EVALUATION OF VARIOUS APPROACHES TO PROVIDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICE IN AREAS LESS THAN 200,000 POPULATION

The study was divided into three phases. The first two phases were carried out simultaneously, while the third phase involved a synthesis of findings. Phase I identifies the geographic, social, and economic characteristics of Texas cities relevant to mass transit use. The cities were then classified according to the observed characteristics, to provide assistance in choosing from among the available options. The pertinent characteristics were identified through a regression analysis of census data. The classification was made by using the statistical technique factor analysis. The research was limited to cities with at least 10,000 population in 1970. Cities smaller than this are unlikely to have sufficient demand to warrant transit service and they generally lack the administrative capacity to initiate public service in a new field. The different types of transit-paratransit alternatives suitable for Texas cities were identified in a second phase. Information on the operating, managerial, legal, and economic aspects of the alternatives was also assembled. The alternatives examined were conventional fixed-route bus, jitney, Dial-A-Ride, subscription bus, vanpooling and carpooling, taxi and shared taxi, and, briefly, bicycles. In the third phase, the characteristics of the cities identified in Phase I were matched with the characteristics of the transportation systems described in Phase II. The phases were synthesized through a matrix which gives a rating of each transit option for each type of city. General guidelines for estimating costs and revenues were also developed in this phase. (Authors)