Agencies should have a standard policy that indicates when APC counts can be adjusted. Operators should only adjust APC counts based on agency policy. Adjustments should only be entered via the MDT when the vehicle is stationary at a stop, or at end of line trips or when the vehicle is nearly empty.
On high ridership routes, best practice is to check the onboard count at a stop location in question before departing it. Why- When the vehicle departs the stop, it leaves the stops' trigger box ( geo fenced area), and data capture will be attributed to the correct location.
TIP: Report APC discrepancies to Maintenance when the on‑board count is at off by at least plus or minus five (+5). Errors of 2 to 3 percent are normal.
Alternatively, agency personnel should review Business Intelligence reports somewhat regularly to help proactively identify any APC issues by comparing boards and alights for a single vehicle or by comparing boards and farebox counts. If undefined boards/ alights data are noted in BI, this can be an indication that APC collection counts may have fallen out of the geo-fenced ranges for scheduled stops.
In- vehicle configurations include the automated display of the APC screen, as shown below, when the operator deploys the wheelchair lift for a rider. This allows the operator to record when a disabled rider has boarded the vehicle. Additionally, the system can be configured to automatically display the APC screen when a rider opens the bike rack if the rack has the approved sensor.
Operators can manually adjust the APC counts, when needed, from the MDT's Home screen by touching the 'APC Adjust' button, when the vehicle is in a stationary position. Best practice includes adjusting counts, when incorrect, at the stop in question. This allows the count to be updated and captured based on location, so the data is well- defined at the stop level in BI reports.
To adjust the APC counts:
- Press the APC Adjust button on the Home Screen,
- Enter the correct numbers for Onboard count
- Optional: If used by the agency update values for Wheelchair count, and Bike count
- Press the Save button.
- If you close the APC adjust screen before touching Save, the system does not save the data you entered.