Bus Terminology
Frequently Used Terms
An Americans with Disabilities Act regulated para-transit service to fulfill the transportation needs for those who are unable to utilize the fixed route service. This service requires the successful completion of an application process to become eligible to ride.
The website/application that provides Connect Transit customers with a live feed of where the fixed route buses are located as well as public announcements and estimated times of arrival.
The movement of a transit vehicle without passengers aboard.
The scheduled time a vehicle or train is allowed to discharge and take on passengers at a stop, including opening and closing doors.
The payment a rider makes for Connect Transit services.
Measure of the proportion of operating expenses covered by passenger fares; found by dividing fare box revenue by total operating expenses for each mode and/or system-wide.
This is what we call the buses that have scheduled routes that they follow on a daily basis.
If a passenger has a scheduled trip and a driver has waited at least five minutes for them to come out and they do not, dispatch can instruct the driver to mark their trip as a “No Show” and move on to their next pick up. “No Shows” slow down the system and may prevent those who need rides from getting one; depending on the service, No Shows can result in suspension of service for the rider.
Morning and afternoon time periods when transit riding is heaviest.
The number of rides taken by people using a public transportation system in a given time period.
A passenger can pick up or depart from the bus at any “safe stop”. This means a posted bus stop indicated by a green Connect Transit sign.
A transfer is a card that is issued to a passenger, from the fare box upon boarding the bus, if it is necessary for them to transfer to another bus in order to reach their destination. When boarding the second bus, the rider inserts their card into the fare box to board for free.
A fixed location where passengers interchange from one route or vehicle to another.
Due to the nature of certain appointments, a passenger will not know what time they will need their return trip; thus, it is set up as a “will call,” where they call dispatch when they are ready to be picked up. We then send the next available bus for them. As such, wait times may vary.