time and primary independent variables. Regression models were calibrated and validated by comparing the simulation results with existing schedule using adjusted travel time derived from data analyses. The route-based transit simulation model can support Metro Transit in evaluating different schedule plans, stop consolidations, and other strategies. The transit model provides an opportunity to predict and evaluate potential impact of different transit strategies prior to deployment.
Economic Development Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2016-01) Guthrie, Andrew; Fan, Yingling
Bus rapid transit (BRT) will play an increasingly important role in the Twin Cities transit system in the future. A key aim of transit corridor investments is improving access to jobs, particularly jobs for which disadvantaged workers are likely to be qualified. Transit improvements enhance job access by shortening journey times, but the greatest possible accessibility benefits require station-area job growth that is not restricted to central business districts. This research compares job growth within one half mile of new light rail and bus rapid transit stations implemented in the Twin Cities and peer regions between 2003 and 2010, broken down by sector are wage categories. Fixed transit infrastructure (light rail tracks or BRT dedicated guideways), total street mileage in station areas, proximity to central business districts and overall regional economic strength are associated with more station-area jobs. Policy recommendations include building a strong corridor identity for arterial BRT lines, proactive job growth promotion efforts along BRT lines in general and a continued focus on social and racial equity concerns.
Effectiveness of Urban Partnership Agreement Traffic Operations Measures in the I-35W Corridor
(Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, Center for Transportation Studies, 2013-08) Hourdos, John; Abou, Seraphin Chally; Zitzow, Stephen
One of the leading transportation project initiatives of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is to reduce transportation system congestion. The Minneapolis Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) project is one of the five major projects funded by the U.S. DOT’s Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation Network. Minnesota’s UPA is concerned with Active Traffic Management (ATM) systems along I-35W from the southern junction with I-35 to downtown Minneapolis (which will be referred to as the UPA corridor). Three separate but related evaluations are included in this UPA related project: the effects of the variable speed limit (VSL) system on congestion and driver behavior, the impact of severe weather conditions on road safety, and the behavior of bus rapid transit (BRT) vehicles and their impacts on traffic conditions between 46th Street and Lake Street.
Estimating Running Time and Demand for a Bus Rapid Transit Corridor
(University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, 2009-12) Horning, Jessica; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.; Hourdos, John
Due to the increasing ease and affordability of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) data collection, new methods for assessing conditions along current and future transit corridors are available. Measures such as average speed, travel time, and intersection delay can be determined for car and bus traffic along a corridor using readily available technology. These measures can be used to monitor the performance of the transportation system for existing modes and to estimate measures for proposed additions to the system. The goal of this research is to utilize GPS device records from regular vehicles as well as busses to estimate running time and potential passenger demand for a proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor on Cedar Avenue in the southern Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Demand for future BRT service is predicted based on frequency and reliability of service and socio-demographic characteristics of the region around the corridor. Average passenger counts for existing transit service along the corridor in combination with existing commuting patterns in the region are used to estimate passenger demand. The running time and demand models produced by this study can be integrated with existing cost benefit software to evaluate the effects of intelligent transportation systems technologies on BRT running time (IBAT). The findings of this research introduce a benchmark for comparison between transit and private vehicle running time for general applications in Hennepin County. These findings also help to create additional understanding of the potential for BRT service in the Twin Cities region.
The gaps in satisfaction with transit services among BRT, metro, and bus riders: Evidence from Guangzhou
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2016) Cao, Jason; Cao, Xiaoshu; Zhang, Chen; Huang, Xiaoyan
This paper explores transit riders’ satisfaction with bus rapid transit (BRT) and compares BRT with conventional bus and metro services using revealed preference data from Guangzhou, China. A trivariate ordered probit model is developed to examine the effects of various service attributes on riders’ overall satisfactions with the three types of transit. We find that the top-three influential attributes for satisfaction with BRT are ease of use, safety while riding, and comfort while waiting. Moreover, transit riders are most satisfied with metro, followed by BRT and conventional bus. The top-five attributes that contribute to the difference in the overall satisfaction between BRT and metro are ease of use, comfort while riding, convenience of service, travel time, and comfort while waiting. Based on the findings, we propose specific strategies that can be used to enhance BRT quality of service.
Impact of Transitways on Travel on Parallel and Adjacent Roads and Park-and-ride Facilities
(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2021-01) Webb, Alex; Tao, Tao; Khani, Alireza; Cao, Jason; Wu, Xinyi
Transitways such as light rail transit (LRT) and bus rapid transit (BRT) provide fast, reliable, and high-capacity transit service. Transitways have the potential to attract more riders and take a portion of the auto mode share, reducing the growth of auto traffic. Park-and-ride (PNR) facilities can complement transit service by providing a viable choice for residents who are without walking access to transit or those who prefer better transit service such as LRT or BRT. In this study, we conducted two research tasks on Transitways services in the Twin Cities region in Minnesota; 1) to examine the impact of the operation of the Green Line LRT on the annual average daily traffic (AADT) of its adjacent roads, and 2) to estimate a PNR location choice model in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Job Growth Impacts of Bus Rapid Transit (Research Brief)
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2016-05) Guthrie, Andrew; Fan, Yingling
This two-page research brief summarizes the research objectives and findings for research report CTS 16-02 on the economic development impacts of bus rapid transit.
Metro station inauguration, housing prices, and transportation accessibility: Tehran case study
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Yazdanifard, Yekta; Joshaghani, Hosein; Talebian, Masoud
The opening of a new metro station, as a mode of the transportation corridor, potentially could have different effects on housing prices. We have investigated its effect on the value of residential properties around those stations, using data from large expansions of the metro network in Tehran, Iran. In the period of our study (April 2010 to December 2018), forty-five metro stations were inaugurated in Tehran. We use a difference-in-difference regression method to identify the causal effect of interest, where adjacent properties are used as the treatment group and similar but distant properties as the control group. The results indicate that, on average, the adjacent properties are affected by a 3.7 percent increase in price relative to distant properties. We also extend our study by categorizing new metro stations according to the extent of ex-ante access to other modes of public transportation such as bus rapid transit (BRT). We find 2 to 11 percent positive effect of new metro stations in regions with lower public transport, while in regions with ex-ante extensive public transportation system, we find less than 2 percent positive effect.
Shorter commutes, but for whom? Comparing the distributional effects of Bus Rapid Transit on commute times in Cape Town, South Africa, and Barranquilla, Colombia
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Santana Palacios, Manuel; Rayle, Lisa
Bus rapid transit has become an increasingly popular investment in cities in the Global South, where policy discourse often positions BRT as a pro-poor investment. Planners usually expect BRT to reduce commute times in urban areas, particularly for economically disadvantaged populations, thus reducing mobility gaps between transit users across different socioeconomic population groups. Despite increased interest in BRT, there is surprisingly limited research testing these assumptions. Using data from a retrospective survey administered in Barranquilla, Colombia, and Cape Town, South Africa, we investigated whether BRT contributes to reducing commute time gaps between socioeconomic populations. Our comparative and distributional analyses indicate that, while BRT narrowed the gap in commute times in Cape Town, it did not contribute to closing the gap in Barranquilla. We argue that this contradiction may, in part, be explained by the degree to which BRT route configuration responded to the urban form and pre-BRT transit conditions in each city—two factors often overlooked in academic literature and discussions surrounding BRT planning. We close by providing policy recommendations that promote more equitable planning practices and recognize the links between transport and land uses in the Global South urban context.
Transfer Behavior and Off-Peak Commutes
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2024-10) Baek, Kwangho; Khani, Alireza
To improve transit service for off-peak travelers, an essential yet often underrepresented group, and promote social equity, this study examines off-peak transit commutes and transfers, with a focus on the transitway system in the Twin Cities. The research contrasts off-peak and peak travel behaviors using an onboard survey (OBS) from 2016 and automatic fare collection (AFC) data from 2018 to 2023. The initial analysis involved clustering trips from OBS into 16 regional zones and creating origin-destination matrices to explore spatial travel patterns. Key findings include longer peak-time trips (8.51 miles) compared to off-peak trips (5.74 miles) and a higher concentration of non-work trips during off-peak times. The study also reveals that off-peak trips are more dispersed geographically. In the second phase, path choice sets were generated for each respondent from OBS, and logistic regression models were used to analyze preferences for transitway versus bus-only routes. The results indicated a strong preference for transitways, with 60% of passengers opting for them over buses when travel times were equal. Finally, AFC data was integrated with OBS using machine learning techniques to examine long-term trends, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-pandemic data show an increase in off-peak commutes and transit trips with transfers despite an overall decline in transfers. This study provides insights into evolving transit usage behaviors and highlights the importance of the transitway system in facilitating efficient travel.
The Value of Dedicated Right of Way (ROW) to Transit Ridership and Carbon Emissions
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2023-12) Cao, Jason; Tao, Tao; Johnson, Isak; Huang, Hannah
Transit agencies have adopted various types of right of way (ROW) for transit routes, including mixed traffic, semi-exclusive ROW, exclusive ROW, and grade separation, but few empirical studies have quantified their impacts on ridership and carbon emissions. Using data collected from transit agencies in the US, this research aimed to examine the impacts of dedicated ROW. We applied the gradient boosting decision tree method to estimate the nonlinear relationships between yearly route-level transit ridership and five types of independent variables, with a focus on ROW. The results showed that ROW contributes 18% of the power to predicting transit ridership, which is the largest among all the independent variables. Upgrading from mixed traffic to semi-exclusive ROW could boost ridership by 70,000, on average. A further upgrade to an exclusive ROW could add 3.68 million passengers. Moreover, the number of stops, transit route commence year, population density, signal priority, number of park-and-ride facilities, headway, network density, and route length all have non-trivial contributions to predicting ridership. Upgrading the operating environment could substantially reduce carbon emissions, up to 6.37 million pounds of CO2e. Overall, elevating ROW levels could notably enhance transit ridership and reduce carbon emissions, locating transit routes in the areas with adequate population density and network density could improve their performance, deploying signal priority and improving transit frequency also help, and increasing the share of electric buses could further decrease carbon emissions.

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