The Transit Critical Matrix: Using data to evaluate route "essentialness"
Channel: APA National Capital Area Chapter
Date: 17/11/2021

The Maryland Transit Administration’s (MDOT MTA) Transit Critical Matrix is a new tool developed to visualize the relative importance of each transit mode and route to the agency’s mission of providing equitable service. 

The Transit Critical Matrix helps MDOT MTA evaluate service changes and prioritize funding across routes and modes by comparing two key attributes of a route: an Equity Value, derived from data about who rides each route collected from passenger surveys, along with demographic and employment data about a route’s service area; and a Ridership Value representing route productivity in terms of the ridership a route produces per vehicle revenue hour. MDOT MTA uses a systemwide Transit Critical Matrix to help inform decisions on how to distribute funding between modes based on each mode’s particular role in the overall system. 

MDOT MTA also uses a route-level Transit Critical Matrix within each mode to help weigh service change decisions and understand which routes are most essential for maintaining access for riders with a high need for transit. The Transit Critical Matrix is also adaptable to other uses by replacing Ridership Value in the matrix with alternative KPIs measuring productivity or performance.

Note: This recording is from the 2021 Annual Conference of the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Planning Association.