MTA Introduces New Dashboard to Enhance Transit Transparency

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has launched a new customer experience dashboard designed to enhance transparency regarding the reliability of its transit services. This initiative comes amid a notable increase in reported ridership, attributed to a change in how the MTA counts passengers.

In November, the MTA recorded over 413,000 rides on its light rail service, a significant rise from 300,000 in October. This change in reporting methodology follows concerns that previous counts were significantly underestimating actual ridership levels.

The new dashboard, which replaces the agency's former performance improvement page, offers real-time data on on-time performance, ridership statistics, and previously unreported metrics. MTA Administrator Holly Arnold emphasized the importance of transparency in building trust with riders, stating, "It helps us to have a better conversation and not hide behind terms."

Prior to the pandemic, the MTA began sharing ridership and performance metrics in response to calls for greater accountability from local transit advocates. The agency has since improved its data collection processes, particularly following the 2016 overhaul of Baltimore's bus routes under the BaltimoreLink initiative.

While the light rail has seen a significant jump in ridership, the MTA's Metro subway system has faced challenges, with ridership dipping as low as 58,000 in July 2023 during a service interruption. However, last November, ridership surged to nearly 378,000 rides. This increase is attributed to the MTA's new manual counting methods, which provide a more accurate reflection of actual usage.

The dashboard also includes information on job vacancy rates within the MTA and the reliability of the Transit mobile app in tracking vehicle locations. According to the new data, between December 2022 and December 2023, the MTA canceled approximately 8.3% of scheduled bus routes in the Baltimore area, with some major CityLink lines experiencing even higher cancellation rates.

Local transit advocates have long criticized MTA service reliability, prompting the launch of the #BetterTransitNOW campaign, which calls for more frequent service and increased accountability. The campaign highlights the challenges faced by Baltimore residents who rely on public transit for their daily needs.

Reported by HarborBeat based on thebanner.com (source).