Synthesis of Information Related to Transit Practices. Topic SE-09. Transit Cleanliness – Understanding the Current Condition and Perceptions Across the Transit Industry

Clean, well-maintained transit vehicles and facilities are essential to providing a positive customer experience and maintaining public confidence in public transportation. Transit agencies invest considerable resources in cleaning vehicles, stations, stops, and passenger amenities; however, agencies vary considerably in how they define cleanliness, establish cleaning standards, measure performance, and communicate results. Cleanliness is influenced by both objective conditions (e.g., cleaning frequency, litter, graffiti, and maintenance) and subjective customer perceptions, which may differ based on service type, operating environment, and rider expectations. Although most transit agencies monitor cleanliness as part of their maintenance and customer service programs, there are no widely accepted industry practices for defining, measuring, or reporting cleanliness performance. A synthesis is appropriate because transit agencies routinely address cleanliness but employ a wide range of policies, performance measures, inspection methods, and customer feedback approaches. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this synthesis is to document current practices used by public transportation agencies to define, measure, manage, and communicate transit cleanliness. The synthesis should identify similarities and differences in agency practices, summarize approaches used to assess both objective cleanliness and customer perceptions, and identify practices that may support greater consistency in evaluating and communicating cleanliness across the transit industry.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6116
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $75,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-07, Topic SE-09

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Griswold, Emily

• Start Date: 20260907
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Transit Cooperative Research Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cleaning; Customer satisfaction; Performance measurement; Public transit; State of the practice; Transit operating agencies
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 02001515
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-07, Topic SE-09
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 1 2026 11:28AM