IMPLEMENTATION OF SERVICE ROUTES IN THE UNITED STATES

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) signified a new era of mobility for elderly and disabled passengers. There have been many debates about fixed-route versus door-to-door demand-responsive services. While the United States has been discussing the issue, Sweden has been experimenting since 1983 with a concept called service routes. Madison Metro (in Wisconsin) is very close (April 1992) to implementing the first two service routes in the United States. The planning activities leading up to implementation and, subject to availability, preliminary results are discussed. The service-route concept and the unique planning consideration necessary to design successful routes is reviewed, as are the process used in defining desirable origins and destinations, the public participation process, the development of alternatives, the refinement of alternatives, and the selection of routing details. In addition, the discussion will include detailing of operating guidelines (i.e., driver selection/training and fares), the integration with other Metro service including Metro+Plus, the estimation of demand, the development of costs and revenues, and finally the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation plan. This concept when applied to small cities or selected small communities within a larger urban area has the potential to satisfy ADA requirements with a small capital investment and potentially lower operating costs. The addition of minivans with low floors and ramps could provide the door-to-door service needed by a minority of users. Most important, this design can provide significantly better mobility and flexibility for the transportation-disadvantaged residents of our communities.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1993/1378/1378-004.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=IMPLEMENTATION+OF+SERVICE+ROUTES+IN+THE+UNITED+STATES&author=J.+McLary&author=A.+Stahl&author=S.+Persich&publication_year=1993
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309054222
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1378, Accessible Transportation and Mobility. 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
• Authors:
  • McLary, James J
  • Stahl, Agneta
  • Persich, Sharon
• Publication Date: 1993

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 21-27
• Monograph Title: Accessible transportation and mobility
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1378
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aged; Alternatives analysis; Operating costs; Origin and destination; Persons with disabilities; Public participation; Route choice; Small cities; Transportation planning
• Identifier Terms: Madison Metro (Madison, Wisconsin)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Minivans
• Geographic Terms: Sweden; United States
• Old TRIS Terms: Service routes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00633308
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309054222
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 18 1993 12:00AM