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 ...

Bus rapid transit (BRT) and BRT light continue to interest transit agencies in the United States, and these agencies continue to struggle with many facets that go into the implementation of BRT operations, infrastructure, and services. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 164: Bus Rapid Transit: Current State of Practice documents the current practices and lessons learned about U.S. and Canadian transit systems that use BRT components to improve the reliability of bus service, bu...

In recent years, many transit systems have been considering the benefits and challenges of moving to completely cashless fare payments and trying to find innovative solutions to help all their customers. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 163: Considering the Unbanked in Cashless Fare Payment at Point of Service for Bus/Demand-Response Services is designed to help inform transit systems of the impacts of going cashless. Several emerging trends are identified, including that tra...

The nexus of transit with affordable housing, in some ways, is fundamental to transit’s very existence. Public transit provides a lower-cost mobility option for those who cannot or do not have a personal automobile to access regional destinations, including jobs, schools, and essential services. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 162: Coordination of Public Transit Services and Investments with Affordable Housing Policies looks at the current body of published works focused on ...