PRIVATE CARRIERS AND URBAN TRANSPORTATION

This paper considers the current role of private carriers, discusses the issues facing private carriers, and makes recommendations with regard to research in this area. Variations in the kind of service provided by private carriers turn largely on the degree of privacy desired by the passenger first hiring the vehicle, the capacity of the vehicle, and the control over the points of origin and destination of the trip and the route travelled. The spectrum of vehicles employed are listed, and the characteristics of prospective passengers are briefly described. The financial potential of demand-responsive transportation is considered and the regulation of such transportation is discussed. Many improvements in practice would have been implemented if they were not inhibited by local regulations, some of which may also inhibit the development of paratransit. The industry is faced with cost increases that result from legislative acts that go beyond the ability of the industry to recoup by greater fares. This creates financial problems that must be met by subsidy. Relation between operators and the federal government is discussed. A major area of research is in the area of implications and problems underlying the exposure of all public carriers to liability arising from the operation of the various vehicles employed in paratransit.