TDM Toolbox

Mitigation Calculator

Subsector: Transit
Provide Real-Time Transit Information
VMT Reduction Potential: 1
Cost: 2
ROI: 1
StanCOG Relevancy: 5
Land Use Content: Urban, Suburban, Rural
Trip Type: School, Residential, Commute, Recreation
Scale: Regional
Timing: Short Term (1-3 years)
Implementors-Public: Municipalities, Regional Agencies, Transit Agencies
References: California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (2024), Cal-ITP Transit Data Guidelines, StanRTA System Information and Rider Tools

Description

Providing real-time transit information improves convenience and reliability for transit users by offering real-time data sources.

Implementation Details

  • Expand real-time arrival displays at major StanRTA transfer centers and high-ridership stops.
  • Continue integration of StanRTA GTFS and GTFS-Realtime data into regional trip-planning and mobility applications.
  • Provide QR codes and text-based arrival information at stops where electronic displays are not cost-effective.
  • Ensure real-time information is available in Spanish and accessible formats.
  • Integrate transit service alerts with regional traveler-information and mobility platforms.
  • Use real-time transit data to monitor service reliability and identify corridors where schedule or infrastructure improvements are needed.

Mitigation Potential

Providing real time information for transit in the form of websites, mobile apps, electronic message signs or displays at stops makes transit more reliable and convenient. This can encourage more users to shift from Single Occupancy Vehicle, reducing VMT. While no specific quantification methods are common at this time, agencies often use ridership counts from before and after implementation as a method of measuring efficacy.

Linked Strategies

Equity Considerations

Real-time transit data enhances trip reliability, particularly for people with limited access to smartphones or flexible work hours. Transit agencies should install real-time signage in multiple languages and ensure ADA-accessible formats for users with visual or cognitive disabilities. Equitable access also means targeting high-ridership and lower-income areas where riders depend more heavily on transit and need greater trip certainty.

Funding Sources

Requires relatively modest technology and ongoing maintenance costs compared with major transit infrastructure projects. Potential funding sources include the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment program, Surface Transportation Block Grant and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality programs, Solutions for Congested Corridors Program, Low Carbon Transit Operations Program, and local transit agency technology or passenger-amenity funds.

Examples/Case Studies

StanRTA Real-Time Bus Tracker and Rider Alerts

StanRTA currently provides an online real-time bus tracker showing bus locations and estimated arrival times, along with rider alerts and text/email notifications. StanRTA also provides GTFS data and a trip planner, making this an especially relevant local example for expanding real-time transit information in Stanislaus County.

San Joaquin RTD Real-Time Information and TextBus

San Joaquin RTD provides several real-time information options, including a live bus map, rider alerts, mobile applications, and TextBus. TextBus allows riders to send a stop number by text message and receive upcoming bus departure information without requiring a smartphone application. This provides a strong San Joaquin Valley example of providing real-time information through both digital and low-tech channels.