MDOT MTA aims to improve on-time performance by empowering bus operators with real-time information

On March 4, Swiftly and the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) hosted a webinar to discuss the importance of on-time performance (OTP) for not only MDOT MTA, but agencies nationwide.  

MDOT MTA Chief Customer Experience Officer Mike Helta says OTP is important to the overall success of the agency because not only does it focus on the rider experience, but it creates a voice for the customer. 

“On-time performance is our contract with the rider,” Helta said. “The schedule matters. It’s that first piece of trust you’re building with the rider.”   

Helta notes that in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency’s OTP percentage went from 80% down to the mid-60s. Post-pandemic, it has climbed into the mid- and upper-70s, and while the agency wants to reach 80%, it realizes travel patterns have changed.  

“Traffic patterns are not normal in a post-pandemic world,” Helta said. “We need to have a schedule that reflects that, and we need a software that can help us out with that.” 

MDOT MTA opted for Swiftly’s Onboard App, which the company introduced in August 2020. The operator-facing app captures the vehicle’s location using built-in GPS features in Android or iOS devices. That information is fed into Swiftly’s cloud, where the real-time location is compared against the location of where the vehicle is scheduled to be in that moment. This information is shared back to the operator in real time on a tablet, helping them to adhere to route schedules.  

According to Helta, MDOT MTA learned about gaps in its OTP data collection through its Baltimore Service Redesign, where the agency completely redesigned its bus routes in 2017. During the development of the redesign, the agency realized it could only see the OTP data of 60% of buses. 

Helta notes MDOT MTA’s OTP threshold is -2 to +7, meaning vehicles can be up to two minutes early and up to seven minutes late and still be on time. He noted that the industry average is 0 to +5, and that being early is worse than being late. 

“If that bus is not frequent, another bus may not come for 30 to 40 minutes, and that sucks for riders,” Helta said. 

In the fall of 2025, the agency partnered with Swiftly to pilot the Onboard App on one division of its buses for 15 days. The data from that pilot showed that buses  featured on the Onboard App were 25% more likely to be on time and were 37% less likely to be early. The agency plans to deploy the Onboard App to additional buses by summer 2026.  

During the past year, the MDOT MTA has begun to give its operators OTP data. The agency has a Bus Operations Performance Squad that includes members from across agency departments that meet monthly to go through metrics to discuss OTP and action steps to improve. 

According to Helta, while the agency can’t tell an operator to speed up or slow down while operating the vehicle, the agency has “so much data that operators probably didn’t know their OTP unless we told them it’s bad.” 

This mass of data is why MDOT MTA is also working on an OTP Report Card for its operators, which the agency says in theory will help break down operators’ OTP, from early stops to late stops along their routes. Helta says the agency will assign former MDOT MTA operators as coaches. The agency plans to start implementing the report card system following the summer roll out. 

“The idea here is with each service change, we pick a cohort of operators, and we show them the data, and we say, ‘Hey, you’re not operating to our standard, but you had no idea. Here’s how we can improve,’” Helta said.