Rural Transit Research Articles

Kebutuhan Peningkatan Kualitas Layanan Angkutan Umum Perdesaan Studi Kasus Trayek 061 Cilimus-Mandirancan Kabupaten Kuningan Jawa Barat

Trend of public transport service in rural area is decreasing in terms of the number of operational route and the performance. However, there are people who cannot access private vehicles and depend on rural transport services including the elderly, people with disabilities, women, and students. The existence of this rural transportation indirectly improves the quality of life of the community by providing easier access to better economic, health and educational facilities than in the areas where they live. Responding to these conditions, the aim of this study is to analyze rural transit service needs to accommodate passengers trip. Case study of this research is rural public transport on route 061 Cilimus-Mandirancan in Kuningan Regency. This study used quantitative method with descrptive and comparative analysis. The result show that public transport needs improvement in such performance parameter like route, schedule, load factor, waiting time, baggage space, vehicle operating cost, and institutional. Improving the quality and innovation of rural public transport services can be realized if there is intervention from the government and other related parties in the management and operational costs of rural public transport vehicles.

Measuring Benefits of Rural and Small Urban Transit in Greater Minnesota

The objective of this research was to measure the benefits of rural and small urban transit services in Minnesota. The study accomplished this by first identifying, describing, and classifying the potential benefits of transit. Second, a method was developed to measure these benefits. Where possible, benefits were quantified in dollar values. Other benefits that could not be quantified in monetary terms were either quantified in another way or described qualitatively. The study included an analysis of societal benefits and economic impacts within local communities. Third, the developed method was applied to a series of six case studies across Greater Minnesota. Data were collected through onboard rider surveys for each of the six transit agencies. Total benefits and benefit-cost ratios were estimated for the six transit agencies—all showed benefits that exceeded costs—and results were generalized to Greater Minnesota. Economic impacts were also estimated showing the effect on jobs, labor income, and value added. This research provides information to assess the benefits of public spending on transit, which gives decision makers the data needed to inform investment decisions.

Rural Transportation Conference Participants’ Opinions and Concerns Pertaining to Transit for Older Adults

Mobility remains a vital part of the well-being of rural-living, older adults and transportation disadvantaged persons. This study seeks to identify research and policy needs related to rural transit for older people and the transportation disadvantaged. To obtain this goal, the multidisciplinary study team conducted two activities as part of a 2016 rural transportation conference: a survey of conference attendees and open discussion to elicit additional information. Results suggest the attendees felt the need for rural transit for older adults would continue to increase with public and private funding being critical issues. Respondents had similar opinions about challenges and opportunities across socioeconomic characteristics including age, gender, political leaning, rurality, and organizational function. This suggests an opportunity to mobilize support for public transportation.

Application Tool for Two-Variable Cost Allocation for Small Urban, Rural, and Tribal Transit Agencies

The paper presents the development and methodology of application tools for use in transit agency cost allocation. Researchers worked with the National Rural Transit Assistance Program to develop the Two-Variable Cost Allocation Calculator applications as a resource for small transit agencies. Reports and guidance on cost allocation were reviewed to identify key considerations for application design, was also informed by previous experience with transit agencies for examples of cost and data considerations with respect to agency size, travel mode, and type of service. The applications use a two-variable methodology of vehicle hours and miles to allocate variable costs for each service, then allocate fixed costs according to the proportions of variable costs. The applications also provide a process to sub-allocate costs for shared-ride demand responsive services using passenger hours and miles data. A common set of data requirements needed to run the applications into groups of service, financial, and operational data was developed. The applications use standard definitions of data elements from the National Transit Database and Federal Transit Administration to streamline the data needed in the application with existing reporting requirements. The applications are designed for ease of use by small transit agencies with limited staff and different levels of training in data collection or financial management. The applications allow small transit agencies to specify aspects of service information to be used in cost allocation while relying on the applications to sort expenses into appropriate cost function categories, calculate costs by service type, and generate summary reports and performance metrics.

Tales of the vulnerability of African black women in transit spaces

This visual project uses original surrealist collage-making as a critical architectural tactic to capture and expose the vulnerability of black female bodies in spaces of urban–rural transit. The surrealist images act as an allegorical tool to comment critique and question the very ‘real’ experiences and vulnerabilities black African women face as they transit between urban and rural landscapes today. My images move beyond the limited methods provided by traditional architectural knowledge to explore alternative spatial imaginaries of everyday issues of vulnerability and safety and to reveal some of the nuanced gendered dynamics black women experience in transit spaces. By drawing attention to how women linger and navigate through such spaces, my work seeks to provoke questions regarding the potential for more progressive and imaginative urban futures in the way urban transit and public space is designed.

An Analysis of Success Plans and Performance Measures for Rural Transit Systems in North Carolina

Performance measurement and funding allocation based on these measurements are becoming increasingly popular in public transportation. Understanding what is important to transit systems is critical to properly assess them on their operational and administrative performance. The research goals were to determine how rural transit systems in North Carolina define success, what performance metrics the systems select for themselves, and why they selected those metrics. Each transit system was required by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to create a Success Plan for themselves that consisted of a mission statement, vision statement, values, and a scorecard that contained performance metrics. The analysis of these Success Plans shows that rural transit systems broadly define their values based on customer service, safety, and reliability. However, aside from safety, the specific metrics that the systems use for evaluating their performance are not well connected to these values. This lack of internal consistency within the Success Plans means that rural transit systems are not selecting performance metrics that complement their stated goals. This lack of internal consistency could have many causes and interviews were conducted with public transit administrators in North Carolina to try and understand the causes. From these interviews, it was determined that the lack of internal consistency in the plans could be partially attributed to the following: (1) system administrators were not aware of the importance of internally consistent plans; (2) system administrators had difficulty creating metrics; and (3) system administrators included metrics that they felt the state wanted to see.

Evaluation of Transit Ecodriving in Rural, Suburban, and Urban Environments

Ecodriving (also known as eco-driving) is a widely recognized strategy to reduce transit vehicle fuel consumption and emissions. Previous simulation modeling and field studies have demonstrated that ecodriving can reduce fuel consumption by 2%–27%. However, prior studies have typically focused on urban transit operations. More than 1700 transit agencies operate in rural areas within the United States, operating under very different conditions than urban transit systems. Assessing the variability of fuel savings across various transit operating conditions and physical terrain conditions will help transit agencies predict the potential benefits of deploying ecodriving strategies for their systems. The objective of this study is to assess the potential benefits and limitations of deploying ecodriving strategies for different transit services, service areas, fleet composition, and road topographies. There are three preliminary tasks involved in this study. The first element collects and processes the operation data across different transit services. Second-by-second operation data are collected from one urban, suburban, and rural transit agency. The second element evaluates the operation characteristics of each type of transit service. The third element assesses the potential benefits of introducing the transit ecodriving strategy to the operations of these fleets. The fuel consumption is evaluated by matching the second-by-second MOVES model operating mode bin with corresponding emission rates. Overall, the ecodriving strategy can help reduce 1%–5% fuel use across these agencies, and save $ 0.011–$ 0.045 operational cost per mile due to the fuel saving. The actual benefits vary by service, mileage, and road grade impact.

The cost structure of transit in small urban and rural U.S. communities

The cost structure of transit agencies that provide service to small urban and rural communities in the United States is estimated, the justification for government support of these agencies on the basis of natural monopoly evaluated, and the cost implications of combining transit agencies investigated. Increasing returns to density are found at all levels of output suggesting that marginal cost pricing will not recover full costs, and that government intervention is justified. Increasing returns to size are also found suggesting that expanding transit service areas is beneficial. Economies of scope between demand-response service and fixed-route service are found for average-size agencies suggesting benefits to combining these services for mid-size organizations. In order to examine the cost implications of combining transit agencies, we investigate the necessary and sufficient condition for natural monopoly – cost subadditivity. Rural transit is found to be a natural monopoly when service to a fixed service area is considered, suggesting that combining transit agencies that have duplicative service areas is likely to be beneficial – particularly when such transit agencies provide one type of service. On the other hand, there is little evidence of rural transit being a natural monopoly when the alternative to single provision of transit service is two systems with smaller service areas. This suggests that combining transit agencies with smaller service areas into larger regional systems may not be beneficial. We also find that rural transit agencies have excess capacity, suggesting that federal guidelines regarding vehicle purchase should be reviewed.

Empirical insights on improving bus reliability at a rural transit system

Using a comprehensive data set, we investigate the impact of drivers, vehicles, trips, months, and days of the work week on deviation of actual run time from scheduled run time. Our results provide insights into what makes a bus service more reliable by analyzing the year-long data set from Butler Transit Authority, Pennsylvania, which is a rural system. The multiple regression methodology we employ reduces omitted variables bias so that each included explanatory variable’s coefficient estimate is relatively free from bias compared to more simplistic econometric methods such as correlation or bivariate regression. We find that problem drivers, lunch hour and afternoon peak times, November, and Fridays, are the variables that reduce bus reliability the most. Our study speaks to the critical need for information-intensive design and delivery of reliable bus service. Analyses of such databases help the public, in general, and the transit authorities, in particular, in providing efficient and effective bus service systems.

Empirical Insights on Improving Bus Reliability at a Rural Transit System

We aim to provide insights into what makes bus service more reliable by analyzing a detailed data set from Butler, Pennsylvania. We employ multiple regression methodology to reduce omitted variables bias. Our dependent variable is run time deviation from schedule and our explanatory variables are drivers, vehicles, trips, months, and days of the work week. We find that problem drivers, lunch hour and afternoon peak times, November, and Fridays, are the variables that reduce bus reliability the most. Our study speaks to the critical need for information-intensive design and delivery of reliable bus service. Analyses of such databases help the public, in general, and the transit authorities, in particular, in providing efficient and effective bus service systems.

Penerapan Aljabar Max-Plus pada Permasalahan Penjadwalan Angkutan Perdesaan di Jombang

The existence of ideal public transportation is still a dream of many cities in Indonesia, including the city of Jombang. The high consumption of Jombang people to motor vehicles, causing traffic jams in the school area. In this research, a directed graph from 3 rural transit routes to get the design of scheduling model using max-plus algebra. From the analysis results to the model obtained the period of departure of rural transport is 10 minutes once, with two initial departure time interval. Arranged departure schedules allow rural transport always at every meeting point during school hours.

Identifying automatic vehicle location (AVL) data completeness issues in a rural transit authority system

We analyzed AVL stop level data from a rural transit system to identify data completeness and systematic data capture failures. Systematic data loss could compromise the validity of further analyses of the data, such as schedule adherence or run time performance. We audited the data to identify missing values and possible data recording errors. The frequency of missing values was analyzed as a function of trip start time, stop number, day of the week, and last reported seconds late. We also perform an outlier and extreme value analysis as a function of missing records per trip. We conclude that there are systematic data capture errors in the system that needs to be addressed before further studies, such as run time analysis can be performed. Given the widespread adoption of an AVL system by rural transit system, it is recommended that detail data completeness analysis becomes routine before using the data generated to perform other studies.

Decision Support Framework for Transit-Oriented Development Projects

Although the use of personal automobiles in the United States continues to grow, there are increasing concerns about the possible effects of automobile-dependent transportation, including environmental concerns, the reduction in the quality of life caused by long commutes, and a decline of community and societal interactions. These concerns have led to discussions on the revitalization of public transportation systems. To counter the problem of congestion resulting from modern urbanization, urban planners have developed the idea of transit-oriented development (TOD), designed to encourage the use of public transit and the creation of pedestrian-friendly environments. The plethora of literature on this subject is no surprise, considering the issues of revitalization of community living and affordable housing and related factors directly influencing and getting influenced by TOD. Notwithstanding the abundance of literature on TOD, the literature review uncovered few studies that somewhat address the important question, “How can a transit agency choose between alternative TOD sites to develop or build?” Given this, the purpose of this research is to develop a decision support framework that can be used by different transit agencies when choosing a TOD site to develop or build by incorporating and assessing unique success factors and their weights. This research uses a multiple-criteria decision-making tool called the analytic hierarchy process in developing that framework. The paper presents two implementation examples that demonstrate the feasibility of the developed decision support framework for both a large, urban transit district and a smaller, more rural transit agency.

Use characteristics and demographics of rural transit riders: a case study in Tennessee

ABSTRACTIntercity bus (ICB), deviated fixed route transit (DFRT) and demand responsive transit (DRT) are three major modes of rural public transportation. This paper focuses on the characteristics and motivations of DFRT and DRT riders, compared to non-riders, in Tennessee. A rural DFRT rider survey, a rural DRT rider survey and a rural (non-rider) resident survey were performed. It is found that DFRT and DRT riders have similar demographics to ICB riders. The most common trip purpose for DFRT and DRT passengers is medical care, which is different from ICB trips. Ninety percent of the riders have difficulty finding alternative transportation modes, suggesting they are captive riders, not choice riders. Regression results indicate that people choosing transit modes tend to have lower personal and household income, own fewer cars, to not be homeowners, and be of non-white race. Rural residents who receive more education are more likely to be open-minded to use rural transit.

Method for Estimating Statewide Transit Needs and Investment Priorities for Rural and Small Urban Areas

This study demonstrated a method for identifying statewide transit needs and gaps, prioritizing investment needs for statewide transit planning, collecting better data for the demand-response transit level of service, estimating costs of needed improvements, and projecting service needs based on projected population growth. The method was applied to the state of North Dakota and is transferable to any state, especially those with a large number of rural demand-response transit agencies that are not located within metropolitan planning areas. Currently, data in the National Transit Database are insufficient for analyzing the level of service for rural transit agencies because the database lacks information on geographic service area and span of service. A survey conducted for this study filled this data need by collecting detailed information regarding each agency’s service area and the number of days and hours of service being provided. These data combined with population and demographic data are useful for identifying gaps in transit service and prioritizing needed service improvements. The study also calculated per capita trips, vehicle miles, and vehicle hours provided in regions across the state. These performance measures were compared with benchmark values to identify areas in which the transit system may not be meeting the needs of the service area population, with the understanding that needs are not identical in all areas. The study estimated necessary increases in service and funding to meet target levels in different scenarios. Population projections were also considered for estimating needed increases in service and funding.

Integrated Analysis System for Rural National Transit Database

Performance data are needed in transit performance analysis to help to identify and to prioritize problem areas for management actions. In the United States, the most comprehensive source of transit performance data has been the National Transit Database (NTD). First collected in 1978 for urban transit systems, the NTD has included data on transit organization characteristics, vehicle fleet characteristics, revenues and subsidies, operating and maintenance costs, vehicle fleet reliability and inventory, services consumed and supplied, and safety and security. In 2006, FTA expanded the NTD program to require reporting by rural transit agencies. The NTD data for rural systems for 2007 through 2013 have since been released. Because NTD data are collected and distributed annually, they are stored in separate files of varying formats, making them difficult to access for performance analysis, especially when multiple years of data are needed. This paper describes a web-based system designed to overcome this limitation. The system integrates the rural NTD data from 2007 to 2013 and provides user-friendly tools to facilitate data access and performance analysis.

Efficiency and Effectiveness of Rural Bus Transit, and Rural Transit Management System

本研究は，アメリカの地方バス交通のパフォーマンスと，事業の管轄機構及び管轄地域の特色との関係を分析した．パフォーマンスは経営効率性・サービスの有効性の二つの側面についてネットワーク包絡分析法を用いて評価している．システム全体の効率性は非常に低く，その原因は経営効率性とサービスの有効性が負の相関を持ち，両者を同時に高めている事業者がないことにある．しかしながら，経営効率性とサービス有効性の両方を同時に高めうる適正な事業規模が存在することが確認された．事業者の特性ごとに比較すると，公営事業者及び小規模エリアを管轄している事業者では，民営及び大規模エリアを管轄している事業者に比して経営効率性は悪いがサービスの有効性が高い．それは提供されている事業規模の大きさにかかわらないため，組織のインセンティブ構造もしくは組織の情報収集能力・経営能力に依存するものであると考えられる．ローカルサービスは都市間を結ぶサービスに比べて有効性が高く，ローカルサービスの中では観光需要のある地域の事業で特に有効性が高い．本研究の結果，事業の特性を勘案して事業評価を行う必要があることが示された．

Improving Veterans’ Mobility in Small Urban and Rural Areas

The need for veterans’ transportation is growing rapidly because of the increasing number of older veterans as well as the many injured servicemen and -women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Thirty percent of veterans live in rural areas that often present transportation challenges. Many veterans in rural areas must travel extremely long distances to receive medical care, and veterans living in rural areas are reported to be in poorer health than veterans living in urban areas. The objective of this study was to identify veterans with mobility needs living in rural Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota and to quantify the cost of feasible transportation options for meeting veterans’ mobility needs. This study included a survey of veterans and a simulation of their health care transportation costs. Online and paper surveys were distributed to veterans throughout Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota. More than 80% of respondents classified themselves as disabled with nearly three-fourths of these indicating that their veteran disability rating was greater than 30%. The most common disability reported by survey respondents was having a mobility impairment, followed by hearing impairment and mental health issues. When a coordination effort between U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care centers and rural public transit agencies was simulated with @Risk risk analysis software, results varied by state and region because of varying operating costs and fare recovery rates. Overall, most simulations indicated that a coordination effort between VA health care centers and rural public transit agencies would be feasible if estimated ridership levels could be attained.

Cost–Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit in the United States

The true value of transit systems in rural and small urban areas in the United States has been largely unmeasured, and there are often effects that go unidentified. Many studies have documented the benefits of urban transit systems with benefit–cost analysis. However, not many have looked into the benefits of transit in rural and small urban areas, where there is a great need for public transit, especially for transportation-disadvantaged individuals. This study focused on evaluating the qualitative and quantitative benefits of rural and small urban public transit systems and analyzed the benefit–cost ratio for rural and small urban transit areas for fixed-route and demand-response services in the United States. Data for rural and small urban transit systems from the national transit database (NTD) and rural NTD were used for calibrating the transit benefits and costs. Results were presented at a national level to show the effects of transit investments in rural and small urban areas nationally. Transit benefits in the United States for 2011 were found to be $1.6 billion for rural transit and $3.7 billion for small urban transit, not including the economic effects. Results showed a benefit–cost ratio of 2.16 for small urban transit and 1.20 for rural transit in the United States. Sensitivity analysis showed that increasing the percentage of forgone trips to 50%, increasing the cost of forgone medical and work trips by 25%, and increasing the percentage of medical trips to 30% substantially increased the total transit benefits by 88%, 20%, and 158%, respectively.

Survey Results for Rural Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) VelociRFTA and Future Human Factor Considerations

With the uncertainty of light rail for public transportation in the USA, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a growing trend. The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) has been in operation since 1983, and functions as a Regional Transportation Authority. RFTA is the second largest public transit system in Colorado, after Denver Rapid Transit Delivery (RTD). RFTA is also the largest rural public transit system the United States of America (USA) and BRT VelociRFTA is the first Rural Bus Rapid Transit system in the USA. Results are positive for rider satisfaction and bus and bus station safety and comfort from a recent customer survey of RFTA’s VelociRFTA Bus Rapid Transit Program service and amenities. Ridership is up 22% for RFTA overall from 2013 with the introduction of the VelociRFTA BRT in the fall of 2013. Survey results will assist in training, productivity, well-being and sustainability for the existing and future RFTA programs. HFE recommendations for an updated dispatch control room are scheduled for fall of 2014.