Transit Data
Streetsblog Basics
Is Bus Service Getting Better or Worse? New MTA Dashboard Makes It Easier to Track.
The dashboard includes important indicators of citywide service quality, but riders can't look up the specific routes they take.
March 20, 2018
Will the MTA Put Better Transit Data to Work for Riders?
The Montreal-based app Transit is based on an unorthodox assumption: trip planning limited to directions from Point A to Point B doesn't actually fit the needs of most riders, who travel the same route every day.
October 19, 2017
MTA Will Start Using Common-Sense Metrics to Show Subway Riders How Their Trains Perform
Starting Wednesday, transit riders will be able to see for themselves how their subway lines are performing, when the MTA launches an online dashboard showing how much time riders lose due to trains that are off-schedule.
September 25, 2017
Real-Time Westchester Bus Info Mysteriously Appears on Google Maps
Riders of Westchester County's "Bee Line" bus service are still waiting for bus tracking apps, but maybe not for long.
September 14, 2017
Measuring Uber Traffic Would Be Impossible Under Cuomo’s Ride-Hailing Bill
Yesterday, analyst Bruce Schaller published a groundbreaking report on the effect of Uber and other ride-hailing services on New York City streets and traffic. Schaller relied on copious trip data from ride-hailing companies to produce the report. But that same data, would not be obtainable under the disclosure provisions in Governor Cuomo's statewide "Uber" bill.
February 28, 2017
Want to See Where Transit and Biking Need a Boost? D.C. Has a Map for That
Most places in the U.S. still use 20th century metrics to measure the performance of transportation systems. The emphasis is still on moving cars, not improving transit service or reducing traffic injuries. One of the exceptions is DC, where the DOT is letting people assess streets according to a different set of priorities.
February 16, 2017
The MTA Needs to Measure Service in a Way That People Understand
What if I told you that in the past year, the 4 train had a weekday "wait assessment" of 70 percent, down 1 percent from the previous year? Unless you're a dyed in the wool transit geek, your eyes would probably glaze over.
November 3, 2016
No, Uber’s Not Going to Replace Buses, But It Can Complement Them
Not a day goes by without a raft of stories about "new mobility" providers -- ride-hailing companies like Uber or car-share services like Car2Go that have tapped into recent technological advances to provide new ways to get around.
September 9, 2016
The Science (and Maps) Behind Finding Available Citi Bikes and Docks
Coming across an empty bike-share station when you need a bike -- or a full one, when you need a dock -- is a disappointing experience, to say the least. While Citi Bike's rebalancing efforts try to keep up by shuttling bikes around town, the company is working against a tide that shifts demand unevenly across its service area.
June 30, 2014
Using Citi Bike Data to Figure Out Where Cyclists Ride
It's been a week since Citi Bike released a trove of data on bike-share trips, and the public is already using the information to pick out patterns in ridership and glean new details about the demographics of Citi Bike riders.
April 7, 2014