Large and Medium Urban Transit Providers Are Sharing ITS Data

Transit providers are now making some of the data collected from their  ITS technologies, such as GIS, computer-aided dispatch, automatic  vehicle location, and automatic passenger counters, available to the  public, a concept which is known as “open data.” A 2015 Transit  Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) study on open data found an  increasing number of transit providers have begun making their schedule  and real-time operational data available to the public since 2010. In addition to sharing data with the public, the large and medium urban  transit providers in our review reported that they share data with regional  transportation stakeholders to support multimodal planning and  management. Large and Medium Urban Transit Providers Reported Using Advanced Technologies

As we have described above, the large and medium urban transit  providers are deploying the majority of the core transit ITS technologies in  our review; however, some of the transit providers described using more  innovative types or features of these technologies. Most Small Urban and Rural Transit Providers Are Not Using Other ITS Technologies, Primarily because of Technology Costs or Perceived Lack of Need

Although about half of small urban and rural transit providers reported  using the three aforementioned technologies, based on our survey  results, we estimate that most small urban and rural transit providers are  not using each of five other technologies in our review: maintenance  management systems, traveler information systems, automatic passenger  counters, electronic fare payment, and transit signal priority. Such combinations of technologies  can lead to precise information on ridership behavior that can contribute  to benefits such as more efficient routing and scheduling. Officials from 11 of the large and medium urban transit providers we  interviewed told us that it can be difficult to quantify the benefits of using  ITS technologies for a number of reasons, such as that it may be difficult  to identify a unit of measurement for enhanced safety or greater staff  efficiency, for example. Complex systems such as electronic fare payment and transit signal  priority may involve multiple entities, including neighboring transit  providers and cities, among others. DOT Supports ITS Deployment Through a Variety of Training and Technical Assistance Resources, but Providers’ Use of These Resources Is Limited

		DOT Offers a Number of Resources to Promote and Support ITS Technologies

The JPO and FTA provide a variety of information resources related to  transit ITS deployment. To help inform them  of the transit community’s resource needs, JPO officials told us that they  coordinate with officials from FTA and transit industry groups, such as  APTA and CTAA, and consider other information, such as relevant  research and ITS deployment information from DOT’s ITS deployment  survey of state and local transportation agencies. Including the deployment of ITS by small urban and rural transit providers  in its ITS monitoring efforts may provide the JPO with information to  customize ITS resources to address the challenges faced by this transit  community. DOT could improve the awareness and  applicability of these resources through greater use of leading practices  for successfully encouraging the adoption of new technologies. Without greater efforts from DOT to make the transit  community more aware of federal ITS resources and tailor these  resources to the needs of smaller providers, transit providers may be  missing information that could help them make the most informed ITS  deployment decisions. Recommendations for Executive Action

To improve access to and awareness and applicability of ITS resources  for ITS deployment, we recommend that the Secretary of Transportation  direct the ITS JPO, in coordination with FTA, to take the following two  actions: develop a strategy to raise awareness of JPO’s training, technical  assistance, and knowledge resources for transit ITS deployment in  the transit community, and  include ITS adoption by small urban and rural transit providers in ITS  monitoring efforts. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report addresses: (1) the extent to which selected transit providers in  large urban areas use Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS); (2) the  extent to which transit providers in small urban and rural areas use ITS;  (3) the benefits and challenges transit providers experience in deploying  ITS; and (4) the extent to which transit providers have utilized the  Department of Transportation’s (DOT) resources to promote and support  ITS. Administration of Survey and Quality Assurance

We developed a questionnaire to obtain information about transit  providers’ use of ITS technologies. To identify the benefits and challenges that transit providers in large  urban, small urban, and rural areas are experiencing from deploying ITS,  we interviewed JPO and FTA officials, industry associations, officials from  public transit stakeholders in our site visits, and 31 transit providers in  large urban areas, surveyed transit providers in small urban and rural  areas, and reviewed published research on ITS.
Why GAO Did This Study

Public transit providers are adopting electronics and information-processing applications called ITS to help improve operations and service. ITS technologies can play an important role in facilitating multimodal choices in a rapidly changing transportation environment. This report describes: (1) the extent to which selected transit providers in large urbanized areas are using ITS, (2) the extent to which transit providers in small urban and rural areas are using ITS, (3) the benefits and challenges these transit providers experience in deploying ITS, and (4) the extent to which transit providers have utilized DOT resources to promote and support ITS.
GAO reviewed DOT's ITS deployment data and ITS studies; interviewed DOT officials and public transit stakeholders; conducted three site visits, selected based on geographic dispersion and DOT recommendations; interviewed 31 transit providers serving large urbanized areas selected for geographic dispersion and use of multiple transit modes; and conducted a national survey of small urban and rural transit providers to obtain information on ITS technologies used.

What GAO Found

Selected large and medium urban transit providers have deployed most Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies, such as automatic vehicle location (AVL) and electronic fare payment. Most of these providers reported sharing data collected from ITS with the public or regional transportation providers to enable technology innovations and improve regional planning. Large and medium urban transit providers have also deployed advanced types of ITS technologies, such as smart phone applications to provide passengers with travel information and mobile ticketing. GAO estimates that small urban and rural transit providers are using security systems, computer-aided dispatch, AVL, and geographic information systems to, among other things, monitor safety and security and improve record-keeping and billing capabilities. However, most small urban and rural transit providers are not using other ITS technologies—such as automatic passenger counters or electronic fare payment—due to the cost of the technologies or because there is no perceived need.
Transit providers GAO surveyed and interviewed reported various benefits from ITS including improved scheduling and routing, on-time performance and schedule adherence, and customer satisfaction. In addition, many large and medium urban transit providers reported that using combinations of technologies can increase benefits. By using technologies such as AVL and electronic fare payment together, for example, transit providers can obtain more precise ridership information, which can further improve their planning. However, transit providers GAO interviewed and surveyed noted that it can be difficult to quantify the benefits of using ITS technologies because, as reported by large and medium urban providers, it may be difficult to identify a unit of measurement, such as for greater staff efficiency, or attribute benefits to either ITS deployment or a specific technology. Transit providers also face an assortment of deployment challenges, including competing for funding internally with state-of-good-repair needs, reluctance from the transit workforce and leadership to embrace ITS technologies, coordinating deployment across regional agencies, and integrating technologies purchased from different vendors.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) offers a variety of information resources to support ITS deployment, but few of the transit providers interviewed or surveyed reported using these resources. DOT officials, selected large and medium transit providers, and other public transit stakeholders told GAO that the transit community may not be using these resources because transit providers lack sufficient staff and the information provided may not reflect the transit community's needs. Additionally, DOT does not include small urban and rural transit providers in its ITS deployment survey, a tool officials said is used in designing information resources. DOT could improve the awareness and applicability of ITS resources by developing a strategy to raise awareness of DOT's resources available to the transit community and monitoring the adoption of ITS by transit providers in small urban and rural areas. Without greater efforts from DOT to make the transit community more aware of federal ITS resources and to tailor these resources to the needs of smaller providers, transit providers may be missing information that could help them make the most informed ITS deployment decisions.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Secretary of Transportation develop a strategy to raise awareness of federal resources for ITS deployment in the transit community and include ITS adoption by small urban and rural transit providers in ITS-monitoring efforts. DOT agreed with the recommendations and provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated.