LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDED PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTING REAL-TIME TRANSIT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Transit agencies across the country are embracing new technology and are willing to implement systems that will provide their riders with up-to-date real-time information on arrivals, departures and other pertinent information on their buses, rail, and ferry systems to increase ridership and provide advanced transportation technologies. Though there are a few successful implementations of real-time transit information systems in the United States, there hasn't been a rapid deployment of these systems. Many transit agencies are still early in the planning stages for considering implementation of similar systems that would benefit their riders in making better travel decisions. This paper details information on the development of a guidance document for implementing real-time transit information systems that is scheduled to be published by the Federal Transit Administration in the summer of 2003. The guidance document is intended to provide relevant and practical information on planning, implementation, operational, and maintenance issues along with any solutions to the challenges faced by transit agencies that have successfully implemented real-time information systems. The background research for this guidance document included a literature review on existing systems, along with site visits and telephone interviews of key staff at selected transit agencies that have successfully deployed real-time information systems.