TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 241
Inclusive Virtual Public Involvement
for Public Transit
Karen J. Alexander
Catherine Heady
Martin Balcazar
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
New Brunswick, NJ
Ryan Walsh
FHI STUDIO
New York, NY
Subject Areas
Public Transportation
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and APTA. APTA is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Commission to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Commission defines funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners.
TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs.
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 241
Project J-11/Task 41
ISSN 2572-3782
ISBN 978-0-309-69912-9
© 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
Cover photo credit: iStock.com/bernardbodo.
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Transit Cooperative Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
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TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
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The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 241
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Dianne S. Schwager, Senior Program Officer
Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Claire Aelion-Moss, Editor
TCRP PROJECT J-11/TASK 41 PANEL
Field of Special Projects
Darcy Buckley, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Rockville, MD (Chair)
Brett Boncore, City and County of Denver, Denver, CO
Leah Epstein, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. DOT, Cambridge, MA
Melissa L. Kim, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC
Mehri Mohebbi, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Heidy Persaud, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, IL
Joseph Raquel, Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA
Mindy J. Rhindress, Queens College, CUNY, Flushing, NY
Anthony Thomas, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta, GA
Ranmali Prashanti Fonseka, FTA Liaison
Stewart Mader, FTA Liaison
Dee Phan, FTA Liaison
Matthew Dickens, APTA Liaison
Beth Ewoldsen, TRB Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was performed under TCRP Project J-11/Task 41 by the Public Outreach and Engagement Team at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rutgers University was the contractor for this study.
Karen J. Alexander, MPA, senior research project manager at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, was the project director and principal investigator. The other authors of this report are Catherine Heady, research project coordinator at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center; Martin Balcazar, research assistant and MCRP candidate at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers; and Ryan Walsh, AICP, PP, manager of strategic communications at FHI Studio.
FOREWORD
By Dianne S. Schwager
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
This report will help public transit agencies enhance public engagement through virtual public involvement (VPI). Virtual tools can help transit agencies obtain more inclusive public input; build meaningful, enduring relationships; and better serve the community. This report will be of immediate use to public transit agencies and many stakeholders.
The report examines how VPI has been quickly adopted and rapidly evolved, not only in the public transit realm but in community-based organizations that seek to address the needs of underserved populations. Virtual tools and techniques facilitate two-way communication with the community, potential passengers, and current riders.
Early research on VPI (pre-2020) was primarily focused on transit agencies’ use of online platforms to inform riders and others (one-way communication), rather than to collect feedback from the public and engage key constituencies (two-way communication). With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, transit agencies across the United States dramatically modified their operations in response to stay-at-home orders, evolving health and safety requirements, increasing vehicle maintenance cleaning schedules, and more. Public engagement also changed dramatically, requiring transit agencies to rapidly shift to virtual platforms to communicate with, inform, engage, and receive input from their riders, the public, policymakers, community organizations, and others.
Under TCRP Project J-11/Task 41, the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, was asked to evaluate VPI and develop strategies for public transportation agencies to incorporate virtual environments into public engagement. Key themes emerged through a literature review, a national online survey of transit agencies, and focus groups with VPI practitioners.
These themes are synthesized and presented in TCRP Research Report 241: Inclusive Virtual Public Involvement for Public Transit as potential strategies transit agencies can use to make their VPI efforts more inclusive, reach new audiences, and connect with traditionally underserved groups. VPI can help inform transit agencies’ decision-making and encourage expanded community support.
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CONTENTS
State of Practice at Public Transit Agencies
Chapter 2 Primary Research Findings
VPI Has Increased Public Participation
Barriers for Underserved Groups Remain
Leveraging Broadband Enhancements
Meet People Where They Are to Make Connections
Chapter 3 Enhancing VPI Strategies for Transit Providers
Dealing with the Digital Divide
Customers’ Needs and Preferences
Integrating Virtual and Traditional Engagement
Publicity and Promotion for VPI Opportunities
Management Considerations: Staffing, Training, Funding, Collaboration, and External Services
Chapter 4 Incorporating VPI Feedback into Decision-Making
Input, Buy-In, and Community Support
Analyzing, Presenting, and Responding to VPI Comments
Measures of Success: Gauging Effectiveness, Equity, and Efficiency
Literature and Best Practice Review
Survey of Transit Agencies and Transportation Providers
Focus Groups with Transit Agencies
Focus Groups with VPI Practitioners Serving Target Groups
Appendix A Literature Review and References Consulted
Appendix C Focus Group Instruments and Summaries for Transit Agencies
Appendix D Focus Group Instruments and Summaries for VPI Practitioners
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