RFP513 ¿ 2026-2027 Atlanta Regional Transit On-Board Survey

RFP513
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
2026-2027 Atlanta Regional Transit On-Board Survey
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is seeking proposals for the administration of an activity
based Regional Transit On-Board Survey relating to the Atlanta Regional Activity-Based Travel
Demand Forecasting Model and the creation of resultant data files. The major objective of the project
is to develop a transit travel behavior database for the Atlanta Metropolitan Region that is designed
to support periodic updates for ongoing testing of alternative future growth scenarios. The survey
also provides a means to update and estimate various model components used in the ARC travel
demand forecasting process, including mode choice modeling. The transit rider travel data will
supplement the ARC household travel survey data by collecting transit rider data by purpose, length,
mode, origin-destination and household socio-economic characteristics. The survey will collect
transit trip patterns and associated socio-economic characteristics from 10% of daily transit ridership
representative of weekday transit rider behavior. The Atlanta region's average weekday transit
ridership measured in boardings was approximately 200,000 during October 2025 amongst the five
transit operators providing fixed route service (MARTA, ATL's Xpress, CobbLinc, Connect
Douglas, and Ride Gwinnett). The survey data is also needed to update the Atlanta regional STOPS
model. The Simplified Trips-on-Project Software (STOPS) is a forecasting tool developed by the
Federal Transit Administration. ARC is looking for a proposal that demonstrates a comprehensive
understanding of data requirements, data collection techniques and quality control measures needed
to meet the study objectives. The draft scope of services is included herein.
Through this RFP, ARC will award and manage a contract for data collection, analysis and tabulation
required for the Regional Transit On-Board Survey. It is anticipated that available funds for the
project will be approximately $1,600,000.00. Assuming completion of all necessary administrative
processes, ARC expects to award this contract with an effective date of July 15, 2026. Any contract
award for this study is contingent upon ARC receiving adequate funding for this purpose from the
Georgia Department of Transportation.
ARC anticipates that a contract will be awarded in June 2026 with all work to be completed by
December 31, 2027. The successful firm or team of firms should be prepared to begin work
immediately. ARC reserves the right to award all or part of the available funds for this project.
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PROPOSAL SUBMISSION THROUGH WEBSITE
Electronic Submission Requirements
All proposals must be submitted electronically through the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC)
procurement website. Proposal submitted by any other method (including email, mail, fax, or hand
delivery) may not be accepted unless specified in the solicitation document.
Respondents must register on the ARC procurement website to access the solicitation and submit a
proposal. It is the responsibility of the respondent to ensure successful registration and timely
submission.
Proposals must be received no later than 4:00 pm EST on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
The procurement system will automatically record the date and submission. Late proposals will
not be accepted under any circumstances.
The Respondent(s) is solely responsible for:
* Uploading all required documents;
* Verifying that files are complete, readable, and properly labeled; and
* Ensuring submission is finalized prior to the deadline.
* Only one proposal containing all required information may be uploaded per responder.
ARC is not responsible for technical difficulties, internet outages, user errors, or system delays
experienced by the respondent. Respondents are strongly encouraged to submit proposals well in
advance of the deadline.
Upon successful submission, the system will provide email confirmation. This confirmation serves
as proof of receipt.
QUESTION AND ANSWERS (Q&A)
Question Regarding the Solicitation
All questions concerning this RFP must be submitted electronically through the procurement website
by 4:00 pm EST on Friday, April 10, 2026. Question submitted after this deadline or through any
other means will not be considered.
To ensure fairness and transparency, respondents are prohibited from contacting any ARC staff,
board members, or consultants regarding this solicitation outside of the formal Q & A process.
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RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS
Official responses to all timely submitted questions will be posted on the procurement website as a
written addendum by 4:00 pm EST on Friday, April 17, 2026. Only written responses issued
through the website shall be considered official and binding.
It is the responsibility of each respondent to regularly check the procurement website for addenda,
clarifications, and updates. Failure to review posted addenda shall not relieve a respondent from
compliance with any requirements of the RFP.
Acceptable responses to this RFP should not exceed a total of 50 pages, inclusive of resumes and
firm experience. Covers, end sheets, proposed budget, required forms, required certifications, and
an introductory letter shall not count against this maximum. Font size shall be a minimum of 10
points in all cases.
Proposals should provide a recommended approach and schedule for accomplishing the scope of
work and should be accompanied by the following documentation:
1. Name of lead firm and any sub-consultants.
2. Point of contact (name, title, and phone number) at lead firm.
3. The firm's recent experience is directly related to the scope of work.
4. Qualifications and technical competence of consultant/or sub-consultants in the type of work
required.
5. Description of experience on similar projects including a list of at least 3 references within
the past 5 years, with current contact information.
6. Identification of personnel who would work on the study indicating their education and
experience.
7. Geographic location of the consultant's office performing the work.
8. Current workload and availability of such personnel in all required fields of expertise.
9. A proposed project budget in the format at Exhibit B and B-1 to this RFP.
10. Any other pertinent information.
Proposal evaluation will focus initially on the written proposals received by ARC by the deadline
stated above. The review of written proposals will be based on the following evaluation criteria, with
the relative weights in parentheses:
1. Extensive experience in transit data requirements for estimation and calibration of regional
travel models that are sensitive to a broad range of policy issues. (20%)
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2. Working knowledge of statistically based sample survey research techniques. (20%)
3. Experience in the training and management of data collection personnel for both tablet PC
technology and transit on-board survey questionnaire. (20%)
4. Experience in editing and quality control of surveys to ensure accuracy and completion, and
ability to perform data tasks of coding, data entry, verification, and sample expansion. (25%)
5. Relative experience of staff members in firm assigned to project and ability of assigned staff
members to complete the project on the required schedule and provide thorough
documentation. (15%)
Proposal evaluation will focus initially on the written proposals. Should it be determined that
interviews are required, a "short list" of firms will be selected from the proposals received. The
short-listed firms will be invited to participate in an interview process with the evaluation committee
to be scheduled for the week of May 17, 2026. ARC will confirm an interview time with those firms
selected for an interview.
If your firm does not wish to propose on the study, you should notify us of this fact in writing. A
negative response will not prejudice consideration of your firm in competing for future ARC
contracts. However, failure to respond either positively or negatively will be considered a lack of
interest and will result in deletion of your firm from ARC's consultant file.
SUMMARY TIMELINE
RFP Posted Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Questions Due Friday, April 10, 2026
Question and Answers Posted Online Friday, April 17, 2026
Proposals Due Thursday, April 30, 2026
Interviews Conducted, If Applicable Week of May 17, 2026
Contract Awarded Early June 2026
Work Start Date Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Work Completed Friday, December 31, 2027
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CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST
ARC is subject to the Georgia Open Records law. All proposals submitted will become public
records to be provided upon request. Any information containing trade secrets or proprietary
information, as defined by state law, must be marked as confidential to prevent disclosure.
Confidential markings must be limited to protected information. Entire proposals marked
confidential will not be honored. Additionally, conflicts of interest are governed by the ARC
Standards of Ethical Conduct available here: Standards of Ethical Conduct. Respondents must
disclose any potential conflicts of interest that may arise from the provision of services described
herein. Such disclosure should include the name of individual(s) with whom there is a conflict, any
relevant facts to the potential conflict, and a description of the internal controls proposed to mitigate
any such conflict. ARC's Staff Legal Counsel will determine whether such disclosure presents a
potential organizational conflict of interest that should preclude award to the respondent.
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EXHIBIT A
SCOPE OF WORK
I.General:
The work to be accomplished by the Consultant is in support of the following Atlanta Regional
Commission (ARC) Cost Center:
Cost Center 606ETT - Atlanta Regional Transit On-Board Survey
II.Definition of Study Area:
The Consultant will perform all the necessary services provided under this contract within the
Atlanta Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) area ("Metro Atlanta"), including the 21-county
modeling region. This modeling area currently includes all or parts of the following nineteen
counties: Barrow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette,
Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton. Two
additional counties are currently part of the air quality maintenance areas: Bartow and Hall. Any
work activities related to the air quality planning responsibilities of the MPO need to survey travel
behavior in those counties as well. The following transit systems will be surveyed: MARTA,
CobbLinc, Connect Douglas, and Ride Gwinnett, and Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority
(ATL)'s Xpress.
III.Work and Services:
Work will involve the development, deployment, data collection, and administration of the Atlanta
Regional Transit On-Board Survey.
The Consultant will conduct project management meetings once a month throughout the duration of
the contract. The Project Management Plan will define the time, date, location, and format of the
meetings.
The Consultant will attend ARC committee, planning team, external stakeholder meetings, and other
meetings critical to the successful performance of this scope of services, not to exceed the project
budgeted hours and fee. The Project Management Plan will define the total number of meetings.
It is anticipated that available funds for the project will be approximately $1,600,000.00
($400,000.00 in 2026 and $1,200,000.00 in 2027). Any contract award for this study is contingent
upon ARC receiving adequate funding for this purpose from the Georgia Department of
Transportation (GDOT).
IV.Background and Objectives:
ARC's last Atlanta regional transit on-board survey was conducted in 2019. Survey efforts have
been determined to be necessary due to the 2020-2021 pandemic. Since then, MARTA has planned
a bus network redesign, which will be implemented in the Spring of 2026, and that bus network
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redesign needs to mature throughout 2026, hence the MARTA bus & rail network cannot be
surveyed until early 2027. The goal of the Atlanta regional transit on-board survey consists of
surveying about 1 out of 10 transit riders in the metro region, or 10% of all daily transit riders. This
data will then be utilized to re-estimate and re-calibrate the ARC travel demand model, in
conjunction with other travel surveys and origin-destination "Big Data".
Comprehensive progress reports detailing progress on each task will be submitted to ARC with each
invoice, which will occur monthly.
V.Work Tasks:
The Consultant will complete the tasks described in the Scope of Services to ARC's satisfaction.
This scope of work outlines the deliverables that the Consultant will provide to ARC to complete
the project successfully and meet the project's overall goals.
Task 1 - Project Management Work Plan & Schedule
With input from ARC staff, the Consultant will describe their technical approach, including a work
plan, for implementing this scientific survey. The work plan will identify specific survey data
products, schedules, and staff assignment. Please note, all transit on-board survey materials must be
in compliance with Section 508 (see https://www.section508.gov), and available in both English and
Spanish language forms, including the survey tablet PC technology. Furthermore, survey data
privacy and security plans will be provided by the consultant to ARC to ensure the privacy of survey
respondents.
The contractual delivery of this task will document the work plan.
Task 2 - Rigorous Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) Plan
This technical task will describe a multi-stage approach to ensure survey data accuracy from survey
conceptualization to final data analytics. Key components will include check points for inconsistent
survey data, and unusually long transit trip journeys / transfers. Automated survey data checks using
machine learning should be deployed to flag implausible survey data entries or inconsistent trip
patterns. A structured framework with indicators to evaluate the quality of the survey data will be
developed, from how survey data is collected to its usefulness and statistical representativeness,
including, but not limited to, completeness, logical consistency (for instance on trip start and end
times), real-time location and data consistency checks, intra-household transit travel consistency
checks, and outlier detection.
The contractual delivery of this task will document the QA/QC plan.
Task 3 - Survey Design and Sampling Plan
The Consultant will develop a survey design based on collecting data using an in-person intercept
interview methodology, while leveraging Tablet PC technology, featuring a goal of completing
surveys for a statistically representative sample (such as +/- 3% to 5% at the 95% confidence level,
variable rate sampling depending on route volume, etc.) of transit riders in the region, as well as
fulfilling Title VI requirements, including a strategic Limited English Proficiency approach. The
Consultant will also collect boarding and alighting data on sampled routes, develop a weighting
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strategy for expansion of the dataset and an approach for maximizing response of low-income
travelers and hard-to-reach / under-represented populations, including the possible use of incentives
to increase response rates. The preferred framework will allow any number of datasets to inform a
survey multi-criteria expansion, including, but not limited to, boarding counts, on-to-off flow
estimates from Atlanta's Breeze EFC fare payment card, APC/AVL-based boarding and alighting
counts, schedule-based GTFS data, and Breeze Card transactions, via iterative proportional fitting
or any other method. Develop an LEP populations approach on how to best gather a representative
sample that includes those who do not read or speak English.
The contractual deliveries associated with this task will document the survey data collection
sampling plan demonstrating a statistically significant representation encompassing all transit riders
in the Atlanta region with corresponding confidence levels.
Task 4 - Survey Instrumentation Development & Interview Training Manual
The Consultant will design a survey instrument in English and Spanish (and may likely need more
languages), as well as any programming of questionnaires on Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs),
tablet PCs, web-based or the use of other data collection technologies proposed by the Consultant,
including "on-the-fly" geo-coding. Leveraging "Big Data", passive & automated data, and smart
phone applications should also be considered to trace the movements of riders and better inform tour
context questions. Short transit trips should be given special consideration and strategically
addressed in the proposal. At a minimum, the following data items will be on the instrument:
* Household size
* Number of autos available in household
* Number of workers in household
* Household Life Cycle (retired, presence or absence of children, etc.)
* Age of respondent
* Trip purpose
* Information on complete transit trip
* First boarding stop and last egress stop
* List of all routes planned to use on trip
* Number of routes/transfers to complete trip
* For walk access/egress - Walk distance to transit
* For drive access - Park and Ride lot location
* Other access/egress modes such as on-demand/microtransit (MARTA Reach, Via), taxi,
robotaxi (Waymo, May Mobility), TNC (Uber, Lyft), micromobility (personal bike,
bikeshare, skateboard, scooter), car share (Zipcar), drop-off / kiss-and-ride, carpool, shuttle,
wheelchair, etc.
* Fare payment method
* Origin address and type of place (such as home location)
* Destination address and type of place (such as work or school location)
* How often is this trip made
* Time of Day
* Auto availability for this trip
* Driver's License availability
* Race & ethnicity of transit riders
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* Household Income
In addition, as part of the survey instrument development, including the pilot / pre-test, The Atlanta
Regional Origin-Destination Transit On-Board Survey must include two questions pertaining to
transit riders' safety perceptions while taking transit in metro Atlanta. Responses must be tabulated
in meaningful, innovative, and creative ways, including geo-spatial references to the urban
environment as it relates to presence or absence of sidewalks, while geocoding "on the fly" survey
responses via tablet PC technology, including enhanced visualization of survey results addressing
the perceived safety and security experience of transit riders.
The Consultant will also develop an interview training manual, detailing the interviewer's roles and
responsibilities, as well as administrative matters pertaining to the survey implementation.
The contractual deliverable of this task will document the survey methodology, the survey
instrumentation, as well as the interview training manual.
Task 5 - Conduct and Evaluate Pre-Test / Pilot-test
The Consultant, with guidance from ARC, will conduct a pre-test / pilot-test to evaluate the survey
methodology and instrument. This test will include all aspects of the survey process and include all
forms of existing transit in the Region. The Consultant will evaluate the results and make
recommendations for revisions to the survey instrument and/or sampling plan.
The contractual deliveries of this task will document the pre-test procedures, results, evaluation, and
any proposed changes to the survey instrument, survey methodology, or interview training manual.
Task 6 - Administration of the Transit On-Board Survey in Metro Atlanta
The Consultant will conduct a full survey using the survey procedures finalized in Task 5. For a
survey to be complete, it must include answers to the following variables: Trip purpose, origin and
destination locations, mode of access to transit, household size, household vehicles owned,
household workers and household income. For teenagers and young adults living at home, income
information is desirable, however they may have no way of knowing this information. For these two
groups, blank income information will be accepted only if household location is provided.
Furthermore, to ensure that the results may also be used for Title VI reporting purposes, a complete
survey must also include race, ethnicity and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) status.
In addition, this survey shall include a supplemental regional one-day transit rider tour diary survey
to better understand transit trip switching behavior in metro Atlanta. Completing an analysis of that
supplemental survey administered to a subset of people that responded to the transit on-board survey
will provide ARC staff with useful findings about transit trip switching behavior. The supplemental
survey shall contain detailed information on the respondents' travel patterns throughout a travel day
in the form of a travel diary. In total, the survey should contain data on 1,000 participants who made
transit trips as part of their tours on the survey day. This survey will capture data on respondents
who have changed their travel mode from transit to another mode within a single tour. This will
allow ARC to better understand reported trips that have switched to other modes from transit trips
in the previous leg. This survey will explore the tours that had the respondents switching to/from
transit and other modes in any of their tours. The resulting dataset will be useful for its intended
purpose, which is to better understand the tour characteristics of transit users.
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In particular, the survey will be useful to better understand the propensity and willingness to select
transit as part of complex (multi-trip) tours. Transit passenger on-board surveys often miss this
information because they intercept only one trip out of the entire daily travel. Ultimately, the data
should be able to usefully answer the following, empirically derived, transit rider travel behavior
questions in metro Atlanta:
* Do age, employment status, household auto availability, and access to an automobile have a
bearing on the decision to switch from transit?
* Are frequent transit users more likely to switch to other modes in a tour? If so, are they from
auto-sufficient households?
* Is there a higher propensity to switch from transit when the purpose of the trip is discretionary
than when it is mandatory (e.g., work, school) or for maintenance-type activities (e.g.,
shopping)?
* Are walking and autos approximately equally likely trip modes used in combination with
transit? How about carshare/TNC?
* Does the probability of switching mode from transit increase as the day progresses? What
percentage of the total trips in the PM peak and the Evening period were switched from
transit?
ARC defines percentage switching from transit in a tour in the following manner: The survey
respondents will report their mode to arrive at an activity location for each trip. The percentage
switching from transit in a tour represents the conditional probability of switching mode from transit
for each categorical response. For instance, as an example, X% of walk trips switching from transit
in a tour means that about X% of all walk trips followed a transit trip in the same tour.
The contractual delivery of this task will include completed transit on-board surveys, documentation
on response rates as well as measures used to minimize illogical data and non-sampling biases.
Task 7 - From Transit Survey Data Analytics to Transit Behavior Storytelling
This task will creatively and effectively combine descriptive statistics narrative with transit survey
data visualization dashboards to make survey data more compelling and understandable for a broad
audience, ranging from the public to decision-makers and policymakers, to planning partners and
stakeholders, and savvy technical modelers and planners. This task should be able to answer a variety
of questions and provide insightful information, such as, but not limited to: Are people making fewer
transit trips than before the pandemic, or shorter trips? Are transit trips distributed differently across
weekdays than they were pre-pandemic? Which population segments, for instance, low income or
higher income, have experienced the biggest changes in terms of transit trip frequency and transit
trip length? What is Metro Atlanta's transit market segmentation? A detailed trip length frequency
distribution illustrating how many transit trips fall into specific length categories (distance and time
separately) will allow the reader to visualize trip patterns and calibrate ARC's travel demand model
via a histogram where the horizontal axis represents meaningful trip length bins, while the vertical
axis will show the relative frequency of trips in each bin. Transit trip chaining from a travel behavior
perspective will also be explicitly represented from the survey data, illustrating the perspective of "a
day in the life of a metro Atlanta transit rider" via various demographic and ethnic groups, just to
name a few examples. Consolidated daily activity patterns will be described and characterized, as
well as intra-household interactions for transit riders.
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