permits transit planners to determine route performance characteristics and to identify where improvements might be necessary to reduce delay [Levy and Lawrence, 1991; Okunieff, 1997].
Microchip technology in "smart" cards allows transit planners to follow the travel patterns of transit riders, whereas automatic passenger count (APC) technology (pressure-sensitive mats, infrared sensors, or optical imaging) can be used to estimate boardings and alightings (TRB, 1997a; Boyle, 1998; Furth, 2000].
The types of decisions that such ridership data can inform include those relating to scheduling and operations planning (e.g., number of vehicles to put in service, schedule adjustments, and type of service); long-range planning and design (e.g., systems planning, priorities for expansion, design criteria, and station renovations); and financial planning and resource allocation
(e.g., system revenue