Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of the United States Department of Transportation, is a government office that compiles, analyzes, and publishes information on the nation's transportation systems across various modes; and strives to improve the DOT's statistical programs through research and the development of guidelines for data collection and analysis. BTS is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Agency overview
Formed1992 (1992)
JurisdictionFederal government of the United States
HeadquartersWashington, DC
Employees70-75
Annual budget$27 million/year in 2010[1]
Agency executives
Parent agencyUnited States Department of Transportation
WebsiteBureau of Transportation Statistics

History

BTS was created in 1992 under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.[2]

On February 20, 2005, BTS became part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).[2] 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.[3]

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. Since 2020, BTS has also maintained a LinkedIn account.

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

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.[4]

Data Catalogs

TranStats is an intermodal transportation collection of downloadable databases. 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. Data.bts.gov is an online dataset collection allowing users to create their own visualizations from selected BTS data.

National Transportation Atlas Database

BTS maintains the National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD), an open online repository of national-level geographic information systems data and applications related to transportation in the United States.[5]

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.[6]

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. "Meet Bureau of Transportation Statistics Director Patricia Hu". AmstatNews. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  2. "About BTS". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. "History of BTS". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  4. "Airline Information for Download". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  5. "NTAD". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  6. "NTL". National Transportation Library. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
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