DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR A MEASURES FOR A MEDIUM-SIZED TRANSIT SYSTEM

This paper summarizes the results of a study of service performance measurement and operating guidelines for the Delaware Authority for Regional Transit (DART) system. This fleet of 100 buses serves the Wilmington metropolitan area and is typical in many respects of many medium-sized bus systems across the country. The project consisted of several elements. First, a brief overview was presented of the historical perspectives on transit performance standards and the current state of the art, specifically noting activities at the state and regional level over the past few years. Next, a preliminary set of transit performance measures and operating guidelines was formulated for local review and comment. To assist in the evaluation of the adequacy of the preliminary performance measures and service standards, the draft standards were used to assess DART's existing operations. This assessment was hampered by a number of data inconsistencies, due primarily to the fact that much of the data required had been collected over a period of several years by using different data collection and analysis procedures. Efforts were made to minimize these inconsistencies and, where this could not be done, recommendations were made for improved data collection procedures to eliminate this problem in future years. As part of the service assessment, order-of-magnitude cost estimates were prepared to define the general range of capital and operating investment that would be required by DART to modify its current services so as to be in greater compliance with the proposed service standards and operating guidelines. The last step of the project was the preparation of guidelines to assist local agencies in the implementation of the service standards and operating guidelines and the continuous monitoring of DART's performance relative to these standards. This element of the project addressed the manner in which the current infrastructure for transit planning could be improved and described the appropriate level of detail and methodology for the continual evaluation of DART's performance. A discussion was presented of the basic procedures by which to amend or modify the service standards and operating guidelines. (Author)

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Features: References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 8-13
  • Monograph Title: Bus Transit Management and Performance
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00319333
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0309030552
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Nov 29 1981 12:00AM