Automatic Vehicle Location and Paratransit Productivity

In 1995, the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida in Tampa conducted a study designed to test whether automatic vehicle location (AVL) could be used to improve paratransit productivity. The research was based on a case study conducted at a paratransit provider in Miami. The study found that AVL technology could potentially benefit paratransit systems by providing better (and more accurate) information relating to productivity (e.g., measuring on-time performance, vehicle dwell time, passenger ride time) and real-time service monitoring (e.g., monitoring drivers, estimating arrival times, locating addresses, documenting passenger no-shows, and tracking system safety). A checklist for paratransit systems considering the implementation of AVL is included