Virginia Transit Tool
The Virginia Transit Tool was initiated by the Community Climate Collaborative to provide data and metrics that support community efforts to organize and advocate for better transit for residents and businesses and contribute to an improved environment. The online tool assembles data and information about local public transportation and fill gaps in knowledge about service and its impact.
The Metrics Table provides the calculations and data sets behind the metrics.
Service Area
Virginia portion of the Census CBSA served by the transit agency
American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates (ACS)
Transit Stops
Count of all stop locations by agency and region
Agency General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)
Arrival Tracking
Assessment of available arrival tracking at transit stops
Agencies
Maps & Information Access
Assessment of quality of maps and information available on agency website
View ranking criteria (PDF)
Agencies
Funding per Capita
Capital and Operations funding reported to NTD divided by service area population living within 3/4 mile of transit stops
National Transit Database 2019, American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates (ACS)
Fare Affordability
Annual transit costs calculated as cost of monthly/weekly passes for the year or cost of two one-way trips for 250 days in the year. Total transit costs is divided by median household income for the region and federal income level for a 4-person household
The range of transit fare costs are based on this worksheet (PDF)
Fares
Agency
Household Income
American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates (ACS)
Federal poverty income level
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
ADA Compliance
Percent of total vehicle fleet that are identified as ADA vehicle fleet
National Transit Database 2019
Reliability
Reporting agency reported on-time performance
Agencies
Pollution & Air Quality
Average number of days with PM 2.5 concentration over 12
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PM 2.5 concentrations- 2011-2014
Job Access
Jobs data aggregated to the Transit Access Shed for the block group, and weighted by households when aggregated to the agency and region
2018 LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES), Agency GTFS
Frequency
Total trips possible within the block group and ½ mile of its border
Agency GTFS
Coverage
Demographic data aggregated to ½ mile and 1 mile around transit
American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates (ACS), Agency GTFS
Last Mile
Jobs data aggregated to the areas between ½ mile and 1 ½ miles, and between ½ mile and 5 ½ miles from transit
American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates (ACS), Agency GTFS
Key Destinations
The count of key destinations within the Transit Access Shed for the block group, and weighted by households when aggregated to the agency and region
Government Services
Count of government service facilities in the 30-minute transit shed
Courts
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data
DMVs
VA Department of Motor Vehicles, dmv.virginia.gov/dmvlocations/#/Locations
Social Security
U.S. Social Security Administration
Social Services
VA Department of Social Services
dss.virginia.gov/localagency/index.cgi
Health Facilities
Count of health care facilities in the 30-minute transit shed
Hospitals, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics
gisportal.hrsa.gov
Education
Count of educational facilities in the 30-minute transit shed
College & Universities, Supplemental Colleges - U.S. Department of Homeland Security Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data
View ranking criteria (PDF)
Fare affordability calculates the range of annual transit fare costs as percent of income based on the median income for a typical family, and a poverty household of four with three children under 18.
The range of transit fare costs are based on this worksheet (PDF).
The “Transit Service Gap” feature available on the Virginia Transit Tool is identifies how the current transit service provided in a neighborhood compares to a baseline service. The baseline is defined as the average transit service provided in Virginia by all the transit agencies for the given neighborhood design. For the purposes of this analysis, a neighborhood is defined as a Census Block Group.
View methodology (PDF)
The Virginia Transit Tool was initiated by the Community Climate Collaborative to provide data and metrics that support community efforts to organize and advocate for better transit for residents and businesses and contribute to an improved environment. The online tool assembles data and information about local public transportation and fill gaps in knowledge about service and its impact.
Analysis and web tool design by
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Explore New Transit Impact Measures for Virginia’s People and Jobs