US DOT releases national Transit Map

The US DOT released the first national Transit Map this past August. The National Transit Map is a nationwide catalog of fixed-guideway and fixed-route transit service in America that is gleaned from publically available information. A geospatial database is included that can be used to display transit agencies’ stops, routes, and schedules for the purpose of supporting research, analysis, and planning.

The initial National Transit Map, released in August 2016, consists of data submitted to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in response to a March 2016 request for the data from U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  The map catalogs over 398,000 stops and stations and almost 10,000 routes. Two updates are expected by the end of 2016.

The map will allow the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to demonstrate the importance and role of transit in American society and to identify and address gaps in access to public transportation. It will also support research, planning and analysis on the benefits of transit, such as the economic impacts of transit on a community’s economic development, or on reducing poverty in low-income neighborhoods.

The vision for the Transit Map data came out of discussions at the Connectivity Summit about the challenge of bringing together connected data, and now with the help of 200 transit partners.

Share your ideas, maps, etc. at nationaltransitmap@dot.gov!