The increase in the population of older adults who are ambulatory but are eligible to use paratransit has increased the demand for paratransit service delivery. This growth has, in turn, led some transit agencies to move away from standard one-vehicle type fleets in favor of a mixed fleet incorporating smaller accessible vehicles and non-accessible vehicles (generally sedans). TCRP Synthesis 174: Paratransit Fleet Configurations , from TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program, focuses on the different ...

Many operators of passenger public transportation maintain an exclusion or trespass policy that effectively bans violators from using the system for a period of time in conjunction with, or in lieu of, other penalties related to the violation. Exclusion policies vary in scope, qualifiers, purpose, and approach. TCRP Synthesis 173: Transit Exclusion Policies in Public Transportation Systems , from TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program, documents the practice of the use of transportation exclusio...

Over the past several years, a number of state departments of transportation (DOTs) and a few metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have taken on the role of developing statewide/regionwide transit information systems that are intended to collect comprehensive information about the availability of transit services and their attributes. TCRP Synthesis 172: Statewide Approaches to the Development of Comprehensive Transit Information Systems , from TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program, documents ...

Transit agencies can provide fixed-route bus transit services through direct operation, contracting out to a third party, or a combination of both. Contracting out can be done to another transit agency or a private firm, and may include specific modes, routes, or garages. The quality and cost efficiency of outsourced service depend on local, contractual, and managerial factors. TCRP Synthesis 171: Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics , from TRB's Trans...

High-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) is not only about designing bus stops and stations that make access easier and more efficient. It is also about pedestrian and bicyclist accommodations along the bus routes. In some places, BRT systems are safer than other bus services, but this is not always the case. Specific design elements to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety are almost always decided on a case-by-case basis, and transit agencies and partners rely on an array of design guidance to consider whe...

Each transit agency must integrate into its public participation plan the strategies, procedures, and outcomes that will ensure participation of their entire communities, including people of color, people with disabilities, and low-income populations, among others, when dealing with its transportation planning issues. This requirement is established under federal laws and regulations. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 170: Inclusive Public Participation in Transit Decision-Mak...

Continuous dynamic optimization (CDO), as applied to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit services, is an automated process by which a scheduling and dispatching technology continuously or frequently considers additional trips just booked, changes to booked trips, cancellations, and day-of-service events to solve problems or to take advantage of opportunities. In view of those changes, the CDO process then re-optimizes the assignment of trips to achieve the transit agency’s desired balance o...

The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on historically marginalized communities—including Black, Latino, and low-income individuals, as well as older adults, and people with chronic health conditions or disabilities. As transit agencies build toward recovery and rethink or reimagine their operations, they might consider grounding their decision-making in equity principles.       The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 167: Partnerships for Equitable ...

For transit agencies launching new on-demand services that are different from typical fixed route or demand-responsive routes, there can be issues in customer awareness of the service or comfort level with using it for travel. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 165: Customer Education and Awareness of On-Demand Mobility documents current practices in how on-demand services are marketed to various rider groups, including outreach to persons with disabilities, older adults, and m...

New technologies, especially automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems, provide much more real-time information on bus locations than had previously been available. Theoretically, availability of this information can be expected to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of on-street bus operations management. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 166: On-Street Bus Operations Management provides an overview of the current practices in real-time management of street operations at ...