Many of us who use transit often rely on other modes of transportation to complete our journey from start to finish – whether that’s by walking, driving, or riding a bike. This is called the “first and last-mile connection” of the journey, and it’s an important consideration when transportation practitioners look at ways to improve the effectiveness of transit.

Riding a bike to or from the bus can greatly improve a traveler’s access to areas that may not be well-served by transit, but it comes with its own challenges. Many agencies have installed bike racks on the front of their vehicles, but it’s not guaranteed that a space on the rack will be available. Some agencies prohibit riders from bringing their bike onboard in the event the rack is full.

How can we keep transit providers and their riders better informed about the availability of spaces on a vehicle’s bike rack? 

At GMV, we collaborated with DASH in Los Angeles to introduce realtime bike rack sensor occupancy data in our dispatch software. Dispatchers will now understand how many bike spaces are available on vehicles throughout their system at that moment. And in the near future, bike rack occupancy data will also be accessible via historical reports. This update will provide planning and policy decision makers with the information they need to ensure their systems best accommodate first and last-mile connections. From reevaluating bikes onboard policies to planning for route expansion in areas with high bike + bus ridership, bike rack sensor occupancy data will bring benefits for transit planners and operators alike.

We’re excited about the future benefits for riders, as well, as we look to make this information available over the next year through our custom rider app and third-party applications. If a rider sees the arriving bus has a full bike rack and they have some flexibility in their departure time, they may choose to wait for the next bus. Or, they may choose to use another mode, like bikeshare or e-scooter, to travel to or from their bus.

Like our work with passenger crowding tools and data, we’re hopeful that realtime bike rack sensors can play a role in restoring confidence in transit and promoting alternatives to driving. This new feature can be yet another tool transit practitioners use to strengthen first and last-mile connections and improve the transit rider’s experience.

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We’d like to thank LADOT DASH for working with us on the development of this new feature. If you’re a current GMV customer and would like to add bike rack sensing to your vehicles, please contact our Sales team. If you’re new to GMV and would like a demo, contact us by clicking below!