This research investigates the difference in bus ridership between UVA-affiliated and non-UVA-affiliated buses in Charlottesville using data from the City of Charlottesville Open Data portal.
This heat map displays the coverage of the UVA bus ridership in Charlottesville.
This dot density map visualizes the spatial distribution of UVA bus ridership across Charlottesville.
Non‑UVA bus ridership peaks at 5 pm.
UVA bus ridership peaks at around 8 am.
To better understand rider behavior, we compare the two histograms in terms of distribution and spread. For coverage analysis of the bus system relative to regional developments, we compare the heat map with the poverty condition map of Charlottesville.
The comparison between the two ridership suggests that UVA and non-UVA bus passengers have a pretty different riding pattern. For students, who are the majority of the UVA bus riders, the most likely occasion for them to take a bus is at class time. As a lot of the early classes start at 9 am or 10 am, the peak hour is around 8 am. The second peak hour is at 5 pm as most students are done with the classes and are either going back to their dorms or the dining halls.
For non-UVA bus riders, the peak hour is at 5 pm. This suggests that most of the non-UVA bus riders are likely to be commuters who are going back home after work. Admittedly, this data could be biased as non-UVA buses also operate on the UVA grounds, so there is a considerable amount of UVA passengers. However, compared with the UVA ridership, there is a significant less amount of passengers in the morning rush hours, which suggest that most commuters choose to drive rather than take the public transportation.
The UVA campus is a busy transit hub, and the density around the UVA grounds is self-explanatory. However, a well-designed bus system should also provide robust coverage for poverty-stricken areas in Charlottesville, where residents are more likely to depend on public transportation rather than driving. In this map, we observe that neighborhoods such as Belmont and Woolen Mills enjoy a good amount of bus service, while areas like Fry Spring and Johnson Village—where nearly 29% of families have incomes below self-sufficiency—appear to be under-served.
The map highlights a significant disparity in transit accessibility across Charlottesville. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the "income below self-sufficiency" metric is relative, largely depending on the average cost of living in each community. For instance, even in regions where 29% of families fall below self-sufficiency, the median salary can be as high as 95k, suggesting that poverty maps alone do not fully capture the nuances of transit demand.
We also see a clear trend: as regions become wealthier, bus service tends to diminish, likely because residents in these areas have a greater propensity to drive rather than rely on public transit, as further suggested by the ridership histogram. This multi-layered bus coverage problem indicates the need for a more equitable transit strategy that addresses both demand and accessibility. Ultimately, improving bus service in under-served areas could foster greater mobility and economic opportunity for all Charlottesville residents.
A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.
A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.