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History
About BTS
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) was born as a statistical agency
in 1992. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency
Act (ISTEA) of 1991 established BTS for data collection, analysis, and reporting
and to ensure the most cost-effective use of transportation-monitoring resources.
BTS brings a greater degree of coordination, comparability, and quality standards
to transportation data, and to fill important gaps.
BTS is one of the twelve modal administrations in U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT). BTS is headed by a Director, appointed by the President and confirmed
by the Senate. The Director serves a four year
term and reports directly to the Secretary
of Transportation.
BTS' basic authorizing legislation is the Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century (TEA-21), which provides $31 million each year for a six year period
(1998-2003) in contract authority. This funding comes from the Highway Trust
Fund, and is administered within the Research and Development account under
the Federal Highway Administration.
BTS' data collection programs for aviation and motor carrier information are
authorized under separate legislation enacted when the Civil Aeronautics Board
(CAB) and Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) were terminated. Both of these
programs are mandatory data collections. The Wendell Ford Aviation Investment
Reform Act (AIR-21) authorized funding for the airline information program from
the Aviation Trust Fund, but to date no funding has been appropriated from this
source.
But as a statistical agency, BTS is a different kind of organization from
the other DOT modal administrations. BTS:
- is policy-neutral-an objective broker for the facts
- covers all of transportation; BTS is cross-modal in nearly everything we
do
- does independent data collection and analysis, but BTS also serves all the
other modes to help them be more effective and efficient
- sets standards for transportation data
- has special statutory protections (essentially the same as those for Census
Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics) for the confidentiality of data we
collect
- has unique competencies in statistics, economics, information technology,
geographic information systems, and transportation
Over the first six years of its existence, BTS established itself with a focus in three key areas, each mandated by legislation: 1) compiling, analyzing, and publishing a comprehensive set of transportation statistics; 2) making statistics readily accessible; and 3) implementing a long term data collection program. Now the agency is beginning to expand its role as it was always envisioned in the legislation - to improve transportation data, to address the information needs of decision makers, and to advance the effective use of data for decision making. We serve:
- Congress
- DOT
- Other Federal agencies
- State governments
- Metropolitan Planning Organizations
- Local governments
- Universities
- Private sector
- General public
The overarching purpose of BTS' work is to help advance the DOT
Strategic Plan and BTS Strategic Plan
(HTML-4KB |
PDF-95KB).
But we also aim to anticipate future needs and policy issues. Our challenge
is to develop data and analyses that are relevant, high quality, timely, comparable,
complete, and accessible-our strategic goals for transportation statistics.
Mission
Our mission is to lead in developing transportation data and information of high quality, and to advance their effective use in both public and private transportation decision making.
Vision
Data and information of high quality will support every significant transportation policy decision, thus advancing the quality of life and economic well being of all Americans.
Strategic Goals
Relevance - We aim to anticipate the needs of decision makers, provide the information that is most useful to them, and demonstrate a thorough understanding of major transportation issues and trends. If our work is not relevant, BTS is not needed.
Quality - We aim to provide data, analysis and information of high quality for transportation decision making. Whatever we provide will be accurate, reliable, and objective.
Timeliness - We aim to reduce the lag in data reporting, so that decision makers have a nearly "real-time" view of the transportation system and the factors that affect it. Where appropriate to the data, program managers and senior leadership should be able to talk about where things stand "as of last night."
Comparability - We aim to provide a view of transportation that is consistent across modes and across time, to enable people to make comparisons and to make broad program and resource decisions. Comparability is hindered to some extent by the separate, historical development of transportation programs. It is also constrained to some extent by the need to rely on external data sources.
Completeness - We aim to have data that cover transportation in every area of interest.
Utility - We aim to make data easy to access, easy to understand, and easy to use.
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