The objective of this research was to develop guidance for the effective collection and use of archived automatic vehicle location (AVL)-automatic passenger counter (APC) data to improve the performance and management of transit systems. This report offers guidance on five subjects: analyses that use AVL-APC data to improve management and performance; AVL-APC system design to facilitate the capture of data with the accuracy and detail needed for offline data analysis; data structures and analysis software for facilitating analysis of AVL-APC data; screening, parsing, and balancing automatic passenger counts; and use of APC systems for estimating passenger-miles for National Transit Database reporting. This report will be of interest to transit personnel responsible for planning, scheduling, and managing reliable bus transit services in congested areas. This report will also be useful to other members of technology procurement teams, representing operations, maintenance, information systems, human resources, legal, finance, and training departments.