Course scheduled on ridership forecasting for transit project planning

Washington, D.C. — The National Transit Institute (NTI) will sponsor a course Sept. 18-20 on transit ridership forecasting using FTA’s Simplified Trips-on-Project Software package (STOPS). FTA developed the course to provide training on STOPS and its usefulness in transit project planning. The course is intended for travel forecasters who are looking to understand STOPS in detail and become proficient in various applications.

FTA released STOPS in September 2013 as an optional ridership-forecasting method for sponsors of New Starts and Small Starts projects. The updated version of the course will feature STOPS version 2.5, scheduled for release in the next few months, as the basis for examples, illustrations and workshops.

The three-day course covers:

• how STOPS works;
• how to use STOPS for individual projects; and
• how to use ridership forecasts to prepare a narrative about the benefits of transit projects.

The three-day course will occur in Miami. Presenters will include Bill Woodford from RSG Inc., and Jeff Roux and Jim Ryan from FTA.

For details and registration, see the NTI course website at https://www.ntionline.com/rideship-forecasting-with-stops-for-transit-project-planning.