Bus Rapid Transit: A Handbook for Partners, MTI Report 06-02

In April 2005, the Caltrans Division of Research and Innovation (DRI) asked MTI to assist with the research for and publication of a guidebook for use by Caltrans employees who work with local transit agencies and jurisdictions in planning, designing, and operating Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems that involve state facilities. The guidebook was also to assist to transit operators, local governments, community residents, and other stakeholders dealing with the development of BRT systems. Several areas in the state have experienced such projects ( San Diego , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Alameda County ) and DRI wished to use that experience to guide future efforts and identify needed changes in statutes, policies, and other state concerns. Caltrans convened a Task Team from the Divisions of Research and Innovation, Mass Transportation, and Operations, together with stakeholders representing many of those involved with the BRT activities around the state. Prior to MTI’s involvement, this group produced a white paper on the topic, a series of questions, and an outline of the guidebook that MTI was to write. The MTI team conducted case studies of the major efforts in California, along with less developed studies of some of the other BRT programs under development or in early implementation phases around the state. The purpose was to clarify those issues that need to be addressed in the guidebook, as well as to compile information that would identify items needing legislative or regulatory action and items that Caltrans will need to address through district directives or other internal measures. A literature scan was used to develop a bibliography for future reference. The MTI team also developed a draft Caltrans director’s policy document, which provides the basis for Caltrans’ actions. This ultimately developed to be a project within a project. MTI submitted a draft document to Caltrans as a final product from the Institute. Task team members and Caltrans staff and leadership provided extensive review of the draft Bus Rapid Transit: A Handbook for Partners. Caltrans adopted a new Director’s Policy and published the document, BRT Caltrans. The MTI “wraparound” report presented below discusses in more detail the process that was followed to produce the draft report. The process was in many ways as much a project as the report itself

Transit Planning for the 21st Century

Since World War II, there has been increased reliance on personal automobiles and a downward trend in transit use per capita. This article argues that today\u27s transit planners need to think of themselves as a subset of community planning, with the ultimate goal being the development and sustainability of quality communities where people can live, work and play. This linkage also promotes an emphasis on person movement rather than vehicle movement. Seven emerging or future issues and challenges are discussed that will increasingly frame the job descriptions of transit planning professionals. These issues include: community planning; multimodal and multiagency regional collaboration; enhancing person capacity; real-time communications; linking long-range, near-term and capital improvement programs and plans; interconnecting systems of services; and managing assets through performance monitoring. To meet the needs of an increasingly complex urban situation, transit planners need a broad set of skills, including a background in financial analysis, strong communication skills, and collaboration and negotiation skills

Off-board fare payment using proof-of-payment verification

The objective of this synthesis was to document the state of the practice in terms of experiences related to the application of proof-of-payment (PoP) on transit systems in North America and internationally, updating the information provided in the 2002 TCRP Report 80: A Toolkit for Self-Service, Barrier-Free Fare Collection. The subject is more complex than evasion rates. It involves related subjects such as inspection rates, enforcement techniques, duties of fare inspection personnel, adjudication processes, and the kinds of penalties involved for evasion. In addition, there is the need for acquiring capital equipment and, perhaps, handheld verification devices if smartcards are used. PoP fare collection has evolved to where it can be found on bus rapid transit, regular bus service, heavy rail transit, streetcars, passenger ferries, and commuter rail. A literature review, organized into five issue groupings related to PoP fare collection, is provided, as well as the results of a selected, on-line survey of transit agencies in the United States and Canada that yielded a 100% response rate (33 of 33 responses). Seven case studies offer detailed reviews of transit agency PoP fare collection experiences in Buffalo and New York City, New York; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Phoenix, Arizona. Six areas deserving future study are identified as well