Free Guidebook for Learning to Manage Operating Costs

May 3, 2013 -

RMC6694imageGuidebook: Managing Operating Costs for Rural and Small Urban Public Transit Systems (RMC 6694)

This guidebook is a resource for rural and small urban transit agency managers to use in better understanding, predicting, and managing operational costs. Doing so can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of public transit in the community served. The guide is a framework for assessing current transit agency operating costs and tools to predict future costs and is presented in three parts.

Part 1 introduces the fundamentals of transit operating costs and discusses what drives them. Using real-world examples, part 2 looks at the impact of component costs on an agency’s bottom line to help managers prioritize where to optimize spending to get the biggest bang for their buck. Part 3 provides practical tools to help managers allocate costs by service type and conduct market analyses to improve services offered consumers.  Get the Report

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Toolkit for Reporting Rural and Specialized Transit Data–Making Transit Count

October 31, 2012 -

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest 373: A Toolkit for Reporting Rural and Specialized Transit Data—Making Transit Count presents the results of an analysis of automated transit data collection and analysis procedures in state department of transportation transit units. Read More

Filed Under: Elderly, Public Information, Rural, Specialized, Transit, TTI, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Commission Adopts Rural Transportation Plan

June 28, 2012 -

AUSTIN — Today, the Texas Transportation Commission adopted the Texas Rural Transportation Plan 2035 (TRTP), putting in place a rural component of the state’s broader long-range planning efforts and providing a blueprint for the development of a safer, more efficient and less congested transportation network between population centers.

This is the first plan the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has prepared that specifically addresses transportation issues in rural areas, noted Commissioner Fred Underwood.    Read More

Filed Under: Public Information, Rural, Transit Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Experts: Public needs to know transportation options for rural elderly

May 11, 2012 -

COLLEGE STATION – The question of when to stop driving is often a concern for older individuals and their families. They may disagree about whether someone can drive safely and if an older person may fear losing independence or become a burden to family and friends, according to researchers.

“Transportation issues can be compounded in rural areas where it can be 25 miles to the nearest grocery store and driving may be the only transportation option,” said Alicia Israel, a graduate student in agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. “Rural residents who do not drive face a higher risk of isolation.”

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Filed Under: Agrilife Extension, Elderly, Rural, Transit, TTI Tagged With: , , , ,

Distance, Dispersion and Poverty Make Difficult Choices for Public Transit

April 30, 2012 -

The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas is located in the very southernmost region of the continental U.S.  This area is composed of three counties with 3,643 square miles which contains a population of over 1.2 million inhabitants.1 This land area is larger in square miles than two states (DE and RI), and has a population larger than eight states (WY, VT, ND, AK, SD, DE, MT, RI). If the distances weren’t enough of a problem for transit providers, there is the dispersion of the population over those 3,600 square miles. Dispersion occurs as a result of small, very poor housing communities called colonias. Read More

Filed Under: Rural, Transit Tagged With: , , , ,

Capital Metro Reveals Favored Service Contractors

April 25, 2012 -

The metropolitan transit authority in Austin, Texas is Capital Metro Transit: Capital Metro’s board is considering a vote to transition to privately operated services for both general public bus and para-transit services. Read More

Filed Under: Public Information, Transit, Urban

Our Changing Rural Areas

April 10, 2012 -

The United States continues to face population increases and changing demographics. This trend is particularly true in Texas, where the population boom of the past 10 years has resulted in a rapid urbanization of rural areas. At the same time, some rural parts of the state have experienced population decreases.

This trend has become a hot topic for transportation planners seeking to find proactive solutions for transit in rural America, the theme of a recent presentation by Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Transit Mobility Program Manager Linda Cherrington. (Read more)

Filed Under: Transit Tagged With: ,