Building Bus Ridership
Number 7 - rev. April, 2004
Public transportation agencies have been challenged to grow
bus ridership during a period of economic decline, increased unemployment,
and funding constraints. This Resource Guide identifies research
studies, market analyses, and case reports available on the Internet that
describe external influences on ridership and initiatives undertaken by transit
agencies to boost bus ridership levels. The Guide has been prepared
with oversight by the APTA Bus & Paratransit CEO Committee Ridership Task
Group.
Transit Cooperative Research Program Reports
Building Transit Ridership An Exploration of Transit's Market Share and the Public Policies that Influence It.
Charles River Associates, 1997.
Examines through telephone survey and followup case studies agencies pursuing policies such as land use, tax, pricing, investment, etc. that had the potential to impact transit ridership.
Source: TCRP Report 27, Transportation Research Board
Location: http://nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_27.pdf
Transit Markets of the Future.
Sandra Rosenbloom, 1998.
Identifies the effects of demographic, economic, geographic, and societal trends on transit ridership and suggests potential future markets and transit services to address those markets. Includes 20 short case reports from agencies outlining service changes that positively affected productivity.
Source: TCRP Report 28, Transportation Research Board
Location: http://nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_28-a.pdf
Evaluation of Recent Ridership Increases.
Robert Stanley, April 2005.
Summarizes interviews with 28 transit system managers identifying key factors
and initiatives that led to ridership increases at their agencies for the
period 2000 to 2002. The most significant ridership increases are found to
be the result of a combination of initiatives. Categorizes initiatives into
five areas: service adjustments; fare and pricing adaptations; marketing initiatives;
planning orientation; and service coordination/collaboration.
Source: TCRP Research Results Digest 69, Transportation
Research Board
Location: http://trb.org/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rrd_69.pdf
A Handbook: Using Market Segmentation to Increase Transit Ridership.
Rebecca Elmore-Yalch, 1998.
Presents market segmentation techniques that can be used to define differing needs, preferences, and motivations of current and potential transit users. The results of market segmentation analyses at three transit agencies - Boise Urban Stages, Milwaukee County Transit System, and WMATA - are provided.
Source: TCRP Report 36, Transportation Research Board
Location: http://nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_36-a.pdf
The Role of Transit Amenities and Vehicle Characteristics in Building Transit Ridership.
Project for Public Spaces, Inc. 1999.
Identifies the effects of passenger amenities and transit vehicle characteristics on transit ridership. Includes analysis of actual implementation experiences drawn from passenger surveys, focus groups, and discussions with transit users, potential users, and agency staff.
Source: TCRP Report 46, Transportation Research Board
Location: http://nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_46-a.pdf
Guidelines for Enhancing Suburban Mobility Using Public Transportation.
Urbitran Associates, Inc., 1999.
Documents current practices transit operators use
to enhance their bus networks in order to better serve suburban travel needs.
11 case studies illustrate modifications and strategies including transit center-based
networks, local area circulators, express bus service shuttle links, route deviation,
point deviation, and demand-response.
Source: TCRP Report 55, Transportation Research Board
Location: http://nationalacademies.org/trb/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_55-a.pdf
APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference Proceedings Papers
Distributive Cost Pricing: An Effective
Strategy Toward Building Transit Ridership Quickly Among Targeted Markets.
Jamie
Levin.
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District and the University of California adopted
a distributed cost pricing strategy to boost ridership, with the intent of reducing
transit pass cost per student by spreading the cost across the entire student
body through a mandatory student fee program.
Source: APTA 2000 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings
Paper
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/levin.pdf
Increasing Transit Ridership with a Direct Mail Promotion.
Scott Bush
A partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and four transit providers developed a direct mail campaign to increase transit ridership, The promotion was successful in persuading nonriders to trial use and increased the riding behavior of infrequent riders.
Source: APTA 2000 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings Paper
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/docume_newnts/bush.pdf
A Market Based Approach to Service Planning Using Automated Passenger Counters, Market Research and a Geographic Information System.
Gerald Pachucki, Kenneth Anson & Barton Dean
Utah Transit Authority employed market-based service planning to profile customers, gauge route structure performance, and analyze spatial distribution of the transit market. Impacts included increased ridership and improved schedule reliability.
Source: APTA 2001 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings Paper
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/pachucki.pdf
Customer Focused Service Design for a Small Sized Transit System in Eastern Ontario.
Angela Iannuzziello & Dennis Kar
Presents a service review that was geared to accommodate the needs of three specific market segments -students, industrial employees, seniors - as a method of increasing overall transit ridership.
Source: APTA 2001 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings Paper.
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/iannuzziello.pdf
Impacts of an Employer-Based Transit Pass Program: The Go! Pass in Ann Arbor Michigan.
Christopher White, Jonathan Levine & Moira Zellner
Evaluates a universal pass program, part of a cooperative effort by the transit operator, city, and chamber of commerce to encourage use of alternatives to driving alone by people who work downtown.
Source: APTA 2002 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings Paper
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/white.pdf
Farebox Revenue Incentive Program.
James Dickey & Paul Hodgins
Valley Metro in Phoenix, AZ developed a fare revenue incentive program that rewards its private contractor for fixed route bus service with a monetary incentive based on ridership increases for excelling in its service provision.
Source: APTA 2002 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings Paper
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/dickey.pdf
Discrete Market Segments and Pubic-Private Partnerships.
Robert Schneider & Mark Hairr
Knoxville Area Transit, Knoxville, TN, developed partnerships with private businesses to develop high-use bus service for the local minor league sports teams' games, shuttles to athletic events and parking for the nearby university, a system of trolleys linking the university campus and the downtown area, and shuttles serving apartment housing developments.
Source: APTA 2002 Bus & Paratransit Transit Conference Proceedings Paper
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/documents/schneider.pdf
Other Resources
Agencies are encouraged to submit their successful strategies for building
ridership to add to this resource list.
COTA - FedEx Partnership Fact Sheet.
The Central Ohio Transit Authority and Federal Express partnered to meet FedEx employees' needs for transportation to a distribution facility located in a low density semi-rural neighborhood.
Source: contributed by Cheryl Grice, COTA.
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/briefings/grice.cfm
10 Most Improved Transit Systems.
Metro Magazine, May 2003.
Communication improvements such as better road maps, more personal attention to customers, and additional services have been keys to building ridership among 10 agencies profiled in this article.
Location: http://www.metro-magazine.com/t_featpick.cfm?id=90505436
How to Fill Those Empty Seats.
Jana Starcic, Metro Magazine, April 2003.
Faced with service cuts and a lack of choice riders, transit agencies are doing their best to boost ridership numbers through customer education, guide programs, transit centers, and tailoring services to meet riders' needs.
Location: http://www.metro-magazine.com/t_featpick.cfm?id=90505212
Increasing Transit Ridership: Lessons from the Most Successful Transit Systems in the 1990's.
Brian Taylor & Peter Haas, June 2002.
Presents case studies based on interviews with transit officials from 12 agencies that were particularly successful at attracting new riders in the late 1990s. While external factors were found to be the primary determinants of ridership growth, certain program initiatives and policy changes also produced ridership gains.
Source: Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University
Location: http://transweb.sjsu.edu/publications/transitridership2/TransitRidership_7_16.pdf
Statewide Study of Public Transportation to Attract Non-traditional Transit
Riders in California.
Judith Norman, April, 2003.
Gathered data through review of current transit marketing practices, a household
survey of commuter behavior, and focus groups with transit operators and regional
planning agencies. Developed profiles of people likely to increase their use
of public transportation and recommendations on how to achieve a better match
of customer preferences to services operated.
Source: California Department of Transportation
Location:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/Non-Traditional_Ridership.htm
Transit Non-user Survey: Restful Riding Rather than Stressful Driving.
Brenda Thompson, Jennifer Perone, & Kimberlee Gabourel, July 2002.
Addresses reasons for non-use of transit services, contains an analysis of rider survey data gathering methodologies, and makes recommendations for attracting choice non-users to public transit, such as service improvements, addressing safety concerns, providing incentives for using transit, and improving user friendliness of transit systems.
Source: Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida
Location: http://www.nctr.usf.edu/Transit%20Nonuser%20Survey.htm
Impact of the 2001-2002 Economic Slowdown on Public Transportation.
November 2002.
A survey of APTA transit system members in Fall 2002 reveals the ridership and financial impacts of the recent national economic decline and actions taken by the agencies in reponse to this challenge.
Source: American Public Transportation Association
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/econimpactsurvey.cfm
Public Transportation Ridership Statistics.
APTA's Quarterly Ridership Report and links to the Federal Transit Administration's data by transit agencies of unlinked passenger trips and passenger miles by mode are available on the APTA web site.
Source: American Public Transportation Association
Location: http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridershp/
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info@apta.com
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