COMMUNITY TRANSIT FEASIBILITY HANDBOOK

This Handbook is intended to guide municipal officials, citizen groups, or other interested parties in evaluating the need for public transportation in their communities. The Handbook is designed for urban communities with a regional population of 50,000 or less and can be used by those who wish to study, understand, and alleviate the public transportation needs of their community. This Handbook presents methods of conducting a transit feasibility analysis study which community leaders can use to determine the potential location and extent of public transportation markets in their areas at a minimal cost. The report stresses that a study of transit feasibility cannot be focused solely on how many need the service or who needs the service. It should also address the quality of that need and make a distinction between those who cannot move about freely with public transit and those who can. By identifying the potential transit markets in a community, the supporters of public transit can determine those community residents whom they most wish to attract as transit riders. New routes, schedules, and vehicles can be added as the markets and increased patronage demand are identified. The Handbook points out that a major factor to consider at the end of a transit feasibility analysis is that no matter how many potential transit riders are suggested by the data, in reality, there will usually be less and that the best method of initiating transit is to identify the most promising ridership situation, devise a transit system to satisfy the unique needs of that market, and start small.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared in consultation with Theodore B. Moxon.
• Corporate Authors:

  Chester County Planning Commission

  The Courthouse
  West Chester, PA  United States  19380
• Publication Date: 1983-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 135 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus transit; Feasibility analysis; Forecasting; Handbooks; Marketing; Public transit; Ridership; Small cities; Technological innovations
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services; New systems
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00378623
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-PA-09-0080-83-1
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 30 1983 12:00AM