2013 Session: 352

• Understanding Effects of Systemwide Transit Network Restructuring in a Decentralized U.S. Metropolitan Area on Transit Agency Ridership and Performance: Case Study of StarMetro in Tallahassee, Florida
  Abstract: On July 11th, 2011, StarMetro, the transit agency in Tallahassee, Florida, restructured its entire bus network from a downtown-focused radial system to a decentralized, grid-like system. Transit managers restructured the network to a decentralized grid with several crosstown routes and multiple transfer points scattered throughout the community. They believed this new network design would better align service to the pattern of local development, which is increasingly decentralized and suburban. They believed that doing so would increase transit’s attractiveness to potential riders, which would result in increased ridership and improved service productivity. We use a combination of system-level, route-level, and stop-level data to describe the transit system before and after this major service change and to thus determine whether the network restructuring achieved these objectives. We find that system-level ridership has not increased in proportion to the increase in service deployed as part of the service change, although new ridership has appeared in previously un-served suburban markets. Service productivity has thus declined on a system-level basis, although it is strong in some transit corridors. New riders have emerged in some of the newly served areas, but many of these new areas are served by routes with lower-than-average service productivity. Our analysis suggests that infrequent service (especially longer than originally-planned headways) has affected restructuring’s ability to achieve its stated ridership and productivity objectives. The experience in Tallahassee provides lessons for other small-sized metropolitan areas that are considering the use of major service changes to increase ridership and maintain or enhance productivity.
  Authors: Jaroszynski, Michal A.; Brown, Jeffrey R.; Batuhan, Tuna; Bhattacharya, Torsha
  Authors: Jaroszynski, Michal A.; Brown, Jeffrey R.; Batuhan, Tuna; Bhattacharya, Torsha
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1170
• New Insights on Transit Network Performance Using Innovative GIS Animation
  Abstract: Conventional route and link based performance measures using tables of numbers are not an easy means of understanding performance of on-road transit on a network wide basis. Yet commonly issues of on-roqad transit performance are caused by road congestion issues which are contiguous to sections of routes. New techniques for mapping network performance using GIS techniques have been developed, however they have proven difficult to interpret when contrasting performance between sequences of maps.This paper presents an innovative new visualisation technique using animation ‘morphing’ technology to create moving images of transit network operational performance changes over time. An innovative aspect of the paper is that animations have been incorporated into the paper itself and can be played if the paper is read on screen on a computer. The technique has been shown to be highly effective in illustrating changes in performance which might otherwise be missed in static maps. It is also a highly engaging means of displaying data which leaves planners, regulators and the public fascinated by the patterns illustrated. It has great potential as a communication tool for demonstrating performance outcomes in many contexts. Future opportunities for the development and application of the approach are discussed.
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Mesbah, Mahmoud; Sarvi, Majid
  Authors: Currie, Graham; Mesbah, Mahmoud; Sarvi, Majid
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1454
• Coordinating School and Public Transportation: Assessing Opportunities in New Jersey
  Abstract: As transportation costs rise, and tax relief and aid diminish each year, school districts are under increasing pressure to consolidate, reduce or eliminate bus services for students. However, school districts are not the only transportation providers facing constrained resources. Public transit agencies face their own financial squeeze to efficiently deliver quality transportation services to meet growing demand while facing rising costs.School bus and public transportation agencies face similar economic obstacles, yet they have distinct operating characteristics and scheduling needs, and they are restricted by differing regulations and policies. However, the potential exists for improved efficiencies, cost savings, and retention and expansion of mobility through transportation coordination between school districts and public transit agencies. Under a “quick response” project sponsored by the TCC/FTA Research Program, The Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center researched the current state of the practice of coordination nationally and its potential feasibility in New Jersey. The research examined successful national models and determined potential barriers and strategies for pursuing transportation coordination within the state of New Jersey. Examples of coordination in New Jersey are limited but suggest that more communities could pursue these arrangements to their benefit. The benefits of coordination between school districts and public transit agencies must override the potential barriers including loss of local control and legal restrictions for school bus use, as well as outperform alternative arrangements with coordinated transportation service agencies that currently assist schools with transportation consolidation and efficiency. Some successful strategies in operation in New Jersey, such as utilizing public transit for high school and some middle school students, implementing administrative coordination as well as exploring innovative coordination, may prove replicable for communities statewide.
  Authors: Meehan, Sean; Sanchez, Trish; Bull, Catherine
  Authors: Meehan, Sean; Sanchez, Trish; Bull, Catherine
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1399
• Variation in Bus Transit Service: Understanding the Impacts of Various Improvement Strategies on Transit Service Reliability
  Abstract: Transit agencies wishing to offer reliable service with less variability face several challenges, encouraging them to employ various strategies. While previous research has considered the effects of various strategies on running time, there has been little effort to understand their impacts on reliability of service. This article examines the impacts of various improvement strategies on running time deviation from schedule, variation in running time, and variation in running time deviation from schedules. These strategies include implementation of a smart card fare collection system, operation of a reserved bus lane, introduction of limited-stop bus service, use of articulated buses, and operation of transit signal priority (TSP). This study conduct this examination using data obtained from the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM)’s automatic vehicle location (AVL) and automatic passenger count (APC) systems, in Montreal, Canada, at the bus route segment level of analysis. The introduction of a smart card fare collection system increased bus running time and service variation. Articulated buses, limited-stop bus service and reserved bus lanes have mixed effects on variation in comparison to the running time changes, while TSP had no significant effect. This study offers transit agencies and schedulers a better understanding of the effects of various strategies on different aspects of service variation, which are important components of transit service reliability.
  Authors: Diab, Ehab Ismail; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Authors: Diab, Ehab Ismail; El-Geneidy, Ahmed M.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1665
• Holding for Transfers
  Abstract: The lack of coordinated transfers in a public transport network causes passengers to wait longer for their connections. This work proposes a new model to improve transfers in medium to high frequency systems lacking a timetabled operation. We propose a real-time mathematical programming model using a rolling horizon approach for transfer’s coordination. The single control decision in this model consider, using a rolling horizon approach, the holding decision at a transfer station in order to prevent a certain fraction (maybe not all of them) of the transferring passengers from missing a connecting vehicle. The performance of the strategy model is obtained from a stochastic simulation and then compared against a no control strategy. The results show that the proposed strategy reduces waiting times for the transferring passengers in over 20%, while not affecting the travel time distribution along the line. Furthermore, the variability in all performance indicators is reduced when compared to no control.
  Authors: Delgado, Felipe; Contreras, Nicolás; Munoz, Juan
  Authors: Delgado, Felipe; Contreras, Nicolás; Munoz, Juan
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-2913
• Alternative Solution to Rail Overcrowding: Parallel Bus Rapid Transit Experience in Beijing
  Abstract: Rail overcrowding is becoming an increasingly important issue for lots of megacities throughout the world. To address this issue, transit agencies have implemented many measures in the past which include demand management, system planning, infrastructure improvements, and technology improvements, and so on. This paper centers one of the measures aimed at shifting the peak loading on trains to bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes. The authors take the implementation of two BRT lanes in Beijing as an example and document their usage behavior and impact on peak loading on an adjacent parallel metro rail line. Through the comparison of the passenger volume of 3 days before and after the operation of the BRT lanes, it is known that the ridership on the rail line during peak hours decreases by 2.7%, 5.5%, and 9.2%, respectively. It is also revealed that the percentage of trains which are beyond capacity decrease significantly during the same time periods. These findings indicate that the operation of BRT lanes has acted to reduce the peak loading on the adjacent metro rail line. In addition, a random survey of 2000 bus users were undertaken at selected bus stations and the responses demonstrated that around 15% of the bus users had shifted their trips from the rail line to the adjacent BRT lanes. Among these users, the survey also identified the different reasons for the mode shift. Finally, a brief description is also included of the other congestion-mitigating measures imposed on the metro rail line.
  Authors: Liu, Zhili; Cheng, Wen; Huang, Yue; Sun, Mingzheng; Mao, Baohua
  Authors: Liu, Zhili; Cheng, Wen; Huang, Yue; Sun, Mingzheng; Mao, Baohua
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-3090
• Public Transportation in Jackson, Mississippi
  Abstract: The importance of an efficiently operated public transit system could never be over-estimated for a livable community and vibrant economy. It is widely familiar that public transit improves life quality, strengthens the economy, creates jobs, improves the environment, and saves energy. Jackson, MS is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Mississippi. There is roughly 180,000 people living in Jackson, and about 25% of the population is below the poverty line. In addition, Mississippi’s average family income is among the lowest in the country. Public transportation caters to the low-income, handicapped, and aged populations who do not have access to auto use, however, public transport is often scarce throughout the state, and especially in the urban communities. Jackson uses busses, airplanes and trains to support their public transportation system; however transit use is still low in the Jackson area and not widely accepted by the community. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is looking to begin evaluations of the public transit system in Jackson. MDOT should also look to model successful public transportation system in other areas in the nation like TriMet, which is one of the nation’s leading public transit systems in Portland, OR. Furthermore, Jackson, MS has the demographic, along with an urban environment to create a successful public transportation system, and with the support of the community, MDOT, and the city of Jackson, they can improve their economy and environment.
  Authors: Boggan, Kameron Alyse
  Authors: Boggan, Kameron Alyse
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-5188
• Preserving an Aging Transit Fleet: Optimal Resource Allocation Perspective Based on Service Life and Constrained Budget
  Abstract: Local, county and state level transit agencies with large fleets of buses and limited budgets seek a robust fund allocation mechanism to maintain service standards. However, equitable and optimal fund allocation for purchasing, operating and maintaining a transit fleet is a complex process. In this study, we develop an optimization model for allocation of funds among different fleet improvement programs within budget constraints over the planning period. This is achieved by minimizing the Net Present Cost (NPC) of the investment within the constraint of a minimum level of fleet quality expressed as a surrogate of the remaining life of the fleet. Integer programming is used to solve the formulated optimization problem using branch and bound algorithm. The model formulation and application are demonstrated with a real world case study of transit agencies. It is observed that minimizing NPC provides a realistic way to allocate resources between different program options among different transit agencies while maintaining a desired quality level. The proposed model is generalized and can be used as a resource allocation tool for transit fleet management by any transit agency. Key Words: transit fleet, net present cost, integer programming, branch and bound algorithm
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Sharma, Sushant; Khasnabis, Snehamay; Mathew, Tom V.
  Authors: Mishra, Sabyasachee; Sharma, Sushant; Khasnabis, Snehamay; Mathew, Tom V.
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-0638
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Measuring Efficiency of Indiana Fixed-Route Transit Agencies Using Data Envelopment Analysis
  Abstract: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used in this study to evaluate performance of major Indiana transit agencies. 2010 data on operational and financial performance were utilized to find out relative position of the agencies with respect to the best practice frontier. Total operating expenses, staff level, and total seat capacity of revenue vehicle fleet are used as the inputs while total ridership and total vehicle mile are used as the outputs to evaluate agency performance. Input oriented BCC-DEA method yields estimates of the potential improvement, i.e., to reduce inputs of inefficient transit agencies in order to project those to best practice frontier formed by the efficient units. The ‘variable returns on scale’ DEA method, BCC also suggests that few large and few small fixed route transit agencies prove to be efficient and the average efficiency score for the 16 major transit agencies across Indiana is found to be 0.855. It also reveals that overall inputs could be proportionally reduced to produce the same level of outputs in order to make all the agencies efficient relative to each other. Finally, the Non-parametric hypothesis tests are performed to check if potential factors affect the ranking of the agencies. It is found that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that efficiency scores differ among agencies that differ in size and age of vehicles in the fleet. College town and non-college town transit agencies’ efficiency levels seem to be not differing statistically. Besides, there was insufficient evidence to reject the notion that percentage part-time staff does not make difference in efficiency ranking of transit agencies.
  Authors: Arman, Mohammad; Labi, Samuel
  Authors: Arman, Mohammad; Labi, Samuel
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-5299
• Intraurban Rail Access: Policy Implications of Five Revealed Perspectives from a Q-Sorting Exercise in Three Australian Cities
  Abstract: This project advances current understanding of intra-urban rail passengers and their travel experiences in order to help rail industry leaders tailor policy approaches to fit specific, relevant segments of their target population. Using a Q sorting technique and cluster analysis, our preliminary research identified five perspectives occurring in a small sample of rail passengers, who varied in their frequency and location of rail travel as well as certain socio-demographic characteristics. Revealed perspectives (named to capture the gist of their content) included: ‘Rail Travel is About the Destination, Not the Journey’; ‘Despite Challenges, Public Transport is Still the Best Option’; ‘Rail Travel is Fine’; ‘Rail Travel? So Far, So Good’; and ‘Bad Taste for Rail Travel’. This paper discusses each of the perspectives in detail, and considers them in terms of tailored policy implications. An overarching finding from this study is that improving railway travel ‘access’ requires attention to physical, psychological, financial, and social facets of accessibility. For example, designing waiting areas to be more socially functional and comfortable has the potential to increase ridership by addressing social forms of access, decreasing perceived wait times, and making time at the station feel like time well spent. Even at this preliminary stage, the Q sorting technique promises to provide a valuable, holistic albeit fine-grained analysis of passenger attitudes and experiences that will assist industry efforts to increase ridership.
  Authors: Zuniga, Kelly Draper; Bunker, Jonathan Michael; Bevrani, Kaveh
  Authors: Zuniga, Kelly Draper; Bunker, Jonathan Michael; Bevrani, Kaveh
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-2298
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Safer Than You Think: Revising the Transit Safety Narrative
  Abstract: Public transportation is a safe form of travel. Total per capita traffic casualties tend to decline as public transit travel increases in a community. However, many people have the misimpression that transit is dangerous, and so are reluctant to use it or support transit service expansion in their communities. Various factors contribute to this transit dread (excessive and irrational fear), including conventional traffic safety messages, heavy media coverage of transit-related crashes and crimes, and the nature of public transit, which requires travel with strangers in confined spaces. In addition, the transit industry has responded to crime and terrorist risks with messages that emphasize fear and unusual dangers. There is much that public transit agencies can do to change the narrative to emphasize the overall safety of public transit travel, to improve passengers sense of security, and to provide better guidance concerning how passengers and community can enhance public transport safety and security.
  Authors: Litman, Todd Alexander
  Authors: Litman, Todd Alexander
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Paper
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-4357
  Practice-Ready: Yes
• Understanding Effects of Systemwide Transit Network Restructuring in a Decentralized U.S. Metropolitan Area on Transit Agency Ridership and Performance: Case Study of StarMetro in Tallahassee, Florida
  Authors: Jaroszynski, Michal
  Authors: Jaroszynski, Michal
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1170
• Variation in Bus Transit Service: Understanding the Impacts of Various Improvement Strategies on Transit Service Reliability
  Authors: Diab, Ehab
  Authors: Diab, Ehab
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1665
• Intraurban Rail Access: Policy Implications of Five Revealed Perspectives from a Q-Sorting Exercise in Three Australian Cities
  Authors: Zuniga, Kelly
  Authors: Zuniga, Kelly
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-2298
• Coordinating School and Public Transportation: Assessing Opportunities in New Jersey
  Authors: Meehan, Sean
  Authors: Meehan, Sean
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-1399
• Alternative Solution to Rail Overcrowding: Parallel Bus Rapid Transit Experience in Beijing
  Authors: Liu, Zhili
  Authors: Liu, Zhili
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-3090
• Public Transportation in Jackson, Mississippi
  Authors: Boggan, Kameron
  Authors: Boggan, Kameron
  Year: 2013
  Document Type: Presentation; Poster
  Subject: Administration and Management; Public Transportation
  Session: 352
  Paper Number: 13-5188