THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN NEW YORK CITY: A POLICY PERSPECTIVE

This report examines the role of the private sector in public transportation in New York City. It offers policy guidelines for utilizing market forces and the private sector to achieve greater mobility, better transportation, improved air quality, reduced congestion, and lower costs. Policies to rebalance responsibilities between the public and private sectors are recommended: (1) Increase productivity by privatizing bus services through competitive contracting, particularly of underutilized routes; (2) Legitimize and fully incorporate the informal private services into the city's transportation network; (3) Allocate the city's limited roadway space more effectively during peak periods in order to utilize fully its carrying capacity; use time-of-day pricing, selective restrictions, and electronic toll-collection; (4) Organize and integrate the fragmented and counterproductive decision-making that characterizes the city's current approach to transportation; institutionalize mobility management.