RICHMOND’S JOURNEY-TO-WORK TRANSIT TRIP-MAKING ANALYSIS

Abstract

This paper uses the 2000 Census Transportation Planning Package data to conduct a journey-to-work transit trip-making analysis for the City of Richmond, Virginia. In spite of its low modal share, transit is critical to the City due to its unique demographics and high transit demand. Findings of statistical analyses suggest that factors impacting transit uses at place-of-residence and place-of-work are different. Nevertheless, they share one thing in common that it is essential to improve transit accessibility to workers, especially the ones whose households are below poverty status. The existing hub-and-spoke bus transit system is being challenged by the City’s suburbanization movement and declining downtown area. To accommodate this trend and unmet transit needs, this paper recommends strengthening the bus transit services in the urban fringe residential areas, rather than exclusively focusing on the suburb-downtown transit improvements.Public transportation, Social factors, Ridership, Urban areas