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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | October 19, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-10-19) |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, DC |
| Employees | 70-75 |
| Annual budget | $27 million/year in 2010[1] |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | United States Department of Transportation |
| Website | www |
TheBureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), part of theUnited States Department of Transportation, is a government office that compiles, analyzes, and publishes information on the nation'stransportation systems across variousmodes; 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 theU.S. Federal Statistical System.
BTS was officially created by theIntermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, passed on December 18, 1991, subsequently beginning operations as a modal administration with the USDOT on October 19, 1992.[2]
BTS absorbed the financial and operating statistics office of the formerCivil Aeronautics Board in 1995, incorporating it as its Office of Airline Information.
BTS gained theNational Transportation Library in 1998, a stipulation of theTransportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
Following a Congressionally-directed reorganization of the Department in 2005, BTS ceased being an independent agency and was moved under theResearch and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA).[2] At this time, the BTS director went from being aSenate-confirmed, presidentially-nominated position to being a civil service appointee named by the Secretary of Transportation.
BTS was moved once again in 2015, as required by theFixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, and was shifted, along with the rest of RITA, to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology.[3]
To promote the release of data products and news bulletins concerning transportation trends in the United States, BTS maintainsTwitter[1],LinkedIn[2], andInstagram[3] accounts.
Since its establishment, BTS has had four directors:[4]
BTS is divided into seven offices:
Users can access and explore BTS's collection of intermodal transportation databases throughTranStats and theBTS Data Inventory; the latter also allows users to create their own visualizations from selected BTS data.
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.[6] It is the direct successor to the statistics office from the formerCivil Aeronautics Board.
One popular airline database included in the TranStats collection is theairline on-time performance database, which includes on-time performance of every flight, airline, and airport in the United States.
BTS maintains theNational Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD), an open online repository of national-levelgeographic information systems data and applications related to transportation in the United States.[7]
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 calledRosaP.[8]
The FAF is a database with estimations of freight flows through the United States' transportation system, developed in collaboration with theFederal Highway Administration. Data are available at the federal, state, and metropolitan areas, representing the move of goods from 42 commodity types and across all modes of transport. Freight is quantified by weight, value, and activity, and are based on data inputs from the BTS Commodity Flow Survey, input-export records, and data acquired directly from key industries.[9]
Since 2017, BTS has been the home for the Intercity Bus Atlas, a map of all scheduledintercity passenger bus services in theUnited States. UsingGeneral Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) feeds collected from participating carriers, the Atlas shows the stops and routes being operated and is updated on a quarterly basis. The ICBA replaces defunct intercity bus maps and schedule services (namelyRussell's Official National Motor Coach Guide) and shows the density, frequency, and extent of these operations across the country.[10]
The VIUS is a regular survey of vehicle ownership, intended to better understand physical and operational characteristics of the wide range of vehicles that use the national roadway system, guide infrastructure investments, track changes in vehicle technology, and to stay tuned to critical safety needs. Done collaboration with theU.S. Census Bureau,Federal Highway Administration, and theDepartment of Energy, the most recent version was completed in 2022 and sampled data the owners of over 150,000 vehicles, including pick-up trucks, SUVs, minivans, light vans, straight trucks, and truck tractors.[11]
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The BTS maintains its own list of codes, so-calledWorld Area Codes (WAC), for state and country codes.
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| Deputy Secretary of Transportation |  | |
| Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy |
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| International | |
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| National | |
