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Implementation of the National Intercity Bus Atlas (2025) / Chapter Skim
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5 Findings and Applications: User Guidance
Pages 29-32

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From page 29...
... Using the ICBA Data Even though the atlas' current map is limited in coverage and has many carriers yet to participate in the ICBA project, its current state represents an improvement on previously existing understandings of the intercity bus network -- this is the first centralized source of information about intercity bus service in the United States since deregulation and the end of publication of the Russell's Guides. With the caveat that stakeholders and users should be aware of the limits of the current iteration's breadth and should consider specific missing carriers in studies of specific regions, the atlas can still be used for its primary purpose: high-level and low-granularity investigations of where service does and does not exist and visual representation of the magnitude of U.S.
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From page 30...
... Market Analysis Market analysis of the intercity bus network -- investigating where unfulfilled or overserved markets, for example, exist -- is perhaps the class of analysis that best aligns with the primary purpose of the ICBA. At the most basic level, the data provided by the atlas in its current state can be used alone to identify gaps in service, including the following: • Missing connections between major markets • Misaligned overlap or coordination between routes to facilitate better connectivity • Potential locations for new stops to serve new markets • Potential corridors for new routes to serve new markets However, the utility of ICBA data in performing this analysis can be greatly expanded when combined with other data sources, namely travel flow data and demographic data from the U.S.
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From page 31...
... Following these broad steps, stakeholders could identify locations served by local transit that exist close to multiple existing intercity services, with these serving as potential sites for centralized terminals, thereby allowing for greater cost-sharing and more efficient access. Service Visualization Given that route shapefiles and stop points are already included in the ICBA, this data can be extracted based on several already-present attributes to aid in creating visualizations of service, for example, in a specific state or region or from a specific carrier.
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From page 32...
... Finally, safety data can also be useful in planning surrounding intercity bus services. Geospatial data marking and aggregating crash locations, available from state DOTs or departments of motor vehicles and from local sources, can be used to identify high-frequency crash locations where intercity buses pass through or stop.
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Key Terms

  • flow data
  • travel flow
  • demographic data
  • local transit
  • stop locations

  • intercity buses
  • bus services
  • data included
  • icba data
  • intercity operators

  • identify stop
  • stop times
  • multiple carriers
  • state dots
  • bus network

  • data marking
  • safety data
  • bus terminals
  • level data
  • data provided

  • considered data
  • surrounding intercity
  • intercity services
  • bus stops
  • icba stop

  • intercity service
  • bus service
  • specific stop
  • carriers stop
  • identify transit


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.