Provide Measurable Criteria to Evaluate Service Objectively

  • The purpose of service standards is to ensure that the service meets customers’ needs, and that service is provided in a cost-efficient manner
  • The quality of a transit system may be affected by:
    • Reliability
    • Affordability
    • Accessibility
    • Safety
  • It considers a number of data elements from different sources such as:
    • Transit network
    • Transit routes
    • Stations and stops
    • Transfers
    • Operating costs
    • Revenue sources
    • Ridership

  • Transit quality of service is measured by two important factors:
    • Degree to which transit service is available at given locations
    • Comfort and convenience of the service provided to transit users

  • Transit agencies must always consider community input by conducting surveys before implementing any project/modifying the transit service
  • The goals and objectives of the transit agency must be supported by the community
  • It’s highly recommended to conduct customer surveys to obtain community feedback and understand the issues that are important to them

Strategic and Business Plans

  • A strategic plan for an organization is a process of defining its progressive growth
    • Helps prioritize and guide the organization’s efforts by allocating resources in areas that are needed to achieve the final goal
    • Developing strategies for potential issues based on past experiences
    • Monitor day-to-day impacts on the business and provides ideas for improvement
    • Recognized approach to making important decisions
    • Better resource allocation, encourages team building, and is likely to be accepted by everybody

Impacts of Budget and Funding on the Transit Planning Process

  • The transit service planner must often adjust the amount of service on the street due to budgetary and economic conditions
  • Budget cuts are usually the driving force behind major service reductions
  • Transit funding categories:
    • Capital and operating funding
    • Farebox revenues
    • Farebox recovery ratio
    • Transit subsidies
    • Federal transit support
    • State transit support
    • Local transit support

External Forces Affecting Planning

  • External forces may include:
    • Competition
    • Social, legal, and technological changes
    • Economic and politicla influences
  • Many of these external changes may be completely outside the control of the agency, such as new legislation
  • Examples:
    • Gasoline prices
    • Road construction
    • Natural disasters