Three days in the life Real-time MBTA bus location data and Hubway bicycle trip data from October 9–11, 2011 reveal patterns 2,273,909 for three typical types of days for these transportation systems: a Sunday, a Monday holiday, and a week- Total number of bus location reports day. The chart below shows the number of bicycle trips and bus location reports per hour over the three days. Unlike bus trips, which run much more often on weekdays, Hubway bicycle trips occur in similar numbers on each day, and in fact more on Sunday, suggesting that the bike-sharing program is often used for leisure trips—and after bars close late on Saturday night. Both buses and bikes show commuter 5,562 patterns on a weekday, however, with peaks during the morning and evening rush hours. Total number of Hubway trips

October 9 October 10 October 11 Sunday Monday (Columbus Day) Tuesday

Noon Midnight Noon Midnight Noon

200

150

100 Number of Hubway trips

50

20,000

40,000

60,000

Number of bus location reports 80,000

Andy Woodruff, Tim Wallace, and Kirk Goldsberry Hubway bike trip durations The duration of trips between Hubway stations is affected by several factors. First and most obvious is The charts here show the median trip duration from stations distance. Second is the pricing scheme, under which riders incur additional charges for trips longer than 30 named in rows to those named in columns, for both casual and minutes. The data reveal a third factor, which is the member type. “Casual” members, who sign up on the registered members. Notice that many station pairs saw no trips at

spot for one or three days of membership, tend to take longer trips—which likely include many leisure all, and that trips returning to the same station from which they No trips < 10 minutes10–20 minutes20–30 minutes> 30 minutes rides—while registered annual members’ trips are shorter—presumably due in part to more usage for departed (the cells in a diagonal from top left to bottom right) are day-to-day commuting. fairly consistently long, especially for casual members. Median trip duration Casual Members Registered Members TO TO ce Square ce Square ! ! 125 Western Ave 125 Western Agganis Arena Aquarium Station BU Central Back Bay Station Beacon St at The Esplanade Beacon St & Mass Ave Boston Medical Center Boston Public Library Boylston St & Mass Ave Boylston St & Berkeley Boylston St &Arlington Brigham Circle Buswell St & Park Dr Charles Circle Chinatown Christian Science Plaza Colleges of the Fenway & Mass Ave Columbus Ave St & Hanover Cross Dudley Square Fan Pier Faneuil Hall Government Center Stadium Harvard Square Kenmore Landmark Centre Lewis Wharf & Binney St Longwood Ave Louis Pasteur & Longwood Ave Ave Milk St & India New Balance St Newbury St & Hereford North Station Northeastern University Ave Overland St & Brookline Corner Packards Post Of St Prudential Center—Belvidere Prudential Center Rowes Wharf Station Roxbury Crossing Ruggles Station Boston Wharf South Station St & Causeway Staniford Stuart St & Charles St Summer St & Arch St & Berkeley Tremont Pl St & Temple Tremont St & W Newton Tremont Union Square St & Lenox Washington St & Rutland Washington & Soldiers Field Rd Ave Western St & North Harvard Ave Western & Boylston St Way Yawkey 125 Western Ave 125 Western Agganis Arena Aquarium Station BU Central Back Bay Station Beacon St at The Esplanade Beacon St & Mass Ave Boston Medical Center Boston Public Library Boylston St & Mass Ave Boylston St & Berkeley Boylston St &Arlington Brigham Circle Buswell St & Park Dr Charles Circle Chinatown Christian Science Plaza Colleges of the Fenway & Mass Ave Columbus Ave St & Hanover Cross Dudley Square Fan Pier Faneuil Hall Government Center Stadium Harvard Square Kenmore Landmark Centre Lewis Wharf & Binney St Longwood Ave Louis Pasteur & Longwood Ave Ave Milk St & India New Balance St Newbury St & Hereford North Station Northeastern University Ave Overland St & Brookline Corner Packards Post Of St Prudential Center—Belvidere Prudential Center Rowes Wharf Station Roxbury Crossing Ruggles Station Boston Wharf South Station St & Causeway Staniford Stuart St & Charles St Summer St & Arch St & Berkeley Tremont Pl St & Temple Tremont St & W Newton Tremont Union Square St & Lenox Washington St & Rutland Washington & Soldiers Field Rd Ave Western St & North Harvard Ave Western & Boylston St Way Yawkey 125 Western Ave 125 Western Ave Agganis Arena Agganis Arena Aquarium Station Aquarium Station BU Central BU Central Back Bay Station Back Bay Station Beacon St at The Esplanade Beacon St at The Esplanade Beacon St & Mass Ave Beacon St & Mass Ave Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center Boston Public Library Boston Public Library Boylston St & Mass Ave Boylston St & Mass Ave Boylston St & Berkeley St Boylston St & Berkeley St Boylston St &Arlington St Boylston St &Arlington St Brigham Circle Brigham Circle Buswell St & Park Dr Buswell St & Park Dr Charles Circle Charles Circle Chinatown Chinatown Christian Science Plaza Christian Science Plaza Colleges of the Fenway Colleges of the Fenway Columbus Ave & Mass Ave Columbus Ave & Mass Ave Cross St & Hanover St Cross St & Hanover St Dudley Square Dudley Square Fan Pier Fan Pier Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall Government Center Government Center Harvard Stadium Harvard Stadium Kenmore Square Kenmore Square Landmark Centre Landmark Centre FROM FROM Lewis Wharf Lewis Wharf Longwood Ave & Binney St Longwood Ave & Binney St Ave Louis Pasteur & Longwood Ave Ave Louis Pasteur & Longwood Ave Milk St & India St Milk St & India St New Balance New Balance Newbury St & Hereford St Newbury St & Hereford St North Station North Station Northeastern University Northeastern University Overland St & Brookline Ave Overland St & Brookline Ave Packards Corner Packards Corner Post Of!ce Square Post Of!ce Square Prudential Center—Belvidere St Prudential Center—Belvidere St Prudential Center Prudential Center Rowes Wharf Rowes Wharf Roxbury Crossing Station Roxbury Crossing Station Ruggles Station Ruggles Station Boston Wharf Boston Wharf South Station South Station Staniford St & Causeway St Staniford St & Causeway St Stuart St & Charles St Stuart St & Charles St Summer St & Arch St Summer St & Arch St Tremont St & Berkeley St Tremont St & Berkeley St Tremont St & Temple Pl Tremont St & Temple Pl Tremont St & W Newton St Tremont St & W Newton St Union Square Union Square Washington St & Lenox St Washington St & Lenox St Washington St & Rutland St Washington St & Rutland St Western Ave & Soldiers Field Rd Western Ave & Soldiers Field Rd Western Ave & North Harvard St Western Ave & North Harvard St Yawkey Way & Boylston St Yawkey Way & Boylston St

Andy Woodruff, Tim Wallace, and Kirk Goldsberry