TRANSIT PLANNING IN SMALL URBAN AREAS

The small-city transit decision-making process is currently being studied under a National Cooperative Transit Research Program (NCTRP 40-1) contract. The study (Simplified Guidelins for Evaluating Transit Options in Small Urban Areas) has identified three areas of performance: efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. In the area of efficiency issues, it is noted that attention is being focused on non-traditional ways of producing transit service: contracting with school bus operators to use equipment designed for lighter duty; cross-training employees to maximize efficiency; and maintaining the transit fleet at a maintenance base that also services other city vehicles. Evidence indicates that the need to make transit service more effective has led to nontraditional ways of providing service. Some of these ways are briefly noted. Managers and transit planners are devoting more attention to such measures in their efforts to make the system more effective. In the area of equity issues, there appears to be an awareness that in small communities, transit must be considered a social service. As such, it should not be subjected to cost-benefit analysis. The NCTRP 40-1 study aims at answering 3 questions: What information do policy makers need to make choices among alternative transit plans? What analytical technique will yield the needed information? What is the best way to communicate information on alternatives to decision makers? The answers to each of these questions are discussed.