Final Scope

 Safe, accessible bus stops result from internal processes, resources, and political structures. In many regions, bus stops are stuck in bureaucratic limbo. While transit agencies locate and serve the stops, they are sited on right of ways managed by governmental agencies ( DOTs, DPW, counties, cities etc.) and others (developers, advertisers, etc.).

The objective of this synthesis report is to assess the relationships and vision between transit agencies and governmental agencies to improve bus stops and their pedestrian access. Information gathered will include:

·         Formal and informal agreements, permitting,  documentation, and/or understandings regarding funding, implementation, construction and maintenance for access and improvement to bus stops along right-of –ways controlled by others

·         Processes and tools used to track and prioritize bus stops improvements

·         Methods to communicate, coordinate, plan and integrate other entities’ infrastructure projects such as sidewalks, crossings, curb ramps, detectable warnings, etc. with transit agencies’ bus stop projects.

·         Ownership of and responsibility over bus stop programs in transit agencies and governmental agencies (service planning, facilities, engineering, capital programming, bus operations, etc.)

·         Steps taken to ensure accessibility for children, older adults and people with disabilities including but not limited to persons that use wheelchairs, people with visual impairments, etc. 

Information will be gathered by literature review, and a survey of transit agencies that represent a range of geographies and sizes, and that have implemented strategies to improve bus stops in coordination with others.  The synthesis will include five (5) case examples that highlight diverse relationship structures between transit agencies and others (at least one case study should include developers) and their initiatives to provide safe, accessible bus stops that prioritizes pedestrian access. These should highlight successes, challenges and lessons learned. Gaps in information and future research needs will also be identified.

 Information Sources:

Daniel K. Boyle, “TCRP Report 117: Better On-Street Bus Stops” (Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2015), https://www.nap.edu/catalog/22175/better-on-streetbus-stops

Yingling Fan, Andrew Guthrie, and David Levinson, “Perception of Waiting Time at Transit Stops and Stations” (Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2016).

Ja Young Kim, Keith Bartholomew, and Reid Ewing, “Another One Rides the Bus? The Connections between Bus Stop Amenities, Bus Ridership, and Paratransit Demand” (University of Utah, 2017).

                National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2016. A Guidebook on

Transit-Supportive Roadway Strategies. Washington, DC: The National Academies

Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21929.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2016. Strategy Guide to Enable and Promote the Use of Fixed-Route Transit by People with Disabilities.  Washington, DC: The National Academies

Press.

   Transit Center, From Sorry to Superb: Everything You Need to Know about Great Bus Stops (October 2018),

https://transitcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BusReport_Spreads.pdf.

   Transit Center, Who’s on Board 2016: What Today’s Riders Teach Us about Transit That Works (July 2016),

https://transitcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/BusReport_Spreads.pdf.

TRB Staff

Mariela Garcia-Colberg

phone  202/334-2361

email    mgarciacolberg@nas.edu

Meeting Dates

First Panel: September 20, 2019

Teleconference with Contractor: October 9, 2019

Second Panel: May 28, 2020

Topic Panel

Mary Buchanan, TransitCenter

Fabian Cevallos, Florida International University

Bonnie Epstein, Pinellas County Transportation Authorithy

Berry Farrington, Metro Transit

Thomas M. Hewitt, Jr., Maryland Transit Administration

Pierre Holloman, Arlington Department of Environmental Services/ Transportation

Abigail Kinnison, VIA Metropolitan Transit

Joe McCormack, Lane Transit District

J. Clarke Peters, Metropolitan Transit System

Susan Clark, Federal Transit Administration

Sheila Moore, Transportation Research Board

Most U.S. transit trips start at a bus stop. Yet many bus stops are just a sign post on busy road sides that are challenging to access on foot, especially by persons with disabilities. For many bus riders, the journey to access and the wait at the bus stop are negative experiences that may inhibit their ability or desire to take the bus at all.