A PARATRANSIT PERSPECTIVE ON EVALUATION OF URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

This paper points to the need to provide transportation service that responds to the articulated needs and demands of the traveling public, and states that formal evaluation cannot do much to improve this aspect of urban mobility. A marketplace evaluation mechanism is proposed, whereby the public by its consumption choices will provide an evaluation that reflects the true needs and demands of the traveling public. The traveling public is divided into three fundamental groups: the transportationally disadvantaged; individuals who have ready access to private automobiles and whose travel does not involve travel to a major activity center; and the large population group who drive their automobile as commuters between home and a major activity center in the morning and return in the evening, referred to as the RAC/MAC group. This latter group is viewed as the fundamental challenge to the public transportation system, and the need is seen for a much richer variety of possible ride-sharing arrangements or paratransit services. It is suggested that an evaluation of new paratransit modes be conducted by the marketplace process. Those that attract RAC/MAC passengers can be judged to be successful; those that fail to do so, regardless of their performance on explicit evaluation criteria, cannot be considered successful.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr155/sr155-006.pdf
• Availability:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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• Authors:
  • Blumstein, Alfred
• Conference:
  • Conference on the Research Needs for Evaluating Urban Public Transportation
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1974-4-3 to 1974-4-5
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: pp 30-34
• Monograph Title: RESEARCH NEEDS FOR EVALUATING URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 155
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0360-859X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Evaluation; Perspective views; Public transit; Transportation planning; Urban transportation
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00099241
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 18 1981 12:00AM