NCHRP Research Report 1150: Implementation of the National Intercity Bus Atlas documents the purposes and methods of implementing and maintaining the National Intercity Bus Atlas, an online interactive map and database of the nation’s intercity bus network. The report provides a detailed account of data collection, training and engagement activities used to instruct transportation service providers on the benefits of having their data on the Intercity Bus Atlas, and  how to submit data using General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), a user-facing platform for presenting transit schedule and route information. Further, the report documents potential applications of the Intercity Bus Atlas data in planning and policymaking. The report will be useful to state department of transportation (DOT) planners and intercity bus service providers seeking to develop and maintain the interactive online atlas of intercity bus transit services within the United States.  

In 2019 the United States Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) launched the Intercity Bus Atlas, an interactive online map of intercity bus transit services in the United States. The Intercity Bus Atlas was first developed by the American Intercity Bus Riders Association to facilitate the promotion of intercity bus use by providing comprehensive service provider, route, and scheduling information in a public facing online platform. Prior to this, there had been no publicly available national clearinghouse, list, or map of intercity bus services.

Under NCHRP Project 08-133, “Implementation of the Intercity Bus Atlas,” efforts focused on expanding the atlas by incorporating data from intercity bus service providers not yet represented in the database. Key tasks included engaging with service providers to facilitate data contributions. This involved training some providers on how to use the GTFS platform and, in some cases, directly populating the database for agencies still developing GTFS proficiency. Additionally, guidebooks were developed to support project stakeholders—including state DOTs, transportation agencies, and intercity bus service providers—in maintaining and updating the National Intercity Bus Atlas. 

The NCHRP Research Report 1150 and the following supplemental materials are available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacadmies.org) by searching NCHRP Research Report 1150: Implementation of the National Intercity Bus Atlas:

·       User Guide for Intercity Bus Carriers, Ticketing Services, Schedulers, and Business Development Planners

·       User Guide for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Entities

·       Intercity Bus Atlas Maintenance and Improvements Guide

·       Implementation Plan for Implementing the Intercity Bus Atlas