Transit systems in the United States and Canada have produced a wide variety of publications and have developed numerous information services that too often fall short of providing passengers with information that makes planning their trips easy and effective. Passenger information materials are often not easily available, user friendly, or timely. They are usually difficult to read, cumbersome to use, and hard to understand. The materials often assume that passengers already have knowledge of the transit system and the geographic area. Connections with other routes, lines, and systems are frequently ignored. Transit riders come from various demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and it is important to design and prepare information materials that will meet the needs of all transit customers. Given the significant capital investment in public transit facilities and limited operating resources available, it is therefore critical to focus on developing and disseminating passenger information that encourages use of transit.

Transit professionals involved in the design, distribution, and placement of information materials need to understand and apply the principles of quality information presentation and dissemination. A guidebook is needed that incorporates these principles.

The objective of this project was to produce a clear and practical guidebook to assist transit professionals in making transit information more accessible and user friendly for transit systems of varying complexity. The guidelines included a compilation of principles for designing passenger information services. This research did not develop a high-technology, paperless approach to passenger information. Rather, it focused on traditional media for presentation of information, such as schedules, maps, and signage.

Status: The final report has been published as TCRP Report 45, "Passenger Information Services: A Guidebook for Transit Systems." This report is available also in portable document (PDF). (A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at https://www.adobe.com.) Double-click on the links below to access the report.