Making transit data useful takes more than collecting it
The National Transit Database makes a large amount of agency information available, but turning that information into a useful peer comparison is not always straightforward.
A single metric rarely tells the full story. Agencies need to identify relevant peers, review changes over time, and understand whether a trend is specific to their organization or part of a broader pattern.
That work can require manual downloads, spreadsheets, and separate analysis before a team can use the information in a board discussion, planning process, budget conversation, or leadership report. Transit BaseTM is being designed to make peer comparison more practical and easier to explain.
Peer context for the questions behind the numbers
Transit BaseTM is being designed to help agencies compare performance with organizations that share similar service, operating, geographic, or organizational characteristics.
Ridership and service trends
Compare ridership, vehicle revenue miles, vehicle revenue hours, service levels, and changes over time.
Operating and financial context
Review operating expenses, fare revenue, cost measures, and other financial indicators alongside agencies with similar characteristics.
Performance and agency characteristics
Compare agency size, service mode, service area context, and other measures that make peer comparisons more meaningful.
Peer groups shaped around your agency
Compare your agency with organizations that share the service, operating, geographic, or organizational characteristics that matter most to you.
Peer context outside your agency. Investigation within it.
Transit BaseTM
Designed to provide peer context using standardized public data — how your agency compares with relevant peers across the National Transit Database.
TransitGPTTM
Helps authorized agency staff investigate questions within their own connected systems.
Together, they can support both sides of performance review: understanding how your agency compares and examining the agency-specific information behind a question.
Tell us what comparison would be most useful
This short survey will help ETA understand which peer comparisons matter most and what a useful Transit BaseTM experience should include.
Help shape a clearer way to compare transit performance
Transit BaseTM is in development. Share the peer comparisons and performance questions that matter most to your agency.