Data and Decision-making – OPMI Data Blog

Analyzing Ridership Demographics Throughout Boston

How can we understand the demographics of riders across our system, to make equitable transit decisions? Depending on resources available, there are multiple methods transit agencies can use to try to estimate their ridership demographics, both to comply with Title VI and supporting policies and to make better decisions about their system regarding equity. A previous... Continue reading

Improving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Bus Network

The MBTA strives to provide good service to riders, but what does providing “good service” really mean? In this post, we will explore this concept as it relates to bus service. For over a decade, the MBTA has been redefining our approach to “good bus service” to better capture the benefits bus service can provide... Continue reading

Creating a Road Map of “Busable” Streets

Greater Boston's makeup has changed significantly in recent years, with shifting demographics, emerging employment districts, increasing traffic congestion, and changing travel patterns. Meanwhile, up until recently, much of the MBTA bus network had not seen any changes since the 1960s. To remedy this, the MBTA created the Bus Network Redesign, an initiative that aims to... Continue reading

How Subway Ridership by Time of Day is Changing

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted transit use, changing trends that were previously well-established and static over time. These circumstances have necessitated a new look at our data to investigate transit changes in a thoughtful way. This post will focus on how we’re thinking about changing ridership trends...