Abstract
This study models and evaluates the accessibility to public transit and public transit equity by integrating the general transit feed specification (GTFS) data. A transit gap index (TGI) and a geographic information system (GIS)-based methodology are developed to conduct the assessment. The TGI is developed by taking into consideration demographic features, as well as spatial and temporal transit service characteristics. A case study in the city of Charlotte is conducted and a comprehensive gap analysis based on the proposed methodology is performed. Results show that the transit supply provides higher service coverages in the central business district of Charlotte and decreases as the distance to downtown Charlotte increases. Most of the identified transit-dependent areas are suburban and rural communities located on the fringe of the city. A sensitivity analysis is also conducted to examine the impact of different walking distances on transit gaps. Guidelines are developed and best-practice recommendations for the use of GTFS data as a main data source are made to better understand and assess public transit equity and accessibility for public transportation planning and operation. Several policy implications are also drawn in terms of enhancing the public transit system equity and accessibility.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code used during the study were provided by third parties (including the US Census Bureau, NCDOT, NC OneMap, and TRANSITLAND). All links to data are provided in text and references. All data are free online, and others will be able to access these data in the same manner as the authors. The authors did not have any special access privileges.
Acknowledgments
The authors want to express their deepest gratitude for the financial support from the DOT, University Transportation Center through the Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education (CAMMSE) at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Grant No. 69A3551747133).
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 146 • Issue 10 • October 2020
Copyright
© 2020 Published by American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 13, 2019
Accepted: May 4, 2020
Published online: Jul 22, 2020
Published in print: Oct 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Dec 22, 2020
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