Impacts of Real-Time Passenger Information Signs in Rail Stations at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Abstract

Real-time information systems have been used in transit agencies around the world to better inform passengers of their estimated wait. In 2012, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rolled out new real-time countdown information across its heavy rail system. These signs display the estimated arrival for the next two trains in each direction. This paper examines whether the introduction of real-time arrival signage leads to reduced expectations of wait time, improved satisfaction with the MBTA, and increased ridership. In-station surveys were conducted before and after real-time information was introduced to gauge changes in satisfaction and passenger wait time expectations. These expectations were compared against headways collected from automated train tracking data. Ridership changes were measured using MBTA provided automated fare collection data. Survey results reveal that after the introduction of the countdown signs, people reduce their overestimation of wait time by 50 percent. Satisfaction with the MBTA did not significantly change as a result of the real-time signage. People reported feeling more relaxed with real-time signage if the next train arrival occurred within a scheduled headway, but less relaxed for headways much greater than scheduled. Minor improvements in ridership were detected in stations with the real-time information after controlling for other factors, but these results are preliminary. This study suggests that real-time arrival signage is a positive addition to heavy rail systems to increase passenger comfort and improve perceptions of system performance in a relatively cost-effective manner using existing technologies.

Evaluating the added-value of online bus arrival prediction schemes

“…Previous studies provide evidence that the dissemination of RTI improves user satisfaction with the public transport service, reduces their perceived and actual waiting times and increases ridership. Several empirical studies found that passengers' perceived waiting times decreased substantially after RTI systems were deployed, although waiting times were still overestimated by passengers (Mishalani et al 2006, Dziekan and Kottenhoff 2007, Chow et al 2014. Moreover, waiting times were shorter among users that accessed RTI from their mobile phone due to either departure time choice (Watkins et al 2011, Brakewood et al 2014 or route choice effects (Cats et al 2011).…”

“…In contrast, passengers that coordinate their arrival based on RTI will be more sensitive towards arrivals that are earlier than the predicted arrival times since this may result with missed connections. Chow et al (2014) suggested that inaccurate RTI could result with greater anxiety and dissatisfaction than the absence of information. They argue that information provision raises passenger expectations and hence increases the importance of service reliability.…”

“…The performance of alternative prediction schemes may also depend on the prediction horizon -the elapsed time between the time that the prediction is generated ( ) and the time that the respective event actually takes place ( , ). Chow et al (2014) mention that there is an industry-standard based on the share of predictions that are accurate within a pre-defined tolerance, depending on the prediction horizon. They refer to a ±1min tolerance for predictions shorter than 5min and ±3min for longer prediction horizons.…”

Multiple Criteria Evaluation and the Inverse Hierarchy Model for Justifying the Choice of Rail Transport Mode

“…The population dynamics and the dynamics of passenger departures in individual federal districts have been discussed [4]. The investigation has demonstrated that, in the present context, there is no universal trend direction [31]. One of the most important quality indicators of public transportation is punctuality.…”

Moving Minds: The Next Generation of Real-Time Transit Information in San Francisco

“…For example, Chow, Block-Schachter, and Hickey conducted in-station surveys before and after the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority deployed real-time information to measure changes in satisfaction and wait time expectations. Their results revealed that after the introduction of countdown signs, people reduced their overestimation of wait time by 50% ( 10 ). Similarly, research commissioned by OneBusAway in Seattle found that real-time information decreases the perceived average wait time by 0.7 min or about 13% ( 6 ).…”