Transit Boardings

September 5, 2010

Florida Transportation Indicators

Vehicle Miles Traveled

Transportation Construction Cost

Transit Boardings

About

The transit boarding indicators are reported on a annual and monthly basis for Florida. The annual transit boarding indicators are reported accounting for all the transit properties in Florida. Whereas, the monthly transit boarding indicators include the eleven largest transit properties in Florida : Pinellas, Broward, Gainesville, Volusia, Miami-Dade, Central Florida Regional, Star-Metro, Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Hillsborough, and Tri-Rail. These eleven agencies carry approximately 95% of the total fixed route passengers in Florida.

For the U.S. monthly transit boarding indicator, data from APTA (American Public Transportation Association) is used for total U.S. monthly ridership.

Transit boarding is the common term used to account for passengers of public transit systems. The only reliable way to define and count passengers is to define person each boarding as a passenger. In many cases these individuals will have to transfer to an additional vehicle to reach their destination and may well use transit for the return trip completing a round trip.

There are typically two different ways that transit ridership is collected and reported. Virtually all agencies have a farebox that automatically counts each fare payment and/or the operator tabs in each passenger. This data is collected on each vehicle when it is in operation. Its accuracy is dependent on the reliability of the equipment, the diligence of the operator and the operating policy regarding counting various types of passengers. This source of data provides agencies with quick available data typically aggregated by month for management reports. In addition, transit properties that receive federal funding may sample ridership to produce annual counts that are used in formula funding allocations. This prescribed sampling plan is intended to provide a statistically accurate annual measure of ridership based on a designed sample that should proportionately capture various routes and times of day. This count is produced annually and often lags the collection of data by several months to allow for submittal, review, and publication. While this measure is often used in comparative evaluations of transit properties, it is, in this author’s opinion, less reliable and very much delayed in its availability. In addition, some requirements enable agencies not to have to file each year. Thus, for the purpose of the Indicators Web page, the farebox ridership counts are used.

Ridership is typically provided for each mode and for paratransit services offered by transit agencies. In addition, many other public service agencies provide transit services for special population groups. These social service programs operate vans and small buses, as well as, subsidized cab services. For the purpose of Indicators Report, only transit boardings for agencies that operate fixed route service is only used. All ridership for these agencies are reported. These numbers do not include school bus ridership.

Contact Information:

Florida Department of Transportation, Transit Office

605 Suwannee Street (MS 26); Tallahassee, Florida 32399-04050

Tara Bartee, Planning Administrator

Phone: (850) 414-4502

Tara.bartee@dot.state.fl.us

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) Administrative Headquarters

14840 49th Street North; Clearwater, FL 33762

Rita Hoffman, Data Statistical Supervisor

Phone: (727) 530-9921

RHOFFMAN@PSTA.NET

Broward County Commission Public Service Department