Our team of experienced transit industry leaders has published extensively on key aspects of transportation, especially as it relates to data analytics, project planning, and operations improvements. Explore this page to read abstracts of some of our leadership's most cited publications, and contact us if you want more information about any of our publication.
Abstract:Subway ridership estimates are important to transit operators for both internal applications (e.g., setting service frequencies, prioritizing station upgrades) and external reporting (e.g., to the National Transit Database). New York City Transit (NYCT) is developing a new model that will accomplish three primary objectives: (a) estimating subway ridership at a train level for the first […]
Authors: Qifeng Zeng, Alla Reddy, Alex Lu, Brian Levine
Abstract:To support bus service scheduling and planning, New York City Transit (NYCT) put into production a ridership application to determine surface transit boarding and alighting locations for each of approximately 2.8 million daily passenger trips on 218 bus routes. The application combined data from an automated vehicle location (AVL) system, a multimodal entry-only nongeographic automated […]
Authors: Boris Suchkov, Mikhail Boguslavsky, Alla Reddy
Abstract:In 2013, with real-time train arrival data becoming widely available through its general transit feed specification real-time (GTFS-RT) feed, New York City Transit (NYCT) recognized the potential for new service management tools capable of on-the-fly performance visualization and reporting. This paper describes the process taken by NYCT to develop and evaluate a transit analysis tool […]
Authors: Alla Reddy, Alex Lu, Mikhail Boguslavsky, Brian Levine
Abstract:A balanced scorecard (BSC) is widely used in private industry and the public sector to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and to help achieve strategic outcomes. This concept is widely used in the transit industry for carrier regulator contractual relationships and performance monitoring. After a fact-finding mission to Southeast Asia, New York City Transit (NYCT) […]
Abstract:MTA Bus Time is an Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system utilizing Global Positioning Systems (GPS) hardware and wireless communications technology to track real-time location of New York City buses. This paper describes the challenges and coordination required in developing a Bus Time data based analysis system to replace traffic surveyor-based manual data collection. This work […]
Abstract:A recurring challenge that faces transit managers today is the persistent question of how to do more with less: to maintain and to improve service despite deficits of historic proportions. New York City Transit (NYCT) responded by retooling performance measurement frameworks and procedures to capture the customer’s perspective better, to respond to management initiatives, and […]
Authors: Aaron Berkovich, Alex Lu, Brian Levine, Alla V. Reddy
Abstract:An observational sampling methodology was used to explore seat occupancy patterns in New York City subway cars. The study was performed under uncrowded conditions on the basis of special attributes of what otherwise were highly homogeneous plastic bench seats. Onboard seating patterns, measured as relative seat occupancy probabilities, were explained in terms of interactions between […]
Abstract:In a recession, transit agencies aim to provide key services while retaining national core values. When making service changes, federal funding recipients are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin and must not place undue burden on Environmental Justice (EJ) populations. To ensure compliance, New York City Transit developed analytical […]
Abstract:This paper describes a strategic business case for weekday exception scheduling in urban transit services, specifically, treating Fridays differently from other weekdays. As commuters trend toward more flexible work scheduling, telecommuting arrangements, and 4 1/2-day weeks, gaps between midweek and Friday ridership volumes have widened. Exception schedules neither were nor are unusual; transit operators ran […]
Abstract:New York City Transit (NYCT) has a comprehensive framework for assessing, managing, and combating subway fare evasion. The automated fare collection system, implemented between 1994 and 1997, features lessons learned from field trials of prototypes specifically designed to limit fare abuse. Subway crime has decreased 68% since 2000, and the annual average subway evasion rate […]
