Transit Ridership & Forecasting

Forecast Transit Ridership Clearly. Plan Projects with Confidence.

When the stakes are high, transit agencies require the data and forecasting capabilities that can support long-term decision-making. RSG helps project sponsors and planners generate accurate, defensible transit ridership forecasts that inform major investment decisions and meet Federal Transit Administration (FTA) review standards. Our team delivers realistic projections and practical guidance so you can move projects forward with confidence.

Transit leaders face shifting travel behavior, uneven transit ridership growth, and mounting funding pressures, all while navigating new data sources, evolving expectations, and complex federal requirements.

• Capital Investment Grants (CIG) expectations are increasing: Sponsors must submit transit ridership forecasts that reflect real-world conditions and withstand technical and public scrutiny.
• Markets are changing rapidly: Hybrid work, shifting travel patterns, and demographic changes make older assumptions unreliable.
• Data is expanding but inconsistent: GTFS feeds, counts, and local surveys need alignment to produce defensible, decision-ready forecasts.

RSG delivers the clarity agencies need to move projects forward with confidence. We build, update, and refine regional applications of the Federal Transit Administration’s Simplified Trips-on-Project Software (STOPS) model, ensuring each implementation accurately reflects local travel markets and planned service characteristics.

• Builds, updates, and refines STOPS applications: Regional STOPS implementations tailored to your network, data, and project needs.
• Produces defensible transit ridership forecasts: Forecasts grounded in observed travel behavior and calibrated to local conditions.
• Guides sponsors through federal review: We routinely support FTA’s program needs and help agencies reduce review cycles, minimize rework, and achieve timely, fundable outcomes.

Our work turns complex data and changing travel behavior into clear, defensible transit ridership forecasts that support major investments and help agencies plan with confidence.