SRF was retained by Metro Transit in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota to conduct the agency’s Title VI reporting for a range of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements over a five-year period, beginning in 2009. This contract was renewed in 2014 and again in 2019. FTA rules require Metro Transit to monitor service relative to standards and policies, and review proposed major service changes to ensure outcomes do not have discriminatorily impacts to low-income or minority populations. SRF’s project responsibilities include extensive GIS analysis, statistical testing, and accurate and comprehensive interpretation and reporting of results.
The methods SRF has developed are nuanced and comprehensive, and withstand scrutiny by both FTA officials and the public at large. We also work collaboratively with Metro Transit staff to tailor our methods to specific project needs. When measuring the impacts of one or more service changes, we use SRF’s GIS Title VI model, which dramatically reduces the time needed to complete service equity analyses. The model is readily adaptable to work for any geographic location and allows for quick evaluation of multiple service change scenarios. The Title VI model makes it easy to assess the combined impacts of multiple simultaneous service changes.
To date, SRF has completed nearly two dozen work orders for Metro Transit. Recent service equity analyses and service monitoring evaluations completed by SRF for Metro Transit include:
- METRO C Line and Route 19 (2019)
- Route 614 (2019)
- Systemwide Service Monitoring Evaluation (2018)
- West End and Route 9 Study (2017)
- 2015 Service Improvement Plan (2015)
- Systemwide Service Monitoring Evaluation (2015)
- METRO A Line (2014)
- METRO Green Line (2013)
