Ridership-Boosting Strategies for Transit Agencies with Different Characteristics: Insights from a Nationwide Survey

Abstract

With COVID-19 no longer classified as a public health emergency, transit agencies are seeking strategies to boost their ridership. Although previous studies have compiled many viable strategies, there is limited knowledge about their effectiveness for agencies with differing characteristics and how their implementation may have evolved post-pandemic. This paper bridges this research gap by identifying effective strategies for agencies of different sizes, regions, and service types. We based this study on a nationwide online survey of 244 transit agencies recruited via email and employed logistic regression analyses to test associations of the perceived effectiveness of strategies with agency characteristics. The findings reveal that marketing and promotion strategy implementation rates increased during the pandemic; however, such increases were short-term and not incorporated into the agencies’ future implementation plans. Moreover, increasing the service frequency emerged as the most effective strategy, whereas fleet electrification, despite being a lower priority for ridership recovery, proved significantly more effective for agencies with firsthand experience. Policymakers and transit agency managers can use the findings of this study to identify strategies that their peer agencies of similar sizes, regions, and service types consider effective for boosting ridership and promote transit use for everyone, especially for those lacking alternative means for transportation.

Keywords

public transit strategies COVID-19 policy implementation effectiveness ridership

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Burrows

Burd

McKenzie

Commuting by Public Transportation in the United States: 2019. American Community Survey Reports. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, D.C., 2021, p. 2. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2021/acs/acs-48.pdf.

Dickens

2021 Public Transportation Fact Book. American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C., 2021, pp. 1–5.

EBP US, Inc. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Transit Funding Needs in the U.S. American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C., 2021.

Barbieri

D. M.

Lou

Passavanti

Hui

Hoff

Lessa

D. A.

Sikka

, et al. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mobility in Ten Countries and Associated Perceived Risk for All Transport Modes. PLoS One, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2021, p. e0245886. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245886.

Ozbilen

Slagle

K. M.

Akar

Perceived Risk of Infection While Traveling During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Columbus, OH. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Vol. 10, 2021, p. 100326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2021.100326.

Parker

M. E. G.

Bouzaghrane

M. A.

Obeid

Hayes

Frick

K. T.

Rodríguez

D. A.

Sengupta

Walker

Chatman

D. G.

Public Transit Use in the United States in the Era of COVID-19: Transit Riders’ Travel Behavior in the COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Period. Transport Policy, Vol. 111, 2021, pp. 53–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.07.005.

Maugeri

Castrogiovanni

Battaglia

Pippi

D’Agata

Palma

Di Rosa

Musumeci

The Impact of Physical Activity on Psychological Health During Covid-19 Pandemic in Italy. Heliyon, Vol. 6, No. 6, 2020, p. e04315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04315.

Brynjolfsson

Horton

J. J.

Ozimek

Rock

Sharma

TuYe

H.-Y.

COVID-19 and Remote Work: An Early Look at US Data. https://www.nber.org/papers/w27344.

Grashuis

Skevas

Segovia

M. S.

Grocery Shopping Preferences During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability, Vol. 12, No. 13, 2020, p. 5369. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135369.

10.

Guthrie

Fosso-Wamba

Arnaud

J. B.

Online Consumer Resilience During a Pandemic: An Exploratory Study of e-Commerce Behavior Before, During and After a COVID-19 Lockdown. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 61, 2021, p. 102570. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102570.

11.

Schwartz

Chase

Farhi

Iacobucci

McGuinness

Mokady

Royall

Sargent

Schack

Spence

Public Transit and COVID-19 Pandemic: Global Research and Best Practices. American Public Transportation Association, Washington, D.C., 2020.

12.

Beck

M. J.

Hensher

D. A.

Insights into the Impact of COVID-19 on Household Travel and Activities in Australia – The Early Days Under Restrictions. Transport Policy, Vol. 96, 2020, pp. 76–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.07.001.

13.

Tan

Choice Behavior of Commuters’ Rail Transit Mode During the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Logistic Model. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (English Edition), Vol. 8, No. 2, 2021, pp. 186–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtte.2020.07.002.

14.

Cho

S.-H.

Park

H.-C.

Exploring the Behaviour Change of Crowding Impedance on Public Transit due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Before and After Comparison. Transportation Letters, Vol. 13, No. 5–6, 2021, pp. 367–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/19427867.2021.1897937.

15.

Astroza

Tirachini

Hurtubia

Carrasco

J. A.

Guevara

Munizaga

Figueroa

Torres

Mobility Changes, Teleworking, and Remote Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile. Findings, July 22, 2020. https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.13489.

16.

Arellana

Márquez

Cantillo

COVID-19 Outbreak in Colombia: An Analysis of Its Impacts on Transport Systems. Journal of Advanced Transportation, Vol. 2020, 2020, p. e8867316. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8867316.

17.

Jenelius

Cebecauer

Impacts of COVID-19 on Public Transport Ridership in Sweden: Analysis of Ticket Validations, Sales and Passenger Counts. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Vol. 8, 2020, p. 100242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100242.

18.

Jeffords

Transit Ridership, Revenue in Steep Decline During COVID-19 Pandemic. Toronto Star, April13, 2020.

19.

de Haas

Faber

Hamersma

How COVID-19 and the Dutch ‘Intelligent Lockdown’ Change Activities, Work and Travel Behaviour: Evidence from Longitudinal Data in the Netherlands. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Vol. 6, 2020, p. 100150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100150.

20.

Rocha

How COVID-19 Is Affecting Public Transit Use. CBC News, March27, 2020.

21.

Goldbaum

Wright

‘Existential Peril’: Mass Transit Faces Huge Service Cuts Across U.S. The New York Times, December6, 2020.

22.

Teixeira

J. F.

Lopes

The Link Between Bike Sharing and Subway Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case-Study of New York’s Citi Bike. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Vol. 6, 2020, p. 100166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100166.

23.

Ahangari

Chavis

Jeihani

Public Transit Ridership Analysis During the COVID-19 Pandemic. http://medrxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2020.10.25.20219105.

24.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Weekend: Metro to Again Run Limited Bus, Rail Service for Essential Travel Only. April2, 2020.

25.

Batsas

Public Transport Authorities and COVID-19: Impact and Response to a Pandemic. International Association of Public Transport, 2020. https://www.lek.com/sites/default/files/PDFs/COVID19-public-transport-impacts.pdf.

26.

DeWeese

Hawa

Demyk

Davey

Belikow

El-Geneidy

A Tale of 40 Cities: A Preliminary Analysis of Equity Impacts of COVID-19 Service Adjustments Across North America. Findings, June 2020. https://doi.org/10.32866/001c.13395.

27.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics. COVID-19 Stimulus Funding for Transportation in the CARES Act and Other Supplemental Bills. https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/COVID-19-Stimulus-Funding-for-Transportation-in-th/2cyr-4k8j/. Accessed June 15, 2022.

28.

Tirachini

Cats

COVID-19 and Public Transportation: Current Assessment, Prospects, and Research Needs. Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2020, pp. 1–21. https://doi.org/10.5038/2375-0901.22.1.1.

29.

Zhang

Hayashi

Frank

L. D.

COVID-19 and Transport: Findings from a World-Wide Expert Survey. Transport Policy, Vol. 103, 2021, pp. 68–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2021.01.011.

30.

Abdullah

Dias

Muley

Shahin

Exploring the Impacts of COVID-19 on Travel Behavior and Mode Preferences. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Vol. 8, 2020, p. 100255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2020.100255.

31.

Nelson

Workforce Resiliency Policies (Pandemic Plans). https://web.archive.org/web/20210908111040/https://sicop.transportation.org/resources/covid_policies/. Accessed June 15, 2022.

32.

Osman

Public Transit Response to Coronavirus or COVID-19. American Public Transportation Association. https://www.apta.com/public-transit-response-to-coronavirus/. Accessed June 15, 2022.

33.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Requirement for Persons to Wear Masks While on Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs. Federal Register, 2021, pp. 8025–8030. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/03/2021-02340/requirement-for-persons-to-wear-masks-while-on-conveyances-and-at-transportation-hubs.

34.

National Association of City Transportation Officials. Rapid Response: Emerging Practices for Transit Agencies. National Association of City Transportation Officials. https://nacto.org/covid19-rapid-response-tools-for-transit-agencies/. Accessed June 15, 2022.

35.

Federal Transit Administration. Transit COVID-19 Response Program Information Collection. https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-programs/safety/transit-covid-19-response-program-information-collection-user-guide. Accessed June 15, 2022.

36.

Tao

Rohde

Corcoran

Examining the Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Bus Passenger Travel Behaviour Using Smart Card Data and the Flow-Comap. Journal of Transport Geography, Vol. 41, 2014, pp. 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2014.08.006.

37.

Lindau

L. A.

Hidalgo

de Almeida Lobo

Barriers to Planning and Implementing Bus Rapid Transit Systems. Research in Transportation Economics, Vol. 48, 2014, pp. 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2014.09.026.

38.

Miao

Feeney

M. K.

Zhang

Welch

E. W.

Sriraj

P. S.

Through the Storm: Transit Agency Management in Response to Climate Change. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Vol. 63, 2018, pp. 421–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2018.06.005.

39.

Hidalgo

Gutiérrez

BRT and BHLS Around the World: Explosive Growth, Large Positive Impacts and Many Issues Outstanding. Research in Transportation Economics, Vol. 39, No. 1, 2013, pp. 8–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2012.05.018.

40.

Cervero

Kang

C. D.

Bus Rapid Transit Impacts on Land Uses and Land Values in Seoul, Korea. Transport Policy, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2011, pp. 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2010.06.005.

41.

Gkiotsalitis

Cats

Public Transport Planning Adaption Under the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: Literature Review of Research Needs and Directions. Transport Reviews, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2021, pp. 374–392. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2020.1857886.

42.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Elements Needed to Create High-Ridership Transit Systems. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2007.

43.

Lee

Ory

People Living in Disadvantaged Areas Faced Greater Challenges in Staying Active and Using Recreational Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Health & Place, Vol. 75, 2022, p. 102805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102805.

44.

Tyrinopoulos

Antoniou

Public Transit User Satisfaction: Variability and Policy Implications. Transport Policy, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2008, pp. 260–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2008.06.002.

45.

McCullagh

Regression Models for Ordinal Data. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series B (Methodological), Vol. 42, No. 2, 1980, pp. 109–142.

46.

O’Connell

Logistic Regression Models for Ordinal Response Variables. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2006.

47.

Brant

Assessing Proportionality in the Proportional Odds Model for Ordinal Logistic Regression. Biometrics, Vol. 46, No. 4, 1990, pp. 1171–1178. https://doi.org/10.2307/2532457.

48.

Zhou

Wang

Zhang

Hao

Real-World Performance of Battery Electric Buses and Their Life-Cycle Benefits with Respect to Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions. Energy, Vol. 96, 2016, pp. 603–613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2015.12.041.

49.

Flaris

Gkritza

Singleton

P. A.

Graul

A. R. H.

Song

Riders’ Perceptions Towards Transit Bus Electrification: Evidence from Salt Lake City, Utah. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Vol. 117, 2023, p. 103642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2023.103642.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.09 MB