LABOR COSTS AND PRODUCTIVITY FOR THE LINDENWOLD RAPID RAIL LINE AND THE SHIRLEY HIGHWAY RAPID BUS DEMONSTRATION PROJECT: SOME PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

An argument favoring a rail system rather than bus transit is that the rail mode will be less labor intensive. Since labor costs constitute the largest component of transit operating costs, the more capital intensive mode should be more productive and slow the increase of unit labor costs. This idea seems to be borne out by some of the results from the bus service in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and the rapid transit service in the Philadelphia, Pa., suburbs. Authors observe that much remains to be learned about the relative efficiency with which the modes provide passenger transportation service. They point to the need for a refined data base, better definition of transit output, and more exact identification of the capital input.