Title: DOES THIS BUS GO TO THE FUTURE? SOME THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF URBAN PUBLIC TRANSIT
Abstract: The author argues that the transit industry should diversify and give up control of much of the existing public transportation service. He points out that bigness in transit has no scale economy. He says that greater emphasis should be placed on cost-effectiveness management controls and cites an example of using statistics such as cost per passenger, rather than cost per vehicle mile, as indicators of cost effectiveness in transit. He points out that the private sector has done relatively well in a number of specialized areas including taxis, the charter business, school bus business, elderly and handicapped services, vanpools and carpool assistance. He argues that we should seek controlled competition between the public and the private sectors. He also believe that industry needs to be tough on labor issues affecting the long-term efficiency of transit, even allowing strikes if necessary, in order to tie benefits and wages to productivity. Finally, he argues in favor or shifting federal programs towards block grants, to encourage proper incentives for improved performance at the local level.
Publication Year: 1983
Publication Date: 1983-12-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 1
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot