A multidimensional methodology for evaluating public transportation services

Abstract

The conceptual and methodological bases of evaluating public transportation services are examined. Multiple measures of transit performance, including efficiency and effectiveness measures, service area characteristics and planning and design criteria, are proposed and tested against data gathered from 56 American transit agencies. The analysis supports a multidimensional conceptualization of performance that looks comprehensively at the entire span of evaluation including the context, process and outcome of the evaluation. The analysis also shows that in addition to achieving efficiency and effectiveness, transit performance could also lead to improvement in data utilization, and agency capabilities and public image. Furthermore, the outcome of performance analysis is more significantly affected by the use of standards and techniques, service area criteria and planning and design criteria, which contributed 85% of the explained variance. Operating criteria which have dominated current data collection efforts contributed 9.2%. It is recommended that service performance evaluation research be redirected toward the development of a multidimensional methodology that incorporates service design and toward the development of a multidimensional methodology that incorporates service design and area factors that influence the productivity and demand for transit.