Foursquare ITP played a lead role in the development of the Bus Transformation Project, a study that prepared the Bus Transformation Strategy and Action Plan for sustainably providing bus service throughout the Washington, DC region. The resulting plan centers on four key strategies: frequent and convenient bus service, bus priority on roadways, customer experience, and oversight to ensure the recommendations are implemented and monitored. The Action Plan details the key actors and their responsibilities in implementing the action steps to guide implementation of the Bus Transformation Strategy over a ten-year period. Foursquare ITP led various components of the project, including technical analyses (existing service analysis and market evaluation) and stakeholder and public engagement.
The engagement work included developing and administering project committees which provided input and reviewed products; engaging transit agency stakeholders and staff; engaging with the general public through informal engagements, at public meetings, and online, utilizing surveys and social media as key tools; and ensuring that input was provided from a variety of stakeholders. Foursquare ITP’s work on this seminal project also included the development of updated bus service standards for WMATA that better classified the services and set performance targets by service type and land use characteristics. The standards were adopted by the WMATA Board.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Clear strategies for improving bus centered on four main recommendations of frequent and convenient service, giving bus priority on roadways, creating an excellent customer experience, and oversight for implementation.
- A detailed, prioritized action plan for the 26 strategies.
- A robust stakeholder and public engagement program that engaged thousands of diverse members of the public, stakeholder committees, and an executive steering committee of regional leaders.