NVTC Launches Transit Data Dashboard

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) launched the NoVaTransit Data Dashboard to provide on-demand access to information on the eight transit systems serving the region, according to the agency's news release.

The NoVaTransit Data Dashboard features regularly updating data on ridership, service, access to transit, and other key metrics for Metrorail, Metrobus, Virginia Railway Express, DASH, Fairfax Connector, City of Fairfax-CUE, Loudoun County Transit, and OmniRide.

"The NoVaTransit Data Dashboard makes the region's transit data more accessible and transparent for the public and professionals who want to explore how the transit systems connect and serve Northern Virginia and to enable data-driven decision-making for future transit planning," said Kate Mattice, executive director of NVTC.

The dashboard includes six main pages:

1. Home: An overview of NVTC’s jurisdictions as well as the transit agencies that operate within these jurisdictions.
2. Ridership: Transit monthly ridership by operator, mode, and year.
3. Service: The activity of buses, trains, and other transit vehicles when a vehicle is available to the public and there is an expectation of carrying passengers.
4. Productivity: The relationship between transit output (ridership) and transit input (service).
5. Access to Transit: The number/percent of the jurisdiction’s population with access to either a transit stop or station.
6. Access to Jobs: The number/percent of jobs in a jurisdiction with access to either a transit stop or station.

“As our NoVaTransit Data Dashboard shows, transit in Northern Virginia carries over 1.3 million people every week. We hope this dashboard will be useful for understanding how much of an impact transit has for the region," said Xavier Harmony, NVTC Transit Resource Center senior program manager.

NVTC added that the dashboard will be a living source of the region’s transit data and replaces static reports the agency previously published. It will be updated based on data provided by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, transit agency General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) files, and annual census updates. NVTC also intends to add new features to the dashboard as the tool matures.