Transit Project Planning Guidance: Estimation of Transit Supply Parameters

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Centerhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15271281984PDFTech ReportJacobs, M.Skinner, R. E.Lemer, A.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)United States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationUnited StatesCapital costsOperating costsEmpirical methodsLevel of servicePublic transitVehicle miles of travelVehiclesRidershipDOT-TSC-UMTA-84-33;UMTA-MA-09-9015-85-1This report discusses techniques applicable to the estimation of transit vehicle fleet requirements, vehicle-hours and vehicle-miles, and other related transit supply parameters. These parameters are used for estimating operating costs and certain capital costs such as rolling stock, which in turn are critical factors in evaluating public transportation investment proposals. General considerations in estimating supply parameters are discussed first. These include the relationship of supply parameter estimation to the overall project development process, typical data requirements for system planning and project planning, the assessment of operational feasibility, and the sensitivity of the supply parameter estimates to input assumptions and procedures. The use of empirical data to assess the reasonableness of these estimates is emphasized, and selected empirical data are provided throughout the text and in appendices. Other chapters deal in somewhat greater detail with the following aspects of supply parameter estimation: the definition and description of alternatives; the estimation of transit vehicle and line capacities; the preparation of ridership forecasts and the analysis of the compatibility among these forecasts and the underlying capacity and level of service assumptions; the estimation of fleet requirements and service parameters; and the estimation of the numbers of employees required to operate proposed transit services.138