Economic Evaluation of Transit Bus Design Standards (SWUTC/01/167407-1)

The research in this report investigates the perceptions of ITS standards for the public transit industry. The public transit industry has a rather colorful past in standardization, and this experience is reviewed with an eye toward lessons that might be applied to transit ITS standards today. Particular examples of standardization include the PCC car from the 1930's, the Transbus program of the 1970's, and the subsequent White Book. To complement this historical review, a survey of transit agencies regarding recent transit standards was conducted. In particular, transit agency experience with the J1708/J1587 standard for on-board electronics, and with the recent Standard Bus Procurement Guidelines, was investigated. Both the historical review and the survey results suggest that there are some primary factors that affect whether transit design standards are successful; i.e., whether they improve technical compatibility and reduce costs. Based on these factors, recommendations for the current transit ITS standards efforts are suggested.