Here’s the problem with public transportation: transit systems spend years and loads of money studying ridership trends, safety issues, maintenance concerns, and funding sources. The data ends up in spreadsheets and doesn’t get very far. Transit Labs, a 1776-based startup is trying to solve that with a data analytics and visualization platform called TAP that makes the data more actionable. They’ll be able to determine nitty gritty info like whether stops along a bus line need to be eliminated for poor ridership or if trains keep breaking down on a particular route. The nine-person startup will launch the pilot on Monday with 24 state and regional transportation systems, including Miami-Dade Transit, one of the 10 largest transit providers in the country.
The company was launched last August by Dag Gogue, who spent years working for consulting firms hired by transit systems. He eventually became an independent consultant and won a competitive bid with the Georgia Department of Transportation to provide performance measures and gather required data for regulatory agencies. The $250k a year contract provided the startup capital to launch Transit Labs. Communications director Farhan Daredia says the company’s pilot, which will grow beyond 24 agencies, will not only result in product enhancements but also start a live stream of communication between transportation stakeholders.
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