PARATRANSIT SERVICE IN THE WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA. CASE STUDIES

Home-to-work, campus, or neighborhood specific systems which were established in response to a specific transportation need were studied. Of 13 services, 7 are primarily neighborhood oriented, operating between home and traffic generators in small communities; 3 are connector services supplementing regular transit routes; 2 serve university campuses to alleviate parking and traffic flow problems and provide personal security; and 1 service is a long distance commuter haul into downtown Washington. Of these services, 4 have failed or been discontinued, 2 are in danger of failing, and 1 is projected to begin service in the near future. The cause of failure in all cases is the high per-mile and per-passenger operating costs which place these modes beyond the deficit limit which sponsores are willing to subsidize. In some cases, paratransit systems are either self-supporting or low-deficit operations. It is noted that paratransit should be established to meet the needs of a constituency which cannot adequately be served by intra-regional bus and subway lines.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • The preparation of this report was financially aided through grants from the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Urban Mass Transportation Administration, under the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1974, as amended.
• Corporate Authors:

  Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

  1225 Connecticut Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20036
• Publication Date: 1977-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: 27 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commuting; Metropolitan areas; Operating costs; Paratransit services; Universities and colleges; Work trips
• Subject Areas: Education and Training; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00163573
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 14 1981 12:00AM