Center for Urban Transportation Research | University of South Florida

OneBusAwaySharing real-time transit info

via open-source softwareSean J. Barbeau, Ph.D.Shannon Haney

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Overview

• OneBusAway Tampa

• Preliminary Survey Results

• HART Benefits

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Open-source software

• Expensive/proprietary solutions customized for each agency have dominated transit software

• Open-source solutions provide opportunity for shared investment into transit information services that anyone can use

• Open transit data powers these solutions– General Transit Feed Spec. (GTFS) is de facto standard

– http://bit.ly/TransITech-Open-Transit-Data– http://bit.ly/Z8VWJZ

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OneBusAway

• Open-source real-time transit information system

• Created by University of Washington

• Includes mobile apps– iPhone– Android– Windows Phone

OneBusAway DeploymentsProduction:• Puget Sound Region, WA• New York City, NY• Tampa, FL• Detroit, MI (SMS and API only)

Tech Demo:• New Zealand• Atlanta, GA

http://onebusaway.org

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Research

• Investigate state-of-the-art in open-source transit software for real-time info– Sponsored by UTC National Center for Transit Research

• http://bit.ly/moving-america-transit

• Partnership with Georgia Tech to study impact on riders – Dr. Kari Watkins and Candace Brakewood

• Partnership with HART for real-time transit data and deployment

© 1998 Nick Veasey

6tampa.onebusaway.org

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OneBusAway - Websites

Desktop browser

Smartphone browserText-only browser

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OneBusAway – Desktop Website

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OneBusAway – Desktop Website

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OneBusAway – Mobile Apps

Android Windows Phone &Windows 8

iPhone

Support user location, route, stop contextual/personalized informationAll OPEN-SOURCE!

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OBA – Android app

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Multi-region initiative

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PRELIM. SURVEY RESULTSHow does OneBusAway effect transit riders?

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Survey of Tampa Riders

Objective: Quantify the impacts of real-time bus information on transit rider behavior and satisfaction in pilot deployment prior to public launch

Methodology: Before and after web-based survey with a non-user (control) group

Recruitment: HART website, HART email list & other email lists (USF); Free 1 day bus pass as incentive

BEFORE SURVEYof Control Group

(approx. 230 participants)

AFTER SURVEY of Control Group (107 Non-Users)

BEFORE SURVEYof OneBusAway Group

(approx. 230 participants)

AFTER SURVEY of OneBusAway Group

(110 OneBusAway Users)

“After” Survey results do not include:• 24 Participants in the Control Group that used OneBusAway• 27 Participants in the OneBusAway Group that did not use OneBusAway

No OneBusAway

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Research Questions & Improvements over Prior Research

5 Research Questions1. Ridership: Does real-time information

increase transit ridership?

2. Wait times: Does real-time information decrease wait times?

3. Transfers: Does real-time information increase transfers?

4. Satisfaction: Does real-time information increase satisfaction with transit service?

5. Safety: Does real-time information increase (the perception of) safety?

Improvements • This is the first study to address all 5

research questions.– Ridership studied by Tang et al. (2012)– Wait times studied by Watkins et al. (2011)

• Pre-wave & post-wave survey design with a control group is more robust than previous studies.– Ferris et al. (2011) & Zhang (2010) did not

have control groups

References1. Watkins, K., Ferris, B., Borning, A., Rutherford, S., and Layton, D. (2011) "Where Is My Bus? Impact of mobile real-time information on the perceived and actual wait time of transit riders." Transportation

Research Part A 45. 839-848.2. Ferris, B., Watkins, K., and Borning, A. (2011) "OneBusAway: Behavioral and Satisfaction Changes Resulting from Providing Real-Time Arrival Information for Public Transit." Proceedings of the 2011

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting.3. Tang, L., Thakuriah, P.V. (2012). “Ridership effects of real-time bus information system: A case study in the City of Chicago.” Transportation Research Part C, v.22, 2012 June, p.146(16)4. Zhang, Feng. (2010). “Traveler Responses to Real-Time Transit Passenger Information Systems.” Doctoral Dissertation. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.

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Quantitative Results: Technologies Used

Pre-Wave Survey: N1 = 110 OneBusAway User Group; N2 = 107 Control GroupAll percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Android 62%

iPhone 27%

Other 8%

Bkby 3%

OneBusAway User Smartphones

Smartphone (iPhone, Bkby, Android, Other)

Cell Phone (not smartphone)

Text Messaging

Tablet

Laptop or Desktop Computer

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

70%

36%

59%

27%

60%

76%

25%

65%

39%

77%

Which devices/technologies do you use?

OneBusAway UsersControl Group

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Satisfaction with OneBusAway &Likelihood to Continue using OneBusAway

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

52% 33% 9% 4%

How satisfied are you with OneBusAway?

Very SatisfiedSomewhat SatisfiedNeutralSomewhat DissatisfiedVery DissatisfiedNo Answer

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

76% 13% 6%

After the OneBusAway pilot program ends, how likely are you to continue us-ing OneBusAway?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Neutral

Somewhat unlikely

Very unlikely

No Answer

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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

40% 25% 15% 7% 6% 5%

In the last week, how often have you checked OneBusAway Tampa?

Every time I ride the busMost times I ride the busSometimesRarelyNeverI didn't ride the busNo Answer

Frequency of Use of OneBusAway & When OneBusAway is Used

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

35% 29% 15% 11% 7%

For the bus route that you ride most often, how often do you check OneBusAway be-fore leaving for the bus stop, when you're at home/work/school?

Always Frequently

Sometimes Rarely

Never No Answer

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Overall Satisfaction with HART

• 68% of OneBusAway users stated that they feel more satisfied riding HART buses.

• More analysis is needed of satisfaction ratings from the pre- and post-wave surveys.

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

31% 37% 25% 3%

Since you began using OneBusAway Tampa, do you feel more satisfied riding HART buses?

Agree stronglyAgree somewhatNeutralDisagree somewhatDisagree stronglyNo Answer

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Frequency of Trips on HART Buses

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

20% 18% 59% 1%

Has using OneBusAway changed the number of HART bus trips you take?

I ride much more often

I ride somewhat more

I ride about the same

I ride much less

No Answer

• 38% of OneBusAway Users stated that they have increased the number of trips that they make on HART buses since they began using OneBusAway.

• BUT more analysis of the actual number of trips/week from the pre- and post-wave surveys is needed.

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

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Waiting Time for HART Buses

• 62% of OneBusAway users stated that OneBusAway has decreased their waiting time.

• BUT more analysis of the reported wait times from the pre- and post-wave surveys is needed.

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

3%3% 31% 37% 25%

Has using OneBusAway changed the amount of time you wait at the bus stop?

I spend much more time waiting

I spend somewhat more time waiting

I spend about the same time waiting

I spend somewhat less time waiting

I spend much less time waiting

No Answer

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Feeling Relaxed when Waiting

• 66% of OneBusAway users stated they feel more relaxed when waiting for the bus since they began using OneBusAway.

• BUT more analysis is needed of reported levels of relaxation from the pre- and post-wave surveys.

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

27% 39% 26%

Since you began using OneBusAway Tampa, do you feel more relaxed when waiting for the bus?

Agree stronglyAgree somewhatNeutralDisagree somewhatDisagree stronglyNo Answer

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Qualitative Results

Riders Realize the Benefits

• “Excellent program saves time in waiting for the buses.” • “I think the OneBusAway app is a life saver. Being able to know exactly

when the bus is coming is helpful.”• “…Has really helped me catch busses that aren't originating at the

Marion Transit Center. Often when catching busses along their route, I felt like it was the "wild, wild, west" with times, busses not showing, etc. OneBusAway helped make everything much more sensible and relaxing!!”

• “Please keep One Bus Away going in Tampa. Thank you.”• “This is too useful to not be deployed soon. I have coworkers asking me

how I'm so accurate on scheduling, and when I explain it, they are eagerly awaiting the service rollout so they can have it.”

Requests to Continue OneBusAway

Direct quotes from OneBusAway testersBold & underline added for emphasis

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REAL-WORLD BENEFITSHow did this research project effect HART?

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HART Benefits

• Enhanced Reliability of Responses to Patrons

• System-wide Access

• Improved Call Response Time

• Embrace Innovation Practices and Systems

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CONCLUSIONSThe takeaways

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Conclusions

• Open-source software can create a revolution in real-time transit services

• Survey results indicate that OneBusAway positively impacts their perceptions of transit– Still analyzing if it actually affects their behavior

• Real-world benefits to HART and Tampa transit riders

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Thanks!

Sean J. Barbeau, Ph.D.barbeau@cutr.usf.edu813.974.7208

Shannon Haneyhaneys@gohart.org 813.384.6602

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Survey Administration: Content

Approximately 30 Questions • Travel Behavior (Trips/week,

Transfers/week, Primary Route, Usual Wait Time)

• Attitudes (Satisfaction with Bus Service, Safety when Waiting, Relaxed/Frustrated when Waiting)

• Use of Information (Schedules)

• OneBusAway Specific Questions (Interfaces, Frequency of Use)

• Technology Use & Demographics

Survey Monkey

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Survey Administration: Timeline

• Pre-test survey questionnaireJanuary 2013

• 2 Week Period of Recruitment & Pre-Wave Survey

February 11 to February 24

• 2.5 Month Period to “Test” OneBusAway

February 25 to May 5

• 2 Week Period to Complete Post-Wave Survey

May 6 to May 19

• Study completed prior to MetroRapid BRT LaunchEnd of May

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Interfaces for OneBusAway “Testers”

1. Web App

2. Text-Only Mobile Web

3. iPhone-Optimized Mobile Web

4. Android Application – Required setting change, see image

5. iPhone Application– Required setting change

Setting changes will not be required for the Android and iPhone applications once development of “multi-region” apps is completed in the summer of 2013.

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Demographics of OneBusAway Study vs. Overall Ridership

• Ethnicity: A greater percentage of white riders participated in the OneBusAway study.– OneBusAway Study: 59% of OneBusAway Group is white &

51% of Control Group is white– 2009 HART Rider Survey: 29% white & 49% black

• Age: OneBusAway study has fewer young riders. – OneBusAway Study: No one under 18 years of age was

allowed to participate per Georgia Tech IRB– 2009 HART Rider Survey: 2% age 15 and under & 24% ages

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• Annual Household Income: OneBusAway study participants have significantly higher incomes.– OneBusAway Study: 20% of OneBusAway Group & 15% of

Control Group with $50,000 or more– 2009 HART Rider Survey: 6% of riders with $50,000 or

more

All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

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OneBusAway Interfaces Used

Percentages add up to more than 100% because OneBusAway Users could select all the interfaces that they had used.N = 110 OneBusAway Users; 138 total responses; 2% No answer/Not sureAll percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

Desktop Website Android Application

Mobile Web (Text)

Mobile Web (iPhone)

iPhone App

Website

Android App

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

8%

16%

18%

32%

48%

How have you accessed OneBusAway?

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0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

40% 25% 15% 7% 6% 5%

In the last week, how often have you checked OneBusAway Tampa?

Every time I ride the busMost times I ride the busSometimesRarelyNeverI didn't ride the busNo Answer

Frequency of Use of OneBusAway & When OneBusAway is Used

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

35% 29% 15% 11% 7%

For the bus route that you ride most often, how often do you check OneBusAway be-fore leaving for the bus stop, when you're at home/work/school?

Always Frequently

Sometimes Rarely

Never No Answer

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Accuracy of OneBusAway & Commonly Reported Problems

Most Common Problems1. Number of minutes shown in

OneBusAway jumped up/down (43/110 = 31% of OneBusAway Users)

2. OneBusAway showed that a bus was coming, but the bus never arrived (This is usually called a ‘ghost bus’) (24/110 = 17% of OneBusAway Users)

3. Searched for a route but OneBusAway did not find the route (23/110 = 17% of OneBusAway Users)

4. OneBusAway appeared to be down (22/110 = 16% of OneBusAway Users)

0% of OneBusAway users said “Never”N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

19% 60% 7% 3% 9%

How often did OneBusAway show the correct number of minutes until the bus

actually arrived at the stop?

Always

Usually

Rarely

Never

I'm not sure

No answer

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Frequency of Transfers on HART Buses

• 76% of OneBusAway Users stated that their number of transfers is about the same.

N = 110 (OneBusAway User Group; Post-Wave Survey)All percentages rounded to the nearest whole number.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

8% 8% 76% 2%3%

Has using OneBusAway changed the number of transfers that you make on HART buses?

I transfer much more often

I transfer somewhat more

I transfer about the same number of times

I transfer somewhat less

I transfer much less

No Answer

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Qualitative Results (2/2)

• “The iPhone App is awesome. Thanks!”• “…I also like that you can save frequently

used stops with the app, because it saves time.”

Positive Feedback on Interfaces & Features

Requests for More Features• “Would love if there was a way to access

the schedule so you can see more than just the next 2 upcoming buses.”

• “…It would be nice if the flex buses are added to the list”

• “Would be nice to see a digital board at each stop indicating how far away a bus is like I've been seeing in other cities…”

Direct quotes from OneBusAway testers