Public Transit Ridership and Car-Oriented Cities: The Case of the Dallas Region

Ahmed Daqrouq,Ardeshir Anjomani

doi:10.3390/economies7030086

Abstract

U.S. cities have invested large amounts of sums on public transit and urban rail in the last few decades, but the transit usage in most of these car-oriented cities is very low, and previous efforts to increase ridership have been mostly fruitless. This research examines the factors affecting transit ridership in a large car-oriented metropolitan setting and uses the Dallas region in the United States as a case for the study to identify factors that could help in increasing ridership. Most previous studies of transit ridership have not included many of the variables thought to influence transit ridership. Therefore, the disparities among the findings of empirical research completed to date point to the necessity for further study. This study addresses these shortcomings by exploring multiple factors, measuring population, technology, geography, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Highlights

Transit ridership is at the heart of transportation policy-making and the success of any transit system
Area Rapid Transit (DART), and how transit ridership can be increased to determine if policy and/or actions can be taken to improve ridership in the study area
Results of the model were in accordance with the hypothesis; the statistical analysis found that several of the variables, as well as information systems (ITIS), have a significant impact on transit ridership

Summary

Introduction

Transit ridership is at the heart of transportation policy-making and the success of any transit system. The energy component of transportation is becoming more apparent. America greatly depends on large amounts of cheap energy to keep its economy growing. The price of energy, especially fossil fuels, has been rising in recent years, and the price will likely continue to rise. This rise in energy price will mean that North America must adapt, as energy gets more expensive and scarcer. One of the areas of adaptations needs to be made in transportation, as transportation consumes large quantities of energy. Recent studies estimate that a large percentage of air pollutants is generated by the transportation sector.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion