TDM Toolbox

Subsector: Transit
Provide Real-Time Transit Information
VMT Reduction Potential: 1
Cost: 2
ROI: 1
TAM Relevancy: 4
Land Use Content: Urban, Suburban, Rural
Trip Type: School, Residential, Commute, Recreation
Scale: Community
Timing: Short Term (1-3 years)
Implementors-Public: Municipalities, Regional Agencies, Transit Agencies
Eligibility Status: California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (2024)
Eligibility Status: Feasible, Currently Exist, Implementable/Expandable, Applicable Funding

Description

Providing real-time transit information provides riders with live data on vehicle arrival times, service disruptions, and delays through digital displays at stations, mobile apps, or websites. Providing real-time information improves ridership usage and retention by increasing confidence in transit reliability.

Implementation Details

  • Install solar-powered real-time signage at major Marin Transit stops to display next bus arrivals, service alerts, and wayfinding information.
  • Integrate real-time General Transit Feed Specification data into mobile apps used regionally with multilingual functionality to improve usability for non-English-speaking riders.
  • Deploy QR-code signage and Near Field Communication (NFC) tags at lower-volume stops to provide low-cost digital trip planning options.
  • Coordinate with regional Information Traffic System (ITS) strategies to include real-time data integration into corridor-level Traffic Demand Management (TDM) monitoring systems.

Mitigation Potential

Providing real time information for transit in the form of websites, mobile apps, electronic message signs or displays at stops makes transit more reliable and convenient. This can encourage more users to shift from Single Occupancy Vehicle, reducing VMT. While no specific quantification methods are common at this time, agencies often use ridership counts from before and after implementation as a method of measuring efficacy.

Linked Strategies

Equity Considerations

 Real-time transit data enhances trip reliability, particularly for people with limited access to smartphones or flexible work hours. Transit agencies should install real-time signage in multiple languages and ensure ADA-accessible formats for users with visual or cognitive disabilities. Equitable access also means targeting high-ridership and lower-income areas where riders depend more heavily on transit and need greater trip certainty.

Funding Sources

Funding sources include the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program (California Transportation Commission), the Surface Transportation Block Grant (Metropolitan Transportation Commission), and the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment (U.S. Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration).

Implemented in TAM Area

Current TDM Implementation

511 Bay Area tracks real-time transit information that is used by multiple agencies in Marin and available in the Transit app. Marin Transit provides real-time information on solar-powered signs at key stops and SMART has digital real-time signs at their stations.

TDM Benefit Locations

Improving the reliability and accuracy of real-time data is broadly beneficial for transit users. Implementing more real-time signage is particularly beneficial at high-ridership stops and at locations with variable and long gaps in frequency.