Monitoring and Adjusting Transit Service during a Pandemic

About the Initiative

The global COVID-19 pandemic has shocked many economic and social systems.  One of the most profoundly affected have been the public transit systems that serve cities large and small.  Ridership initially plummeted, service has been cut, and in some cases slashed, and public health concerns are many, and finances increasingly tight on public transit systems around the globe, in the U.S., and here in California.

To understand how public transit is evolving in the pandemic, UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies researchers have looked into what transit service is changing, how it is changing, why it is changing, and for whom it is changing. The project has also examined  how well the changes made affect the spread of COVID-19, and how transit can continue to safely serve the mobility needs of essential workers during the pandemic.

This Rapid Response research is generously funded by the University of California Statewide Transportation Research Program.

 

Research Questions

The specific questions that our research team investigated are listed below. Click on each question to see background information and our in-progress work on the subject.

A visualization tool that we developed tracks changes in metropolitan transit supply. (click the map below to load the interactive version)

Map of transit supply changes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Los Angeles area

A map-based tool we built uses available (General Transit Feed Specification-Real Time [GTFS-RT]) data to show where ridership is changing and crowding is occurring (click the map below to load the interactive version)

A map showing transit stops, color-coded by the level of crowding observed at each stop.

Real-time Crowding Data

A policy brief that talks about Real-time Crowding Data as a Rider Communication Strategy in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This spreadsheet tracks transit operators offering real-time crowding data, including information on how they define crowding (if available). Also, a report introducing the current state of real-time crowding data is available here.

Crowding Policy

Policy Brief: When is Public Transit Too Crowded and How Has This Changed During the Pandemic?

Journal Article: Three’s a Crowd? Examining Evolving Public Transit Crowding Standards Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Report: Examining US Transit Vehicle Passenger Loads during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Book Chapter:  Pandemic Transit: A National Look at the Shock, Adaptation, and Prospects for Recovery.

Check back later for publications that are currently under review.

Journal Article: Examining Shifts in the Balance of Riders and Bus Service Before and During the Pandemic in Boston, Houston, and Los Angeles

Policy Brief:  Shifting transit use in COVID-19 pandemic and its implications for transit’s recovery.

Report:  Making Transit Safe to Ride During a Pandemic: What Are The Risks and What Can Be Done in Response?

Policy Brief:  What Does Public Health Research Tell Us About the Risks of Riding Public Transit During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

 

Publications

All publications will be hosted on the University of California Institute of Transportation Studies COVID-19 website.

 

About the Research Team

Tianxing Dai, Undergraduate student researcher

Eric Dasmalchi, Graduate student researcher

Maya Desai, Undergraduate student researcher

Hao Ding, Doctoral student researcher

John Gahbauer, Project manager

Yu Hong Hwang, Graduate student researcher

Julene Paul, Doctoral student researcher

Sam Speroni, Doctoral student researcher

Brian D. Taylor, PhD, FAICP, Principal Investigator