Foursquare ITP is developing recommendations to expand microtransit service in Prince George’s County and developing an outreach strategy to improve customers’ knowledge of microtransit and ease of using the service. Before the project began, Prince George’s County had one microtransit zone with limited service hours and low ridership. County staff were interested in both expanding microtransit to areas that would benefit from the service as well as conducting a marketing and outreach campaign to grow public awareness of microtransit.
Foursquare ITP employed a novel approach to identify areas suitable for microtransit, looking at transit potential and propensity to assess existing conditions, activity-based models of location-based datasets to understand trip-level characteristics, and GTFS feeds and ridership data to analyze fixed-route performance. This approach, combined with a series of stakeholder meetings, resulted in five draft microtransit zones. The County then conducted a survey to gather input on the draft zones and used the feedback to refine the zone borders and develop an operating plan for the span of service.
Because the survey revealed that even residents within the part of the County that is currently served by microtransit were unaware of the service, the upcoming marketing campaign will be centered on an animated video explaining how microtransit works both in general and specifically within Prince George’s County. The five new zones are slated to launch in early 2025.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Identified areas suitable for microtransit.
- Analyzed fixed-route performance.