Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), as part of the United States Department of Transportation, compiles, analyzes, and makes accessible information on the nation's transportation systems; collects information on intermodal transportation and other areas as needed; and improves the quality and effectiveness of DOT's statistical programs through research, development of guidelines, and promotion of improvements in data acquisition and use.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Agency overview
Formed1992 (1992)
JurisdictionFederal government of the United States
HeadquartersWashington, DC
Employees75
Agency executives
  • Patricia S. Hu, Director
  • Rolf R. Schmitt, Ph.D., Deputy Director
Parent agencyUnited States Department of Transportation
WebsiteBureau of Transportation Statistics

BTS is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System.

History

BTS was created in 1992 under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.[1] Since 1998 when the Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century was enacted in 1998, an external advisory council, the Advisory Council for Transportation Statistics (ACTS), has advised the BTS director on the quality and objectivity relating to BTS data and analysis. ACTS meetings are open to the public and held 2-3 times per year.[2] The Deputy Secretary of Transportation established the Committee on Transportation Statistics (CTSTAT) in January 2000 to assist in bringing together data and statistical expertise. BTS chairs the committee, but all operating administrations take part, as well as the DOT Inspector General, DOT Chief Information Officer, and the DOT Assistant Secretaries for Policy and Budget Programs.[3]

On February 20, 2005 BTS became part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).[1] Through the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act passed on December 4, 2015, BTS and RITA moved to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology.[4]

Since 2009, BTS has also maintained a Twitter feed, with regular tweets related to the release of BTS data products and news bulletins concerning transportation trends in the United States.

Offices

BTS is divided into seven offices:

  • Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis
  • Office of Data Development and Standards
  • Office of Transportation Analysis
  • Office of Spatial Analysis and Visualization
  • Office of Airline Information
  • Office of Information and Library Sciences
  • Office of Safety Data and Analysis

Services

Office of Airline Information

BTS' Office of Airline Information is responsible for publishing regular reports—often monthly or quarterly—on airline performance in the United States. Topics include airline financials, origins and destinations, passenger traffic, on-time performance, and mishandled baggage.[5]

National Transportation Atlas Database

BTS maintains the National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD), an online repository of national-level geographic information systems data and applications related to transportation in the United States.[6]

National Transportation Library
Main article: National Transportation Library

Another BTS product is the National Transportation Library (NTL), an online repository of transportation-centric research, reports, and datasets. Documents, which include products internal and external to the US Department of Transportation, can be accessed through a platform called RosaP.[7]

TransStats

TranStats is BTS's "Intermodal Transportation Database" that includes databases and statistics for aviation, highway, maritime, rail, pipeline, pedestrians, and more. Data include financial, safety, usage, and environmental information.

One popular database included in the TranStats collection is the airline on-time performance database, which includes on-time performance of every flight, airline, and airport in the United States.

Other products

State and country codes

The BTS maintains its own list of codes, so-called World Area Codes (WAC), for state and country codes.

References
  1. "About BTS". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  2. Advisory Council for Transportation Statistics Archived March 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Committee for Transportation Statistics Archived March 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "History of BTS". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  5. "Airline Information for Download". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  6. "NTAD". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  7. "NTL". National Transportation Library. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
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