PARATRANSIT STUDY

The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recognized the importance of paratransit modes in serving urban travel needs and decided to initiate a Paratransit Program Design Study. This study defined the role of paratransit modes in an integrated transportation system, considered the potential of these modes for providing feeder service to regular transit systems as well as their potential as substitutes for the private automobiles and mass transit systems. This report will review operational experience of paratransit modes accrued to date in the Shreveport-Bossier City area, assess their potential for serving urban transportation needs, and propose a design program for identifying innovations in providing paratransit services which will be beneficial to the citizens of Shreveport and Bossie City. Service is considered adequate, the only disadvantage being the cost of fare. Perhaps in the future, regulations permitting taxicab service could be coordinated with the transit system and serve as a feeder mode of travel. If all dial-a-ride services were coordinated as one, the possibility of these services being able to provide both feeder service and local door-to-door service at a lower cost than could the taxicab, would be a desirable alternative. Currently there is very little pooling in the study area. Carpooling and vanpooling participation should be encouraged by the local jurisdiction as a viable transportation alternative relieve traffic congestion, lower parking requirements, and provide savings in commuter cost to members participating in shared riding. The existing services provided by SporTran is considered excellent, with the exception of West Shreveport and the Cooper Road areas. With implementation of paratransit services to those areas, SA-COG concludes public transit services woold then be accessible to all local residents in need of public transportation. The Shreve Area Council of Governments is recommending a combined express bus route/paratransit system for the West Shreveport area. The express buses are an alternative to alleviate potential transportation problems incurred by increased traffic to AMI, GM, GE, and the remainder of the West Shreveport Industrial Park. The Shreve Area Council of Governments recommends that the two jitneys presently in operation be phased out and replaced with a fixed-route paratransit van system. The proposed paratransit van system for this area would lessen walking distance to SporTran's bus stop for Cooper Road residents. Broadmoor and South Bossier are two areas SA-COG feels should be further studied for possible extension of transit service and/or inclusion of some form of paratransit service at a later date. At this time SporTran is not providing Sunday service at all on the two Bossier City routes and the Cooper Road route. A survey would need to be conducted to establish a "need" for Sunday service in these areas. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Shreve Area Council of Governments

  1237 Murphy Street, Room 307
  Shreveport, LA  United States  71101

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1979-6

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 122 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Carpools; Data collection; Jitneys; Level of service; Paratransit services; Surveys; Taxicabs; Urban transportation; Vanpools
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00316482
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proj No. LA-09-0036
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 19 1981 12:00AM