Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Reports on Transit Capacity and Quality of Service: First-Year Evaluation

Abstract

As an application of the transit quality-of-service framework presented in the first edition of the Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM), the Florida Department of Transportation required all metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the state where fixed-route transit service operates to analyze those services on the basis of the six measures identified in the TCQSM: service frequency, hours of service, service coverage, passenger loading, reliability (on-time performance and headway adherence), and transit versus automobile travel time. A first-year evaluation compiles the analyses provided by the participating MPOs and provides an assessment of the aggregate performance of the transit systems. A larger part of the study focused on the examination of the actual process used by the MPOs and transit systems to evaluate their services. Changes recommended to improve and refine the process for future years are presented, based on the first-time experiences of the MPOs. This evaluation serves as a model for other areas in the country interested in applying the customer-oriented assessment of transit based on the TCQSM.