The Potentials and Problems of Private Sector Transportation Services: Activities in the New York Region

This project explored the problems and potentials of new forms of private urban transportation that have evolved in the Metropolitan New York region in the last 20 years, as well as the problems and potentials of private urban bus service that has existed on a continuous basis parellel to the publicly owned modes. The specific new transport modes investigated were jitney feeders, express and commuter vans, and neighborhood car service operations, which serve as alternatives to standard taxis and other communal modes. One of the most important findings of this study is the extent and pervasive nature of these new travel modes in the New York area. They serve all classes, from affluent white collar workers seeking a more comfortable trip to work to some of the regions lowest paid workers who merely want to get to work on time. Another important finding is that the new locally-generated modes hold the promise of providing a superior service at lower cost than does the public operation in specific corridors, mostly in the least dense portions of the region where the costs of regular bus service are high. Existing private bus lines were found to be only slightly more cost efficient as compared to public operations. It is suggested that significant amounts of money would be saved by the public sector and a better level of service achieved if the operations were authorized along some of the low density routes.