A table outlining the different transit service types and their relevant data sources
Service Type | Examples | Frequency | Constituency | Traffic Mitigation Impact | Economic Development Impact | Typical Operator | Data Sets |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paratransit/Rural Transit | CoastalTrans, VAShuttle, Lisbon Explorer | Either "demand-response" or one day a week | Elderly, Low-Income, Special Needs, Disabled | Low | Low | Charity/Church Organization | |
Tourist Trolley/Shuttle | Acadia NP Island Explorer, Bath City Trolley, Shoreline Explorer | 30 min- hour | Tourists, Conferences, Special Events, College Campuses | Low | Moderate | Chamber of Commerce, Non-Profit, Muncipal, University | College Campuses often have GTFS, otherwise schedules in PDF form only |
Local Bus | GPMetroBus, NYC Transit M4, Brunswick Explorer | 10-20 Minute Intervals | Low Income, Elderly, Students | Moderate | Low | City Transit Agencies | Most mid-large cities have schedules in searchable GTFS format. Realtime Tracking becoming standard |
Rapid Bus | CTfastrac, MBTA SilverLine, EmX | 3-5 minute intervals | Commuters, Airport Connections | High * | Low | City Transit Agencies | GTFS and Real-Time Tracking are standard |
Express/Commuter Bus | Zoom Turnpike Express, Boston Express, Logan Express | Commuter=AM/PM rush hours only Express=20 minutes intervals | Commuters, Airport Connections | Moderate | Low | Turnpike Authorities, Port Authorities, Private Operators | GTFS schedule data rare, Real-time tracking very rare |
Intercity Bus | Greyhound, Concord Trailways, MegaBus | Fixed Schedule= 1-2 round trips a day in small cities, hourly departures from major hubs | Students, Low Income | Low | Low | Private Operators | Private operators=no GTFS Web scrapers or 3rd party APIs only |