Analyzing the effects of transit network change on agency performance and riders in a decentralized, small-to-mid-sized US metropolitan area : a case study of Tallahassee, Florida.

Details

• Creators:
  Brown, Jeffrey ; Batuhan, Tuna ; Bhattacharya, Torsha ; Jaroszynski, Michal
• Corporate Creators:
  San Jose State University. College of Business ; Mineta Transportation Institute
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Public transit
  • Bus transit
  • Ridership
  • Restructuring
  • Bus routes
  • Performance measurement
  • Surveys
  • Quality of service
• Publication/ Report Number:
  CA-MTI-12-1102
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Florida
• Corporate Publisher:
  California. Department of Transportation ; United States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration
• Abstract:
  On July 11, 2011, StarMetro, the local public transit agency in Tallahassee, Florida, restructured its entire bus network from a ; downtown-focused radial system to a decentralized, grid-like system that local officials and agency leaders believed would better ; serve the dispersed local pattern of population and employment. The new, decentralized network is based on radial routes serving ; the major arterial roads and new crosstown routes linking the outer parts of the city, where population and employment is growing. ; Local officials and agency staff hoped the change would increase transit’s attractiveness and usefulness to the community. ; One year after the service restructuring, overall performance results are similar to those experienced in other cities that have ; implemented major service changes. Overall ridership and productivity are lower than before the service restructuring, due to ; the short time frame for rider adjustments and longer-than-anticipated headways, but new ridership has appeared in previously ; un-served or under-served corridors and neighborhoods. The service restructuring resulted in longer walks to bus stops, due to ; the removal of stops from many neighborhoods and their relocation to major roads, but overall transit travel times are shorter ; due to more direct routing. No particular neighborhoods or community groups disproportionately benefited from or were harmed ; by the change. ; The service restructuring was supported by some segments of the community who viewed the older system as ill-suited to ; the increasingly decentralized community, while it was opposed by other community stakeholders who worried about the loss ; of service in some neighborhoods and issues of access and safety, particularly affecting elderly and disabled riders, at new ; stop locations. StarMetro’s extensive public outreach efforts and ongoing service adjustments have reduced the intensity of the ; opposition to the service restructuring over time, although some segments of the community continue to voice their concerns ; about the effects of the change on transit-dependent, disabled, and elderly riders.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  DTRT12-G-UTC21
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/23310/dot_23310_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 6.86 MB]
• Collection(s):
  University Transportation Centers ; US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d6e09e28f69ab35eb55b3a8c7995845193c2c754a36365b586ba9bc82a7aa6011ca8660f3dce47705c2f3a4f24245533d864f248606653ad643f8baf298702e0