LibGuides: Public Transportation: Web Resources

Websites

American Public Transportation Association The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 public and private sector member organizations. Benefits to our members include advocacy for federal funding and policies, research, technical expertise and consulting services, workforce development programs, educational conferences and seminars, and 135 subject-matter working committees.
International Council on Clean Transportation The International Council on Clean Transportation is an independent nonprofit organization founded to provide research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators. Our mission is to improve the environmental performance and energy efficiency of road, marine, and air transportation, in order to benefit public health and mitigate climate change.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, more commonly known as the T, is one of the oldest public transit systems in the United States. It's also the largest transit system in Massachusetts. As a division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the MBTA provides subway, bus, Commuter Rail, ferry, and paratransit service to eastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people across a 5,000-square-mile travel area surrounding New York City through Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. The MTA network comprises the nation’s largest bus fleet and more subway and commuter rail cars than all other U.S. transit systems combined. The MTA's operating agencies are MTA New York City Transit, MTA Bus, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
New Jersey Transit NJ TRANSIT is New Jersey's public transportation corporation. Its mission is to provide safe, reliable, convenient and cost-effective transit service with a skilled team of employees, dedicated to our customers' needs and committed to excellence. Covering a service area of 5,325 square miles, NJ TRANSIT is the nation's third largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. The agency operates an active fleet of 2,221 buses, 1,231 trains and 93 light rail vehicles. On 252 bus routes and 12 rail lines statewide, NJ TRANSIT provides nearly 270 million passenger trips each year. NJ TRANSIT also administers several publicly funded transit programs for people with disabilities, senior citizens and people living in the state's rural areas who have no other means of transportation. In addition, the agency provides support and equipment to privately-owned contract bus carriers.
Public Transit - U.S. Department of Transportation In its role of providing financial assistance to develop new transit systems and improve, maintain, and operate existing systems nationwide, FTA oversees thousands of grants provided to states, tribes, and local public agencies to support public transportation. Grantees have a responsibility to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements associated with the management of federally assisted grants.
Rome2rio Rome2rio provides combines door-to-door travel information with a booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. Enter any address, landmark, or city as your destination and we will instantly display all your travel and booking options, along with information about accommodation and things to do, in one convenient spot. Provides estimated prices, journey durations, and booking details from over 5000 companies in more than 160 countries for flights, train, bus, and ferry trips, rideshare or rental cars.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority provides public transportation for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania
Strap Hangers Campaign (NYPIRG) The Straphangers Campaign was founded by the New York Public Interest Research Group at a critical time for New York City transit. By the late 1970s, the City's subways had become unreliable and decrepit. Graffiti covered every car and station. Transit fires and derailments hit record levels. Crime steadily worsened. Ridership plummeted to the lowest level in 80 years. Businesses cited poor transit as a leading reason for moving out of New York. The system had become a symbol of the decline of the City itself.
Transport for London (TfL -- U.K.) An integrated transport authority responsible for meeting the transport needs of the greater London (U.K.) region. Responsible for running the day-to-day operation of the Capital's public transport network and manage London's main roads.

Statistics

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (U.S. DOT) The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the Department of Transportation (DOT) is the preeminent source of statistics on commercial aviation, multimodal freight activity, and transportation economics, and provides context to decision makers and the public for understanding statistics on transportation.
Frederal Transit Administration (U.S. DOT) The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems, including buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys and ferries. FTA also oversees safety measures and helps develop next-generation technology research.
Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States Welcome to MV PICCS (Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States). MV PICCS is a web tool that helps you review the costs and benefits of different statewide interventions designed to prevent motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths. MV PICCS selects the most cost-effective combination of interventions for implementation under a given budget and user identified parameters. Currently, fourteen effective interventions are available for you to select.
MTA (NYS) Ridership Statistics Provides ridership statistics for New York City Buses and Subways. This page is a gateway to statistics by line and station.
National Transit Database (Federal Transit Administration) Congress established the NTD to be the Nation’s primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems of the United States. Statute requires that recipients or beneficiaries of grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
Public Transit Facts and Usage Statistics -- Los Angeles Commute patterns by Light Rail, Subway, Train, Bus & Cable Car in Los Angeles - Statistics, Analytics and Usage Data
State Transportation Statistics (U.S. DOT) State Transportation Statistics (STS) are a series of reports highlighting major federal databases and other national sources related to each state's infrastructure, safety, freight movement and passenger travel, vehicles, economy and finance, and energy and the environment. Along with tables generated for each state, the reports describe databases and give information on access, formats, and contact points.
Transportation and Health Tool The Transportation and Health Tool (THT) was developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide easy access to data that practitioners can use to examine the health impacts of transportation systems.
Transportation Statistics (U.N. Economic Commission for Europe) The UNECE Working Party on Transport Statistics (WP.6) is an intergovernmental body dealing with the development of appropriate methodologies and terminology for the harmonization of statistics as well as the collection of data from member States and the dissemination of these data.

Primary Documents and Articles

All-electric articulated buses hit New York City streets MTA’s New York City Transit deployed the first of its new all-electric articulated bus fleet on one of the city’s busiest crosstown routes — the 14th Street busway — as part of the agency’s plan to enhance and modernize the bus fleet with zero-emissions technology that will deliver environmental benefits for all New Yorkers.
City Transit Tips - Rick Steve's Europe Rick Steves, is a respected authority on European travel, empowers Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, headquartered in Edmonds, Washington, near Seattle.
Fast Forward - New York City Transit Fast Forward, is a plan begun in May 2018 to completely modernize New York City Transit, from the inside out.
Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Pub. L. No. 114-94) into law—the first federal law in over a decade to provide long-term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment. The FAST Act authorizes $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for highway, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail, and research, technology, and statistics programs.
The Global Mass Transit Revolution (City Lab) CityLab is dedicated to the people who are creating the cities of the future—and those who want to live there. Through sharp analysis, original reporting, and visual storytelling, our coverage focuses on the biggest ideas and most pressing issues facing the world’s metro areas and neighborhoods.
Mass Transit Magazine Has an editorial scope encompasses fixed-route and express bus systems; car and van pools; demand response and paratransit services; commuter and light rail systems; first-/last-mile transportation options and ferries. Coverage includes profiles of transit systems with feature articles on management, operations and technology. Regular departments include marketing, public policy, management, finance and international view.
Metro - For Transit and Motorcoach Business METRO is a magazines entirely devoted to public transportation. It has served the rail market since 1904.
National Transit Database Congress established the NTD to be the Nation’s primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems of the United States. Statute requires that recipients or beneficiaries of grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
National Transportation Library Established in 1998 by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the National Transportation Library (NTL):
Public Transport -- Google News Comprehensive up-to-date coverage for public transport, aggregated from news sources all over the world by Google News.
StreetsBlog Founded in 2006, Streetsblog is a daily news site that connects people to information about how to reduce dependence on cars and improve conditions for walking, biking, and transit. Their reporters have focused on efforts to prevent pedestrian injuries and deaths, build out bicycle networks, and make transit more useful. Their goal is to raise the profile of these issues with policy makers and makes arcane topics like parking requirements and induced traffic accessible to a broad audience.
Top 10 Metro Areas by Percentage of Workers Who Commute by Public Transportation Top ten metro areas by percentage of workers who commute by public transportation.
Tramways and Urban Transit Now in its 82nd year, Tramways & Urban Transit is the world’s leading monthly publication dedicated solely to the development and expansion of rail-borne urban transit.
Transit Street Design Guide Developed through a new peer network of NACTO members and transit agency partners, the Guide provides street transportation departments, transit operating agencies, leaders, and practitioners with the tools to actively prioritize transit on the street.
Trends in Public Transportation Ridership (Congressional Research Service) Many public transportation agencies across the United States are losing riders. While ridership nationally has risen about 3% over the past decade, that increase is due largely to strong gains in the New York area, which accounts for about 40% of all U.S. transit riders. Patronage has fallen in many of the other top 50 transit markets.
Who Relies on Public Transit in the U.S. (Pew Research Center) America’s love affair with the car is well-documented, but many U.S. adults also rely on a bus, train or subway to get around. One-in-ten Americans (11%) say they take public transportation on a daily or weekly basis, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted in late 2015, but who is taking public transit varies substantially by region, nativity, and race and ethnicity.