STOPS Model
Understanding STOPS and Its Role in Transit Planning
The Simplified Trips-on-Project Software (STOPS) is a forecasting tool developed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to estimate transit ridership for proposed projects. It helps transportation agencies evaluate future demand, support funding applications, and guide long-term transit planning.
The 2023 STOPS Model Calibration Report
This report documents the 2023 calibration of the STOPS model used to forecast transit ridership in Miami-Dade County and surrounding areas. The STOPS implementation supports ongoing planning, project development, and funding applications for Miami-Dade County’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program. Ridership forecasting for SMART Program corridor projects began several years ago using STOPS models calibrated to observed 2015 transit ridership. As part of the federal approval process for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service along the South Dade TransitWay, the STOPS model was updated to reflect observed 2017 ridership demand. To advance planning for the remaining SMART Program corridors, Miami-Dade TPO launched a large-scale transit origin-destination survey in 2020, intending to use the data to develop a new STOPS incremental (survey-based) forecasting model with a 2020 base year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on transit ridership delayed both the survey and model update. The survey was completed in Spring 2023, and the resulting incremental model is now calibrated to represent observed 2023 transit ridership demand. This updated model is based on STOPS version 2.55.
For additional information, please email Maria T. Vilches-Landa or call 305-375-4507.
The Simplified Trips-on-Project Software (STOPS) is a forecasting tool developed by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to estimate transit ridership for proposed projects. It helps transportation agencies evaluate future demand, support funding applications, and guide long-term transit planning.
The 2023 STOPS Model Calibration Report
This report documents the 2023 calibration of the STOPS model used to forecast transit ridership in Miami-Dade County and surrounding areas. The STOPS implementation supports ongoing planning, project development, and funding applications for Miami-Dade County’s Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Program. Ridership forecasting for SMART Program corridor projects began several years ago using STOPS models calibrated to observed 2015 transit ridership. As part of the federal approval process for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service along the South Dade TransitWay, the STOPS model was updated to reflect observed 2017 ridership demand. To advance planning for the remaining SMART Program corridors, Miami-Dade TPO launched a large-scale transit origin-destination survey in 2020, intending to use the data to develop a new STOPS incremental (survey-based) forecasting model with a 2020 base year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on transit ridership delayed both the survey and model update. The survey was completed in Spring 2023, and the resulting incremental model is now calibrated to represent observed 2023 transit ridership demand. This updated model is based on STOPS version 2.55.
For additional information, please email Maria T. Vilches-Landa or call 305-375-4507.