Investigating Transit Equity Through ORCA Fare Card Analysis

A 2024 Data Science for Social Good summer fellowship project at the University of Washington

The Team

Project Lead/s:
Ryan Avery
Mark Hallenbeck

Data Science Lead/s:
Bryna Hazelton

DSSG Fellows:
Rebecca Hayes
Himanshu Jaikumar Naidu
Siman Ning
Ishan Saksena

Abstract or executive summary

Transit service is a public good, that is essential for improving access to opportunities, especially transit-dependent populations. Transit agencies typically lack knowledge about transit usage patterns. Transit fare card data describes actual transit use. Analyzing fare card data, can help identify service gaps and inequities, guiding improvements to enhance service quality, increase ridership, and reduce environmental impacts.

This project analyzes fare card data from the ORCA system used in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. ORCA data, which includes different fare card classes, enables the analysis of transit usage among priority groups, such as people with low-income or disabilities. By examining actual transit use of anonymized riders against geographic and demographic characteristics, this project identifies where transit system improvements need to be made to improve the quality of services being provided, with emphasis on demographic populations most dependent on transit.