Launching the Mosaiq Global Public Transit Index

The Mosaiq Global Public Transit (PT) Index started with a simple yet critical question: What exactly does it mean for transit to be on time?  As anyone familiar with public transit systems knows, the answer varies depending on where you are.

What qualifies as ‘on-time’ in Tokyo can be vastly different from Washington- a gap which can be as long as seven minutes, a significant amount of time if you are waiting at a bus stop.

This raised another intriguing question: How would Washington perform if its data was placed in the same parameters of early versus late that Tokyo operated under, or vice versa?

‍It prompted us to explore whether there could be a global benchmark for on-time performance—perhaps not a single standard, but a set of standards tailored to different environments, like rural versus urban areas or average trip lengths.

‍Getting started‍

So where to start? We analysed publicly available data from a range of sources over a three-to-four-week period and identified eight key locations where we could match real-time first-stop data to the planned schedules.

Through this we surfaced six different scenarios as to what constitutes ‘early’, ‘late’ and ‘on-time’. In some areas, we also found that a significant portion of trips lacked first-stop data altogether- up to 35% in Ireland, for example.

Although the reasons first-stop data is not detected is a topic for another blog post, including these ‘not detected’ metrics in our analysis allowed us to tell a more comprehensive story about overall performance.

Next, we applied the data from all eight locations to the six different on-time scenarios to see how each location performed. The results were surprising; the top performer under the tightest On-Time Performance scenario was not the best performer under the widest OTP range.

You can explore all the findings here.

‍What’s next with the Global PT Index‍

The Mosaiq Global PT Index is just getting started. We plan to release quarterly updates, tracking these original locations over time to reveal trends, seasonal patterns, and improvements in performance.

Our goal is to expand the Index by including more locations and exploring additional scenarios, building a truly comprehensive view of global OTP. We also aim to collaborate with transit operators and authorities to better understand their challenges, and share effective strategies from those making positive improvements.

‍Join us on this journey‍

We’re just getting started, and we want you to be part of the future of global transit. Help us expand the Mosaiq Global Public Transit Index by identifying new locations with publicly available data and suggesting additional metrics beyond ‘early’, ‘late’, or ‘on-time’.

Better yet, subscribe to get the next Index sent directly to your inbox. Find out how you can contribute and play a part in making public transit more reliable for passengers around the globe.