CASE STUDY OF THE PROBLEMS OF TRANSIT REGULATION IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The enactment of the statute and agency, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation compact and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission (WMATC) are described, and the WMATC's regulatory performance is reviewed. It is noted that Washington's transit regulatory scheme excludes essential transportation elements from the scheme, has inappropriate protection for existing operators, and provides only limited enforcement capability to the responsible regulatory agency. The regulatory agency for the implementation of the scheme was limited in its outlook and the capabilities of its staff. Its activities were further narrowed by events to a concentration on rate matters to the exclusion of the pursuit of service improvements. Without the cooperation of the regulated companies, it is powerless to effect service improvements. Those segments of the for-hire transportation operations that come under the most active (though still limited) regulation, i.e. regular-route bus operators, collapsed within a decade. Those that did not, i.e., taxicabs, charter bus operators, and sightseeing companies, survived as private operators.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/sr/sr181/sr181-031.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0360859X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in Transportation Research Board Special Report No. 181, Urban Transportation Economics. It contains proceedings of Five Workshops on Pricing Alternatives, Economic Regulations, Labor Issues, Marketing, and Government Financing Responsibilities held by Transportation Research Board. Sponsored by Office of the Secretary, Federal Highway Administration, and Urban Mass Transportation Administration of DOT; Environmental Protection Agency; and Federal Energy Administration. 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Schneider Jr, Douglas N
• Publication Date: 1978

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: pp 118-120
• Monograph Title: URBAN TRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 181
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0360-859X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus transportation; Buses; Case studies; Charter operations; Evacuation; Laws; Level of service; Private enterprise; Public transit; Regulation; Taxicabs; Transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Enforcement
• Geographic Terms: Washington (District of Columbia)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Law; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00176504
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Nov 14 1981 12:00AM