Crowdsourcing Tools Invite Input from DART Bus Riders
The Institute for Public Administration (IPA) at the University of Delaware has collaborated with the Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC), which operates DART statewide transit services, to develop three map-based crowdsourcing tools on first mile/last mile bus stop accessibility in Delaware.
Crowdsourcing involves the use of web and mobile-based applications (apps) to obtain information, insight, and knowledge from the public. DART bus riders are invited to use one of three online, map-based tools to share a first mile/last mile accessibility experience. All crowdsourcing tools—including a Wikimap, Geoform, and GIS Crowdsource Story Map—are publicly available on the Mobility in Motion website (www.MobilityDE.org). A video on first mile/last mile transit connectivity, and video tutorials for each crowdsourcing tool, are available at: https://goo.gl/J7TZN6.
The three crowdsourcing tools are part of a statewide Mobility in Motion initiative. Public input and data is being gathered to identify public transit and human services transportation barriers, challenges, and gaps in services in Delaware. The information will be used to develop a Coordinated Public Transit—Human Services Transportation Plan, or “Coordinated Plan,” for the State of Delaware. The Coordinated Plan will serve as a strategic framework for addressing the state’s existing and future mobility needs. Information collected from the crowdsourcing tools will help to identify needed bus stop accessibility improvements related to pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, ADA accessibility, and connectivity.
The crowdsourcing tools are not designed to report a roadway condition that should be addressed immediately (such as a traffic signal malfunction). For those issues, please directly contact the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Transportation Management Center (operating 24/7/365) at 302-659-4600, #77 on your cell, or through e-mail at deldottmc@state.de.us.
The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates DART First State. For more information, please visit www.DartFirstState.com or call 1-800-652-DART. Real-Time Bus Information and DART Pass, the new mobile fare payment option, are both available on the free DART App (iOS and Android).
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Whether it’s a bus trip to/from work, shopping, or home, public transportation doesn’t necessarily stop directly in front of a passenger’s origin or destination. Barriers to riding transit may include “incomplete” streets that lack safe, connected, and well-maintained infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and persons with disabilities; some bus stops may lack amenities such shelters or lighting. DART wants transit riders to provide input on their accessibility to and from a bus stop in Delaware. This is often described as the first mile/last mile transit experience.
For more information on this initiative with UD’s IPA, please contact IPA policy scientists Marcia Scott
(msscott@udel.edu) or Julia O’Hanlon (jusmith@udel.edu).
