Transit Planning Services

Over the past several years, GeoStats has provided a range of technology solutions to assist studies that support transit planning. These studies include:

• Onboard Surveys
• Boarding and Alighting Studies
• Bus Stop Inventories

Onboard Surveys

GeoStats has developed a novel approach to collecting transit ridership information that integrates GPS-enabled PDAs running GeoStats' RideCount software with an online assignment management / monitoring, data processing and reporting system. The use of GPS technology improves the spatial accuracy of the collected data and also constitutes a powerful data audit tool.

RideCount has been enhanced to improve the efficiency of on-board (OB) transit surveys. Use the RideCount System means fewer questionnaires are needed since tighter controls are available. This method also associates surveys with GPS coordinates and ridership information collected by RideCount, so bus-on information does not need to be collected in the survey itself, which reduces respondent burden and improves accuracy of the other data elements in the survey. This method also features a sophisticated imputation procedure that selects bus-off locations based on RideCount information, fields in the survey, and a GIS database of the transit system.

Boarding and Alighting Studies

GeoStats has used its RideCount System very successfully in numerous regional transit system boarding and alighting studies, including studies completed recently in Laredo, Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Worth.  By collecting GPS coordinates with each stop where passengers board or alight, exact ridership information for every route in the system is easily obtained.  The web-based management and monitoring system allows all project team members (as well as the client) to observe progress and status throughout the study period.

Bus Stop Inventories

GeoStats has generated bus stop inventories using a Tablet PC software application developed by GeoStats.

This application collects a wide range of bus stop attributes as well as GPS coordinates and digital images of the inbound and outbound approaches to each stop. Data transfer is initiated from the Tablet PCs to webservices hosted by GeoStats in Atlanta. All data transfers are secure and backup copies are created along the way (i.e. on the Tablet PC and on the web server at GeoStats). Once the data arrives at the GeoStats' server, they are then imported into a relational database that powers a project website, which is used to perform QA/QC reviews of all data collected as well as track and report progress to the project team and client.