National Transit Database Sampling Plan Support

Lee County Transit (LeeTran) sought to refine its approach to reporting unlinked passenger trips (UPT) and passenger miles of travel (PMT) for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) National Transit Database (NTD) program. Many transit agencies, including LeeTran, rely on interval-based sampling methodologies to estimate PMT. For transit systems with fewer than 100 vehicles, this sampling process is required every three years.

To meet FTA requirements, LeeTran developed an alternative sampling plan for its fixed-route service. This plan, designed to ensure statistically valid passenger trip data, included a 25% margin of safety and was intended for use in the next mandatory sampling period. However, due to shifts in federal reporting requirements, LeeTran needed to reassess and validate the plan before the next sampling cycle.

Benesch supported LeeTran by managing four key tasks: reviewing previous variance data, collecting and analyzing current ride check data, preparing study documentation and recommending updates to the sampling plan. The team also developed a random trip sampling schedule, utilized a variance analysis tool to assess UPT and PMT data, and recommended the most effective approach for future NTD passenger mile reporting.

The final recommendations strengthened LeeTran’s data collection methods, ensuring continued compliance and statistical accuracy. With an updated and validated sampling strategy, LeeTran is well-equipped for future reporting cycles and informed transit planning.