Ridership and performance
Using this page
Use the buttons and drop-down menus above the graphs to view GRT's system usage and service reliability.
Under system usage, you can see ridership and boardings, and filter by service type (ION light rail, conventional bus, or both).
Under service reliability, you can see the on-time performance of ION light rail and conventional buses. You can also select a three-minute threshold or five-minute threshold.
Click the double-ended diagonal arrow in the bottom right corner of the graph to view full-screen mode.
System usage
Ridership is a record of a customer's entire journey, including any transfers. If a customer boards a bus, transfers to ION light rail and then transfers to another bus, that journey is counted as one ride.
Boardings, unlike ridership, do not adjust for transfers. If a customer boards a bus, transfers to ION light rail and then transfers to another bus, it is counted as three boardings.
Boarding counts come from Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) systems installed on conventional buses and trains. It includes sensors located on top of vehicle doors to detect passengers getting on and off the vehicle. Ridership is calculated by combining boardings with fare system data to account for transfers.
Service Reliability
Service reliability measures how often buses and train arrive within three minutes of the scheduled time, and within five minutes of the scheduled time.
- Bus reliability measures how often buses arrive at timepoints along the route within three or five minutes. Timepoints are stops, usually at major intersections or landmarks, where buses are scheduled to arrive at a specific time.
- Train reliability is based on the number of trips that arrive at the final stop within three or five minutes.
Within three minutes is how GRT has typically measured on-time performance. Five minutes is the standard used by many of our peer transit agencies, and makes it easier to compare our numbers to others in the industry.
Service reliability data comes from Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) equipment in GRT vehicles. For every stop, the data includes a timestamp that can be compared against scheduled times.