MTA releases new bus performance dashboard

Is “eternity” really a viable measuring unit when describing how long it takes to get to your destination via New York City bus? The MTA has created a new and unique bus performance dashboard that details customer-focused performance metrics for the city’s bus routes, which, as 6sqft recently reported, are considered among the country’s slowest. This new method of compiling and viewing data is part of the MTA’s plan to improve bus service across the city, and according to the MTA, no other transit system in the world offers the same level of detail in an online dashboard.

The dashboard’s data is gleaned from farebox, GPS and other information and can be examined by borough, type of bus service and time period like weekday peak or off-peak hours. Available displays include data on metrics such as:

• Average bus speeds (new metric)
• The average time customers wait at bus stops longer than scheduled (new metric)
• The average time customers spend on trips longer than scheduled (new metric)
• The percentage of customers whose trips are completed on time (new metric)
• Percentage of service delivered vs service scheduled
• Mean distance between bus equipment failures
• Passenger environment quality

MTA’s New York City Transit President Andy Byford, who took office in January, has listed improvements to bus service citywide as one of his top four goals, though bus service reliability is dependent on road conditions and other external factors.  NYC Transit is committed to making improvements that include improving its fleet, safety, service management, customer amenities and service amd transparency as well as working with city government and community partners to make bus routes more efficient.

You can check out the dashboard here.

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• New York lawmakers have underinvested in the subway system for decades, report finds
• Amid decline in ridership, MTA boosts service on six train lines