Assessing the efficiency of mass transit systems in the United States.

PDFTech ReportCA-MNTRC-16-1235MNTRC REPORT 12-63DTRT12-G-UTC21Urban transitPerformanceDemand responsive transportationMetrics (Quantitative assessment)BenchmarksCaliforniaUnited StatesMineta National Transit Research ConsortiumMin, HokeyMineta National Transit Research ConsortiumUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)United States. Dept. of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyUS Transportation CollectionFrustrated with increased parking problems, unstable gasoline prices, and stifling traffic congestion, a growing number ofmetropolitan city dwellers consider utilizing the mass transit system. Reflecting this sentiment, a ridership of the mass transitsystem across the United States has been on the rise for the past several years. A growing demand for the mass transit system,however, necessitates the expansion of service offerings, the improvement of basic infrastructure/routes, and the additionalemployment of mass transit workers, including drivers and maintenance crews. Such a need requires the optimal allocation offinancial and human resources to the mass transit system in times of shrinking budgets and government downsizing. Thus, thepublic transit authority is faced with the dilemma of \ue2\u20ac\u153doing more with less.\ue2\u20ac? That is to say, the public transit authority needs todevelop a \ue2\u20ac\u153lean\ue2\u20ac? strategy which can maximize transit services with the minimum expenses. To help the public transit authoritydevelop such a lean strategy, this report identifies the best-in-class practices in the U.S. transit service sector and proposestransit policy guidelines that can best exploit lean principles built upon best-in-class practices