Offer Real Time Mobile Transit and Event Apps to Provide More Efficient Transit Options and Improve Travel Times During Major Events.

Key lessons learned include the following: 

• Encourage the adoption of the most efficient and desired travel mode by promoting real-time mobile transit and event apps. In the case of MetLife Stadium, taking New Jersey Transit rail or bus service was the most efficient mode for individual travelers and resulted in the best outcomes for the transportation system overall (e.g., VHD). New Jersey Transit communicated “Travel Tips” to promote transit mode share to the stadium, including using the agency’s mobile app, enabling service alert notifications, and following the agency on social media.
• Increase the availability of public transit to help decrease congestion and improve travel times. NJ Transit ran increased rail and bus services overall for concertgoers and carried an estimated 80,000 riders via these services during the Taylor Swift shows to accommodate high demand. As a result, MetLife Stadium was the only venue to see a reduction in VHD during the Eras Tour—a 27% decrease on average over three nights.
• Consider transit service as one of many transportation demand management solutions when planning for special events. The study noted that Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, another location that emphasized transit as a mode to access the Taylor Swift concerts, had less promising results compared to MetLife Stadium; VHD increased by 200, 186, and 599 percent over three nights. This emphasizes the complexity of traffic management and the need for many different strategies and solutions.