This study investigates the structure of urban transportation systems, the bases of commuter mode selection, and the effects of alternate transportation system management policies. The study was based on the hypothesis that changes in transportation system management policies are possible which will significantly increase the demand for public transportation in urban areas.

The University of Central Florida, with an enrollment of approximately 16,000 students, is being faced with parking, traffic and transportation problems. The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a commuter campus, with over 90% of the students arriving by automobile. Parking spaces cost over $800/space, and funding to build new spaces is scarce. Existing lots on the perimeter of the UCF campus offer a potential advantage to park and ride services or a shuttle serve around UCF. Research conducted for this paper evaluated the usage of a shuttle bus system around the UCF campus. The primary purpose of the shuttle is to move people around the campus, similar to the shuttle used by Disney. This is benefit primarily to the users, but it is also an asset to the whole campus, especially since it increased the general mobility of the University population and its accessibility to various locations and activities. The size of a shuttle travel area around the campus, routes that would serve all major areas of the campus and cost of the shuttle bus are the major points evaluated in the research report. The methodology included in this study references the Urban Transportation Planning Process (UTPP), which consists of four sub-models: (1) trip generation, (2) trip distribution, (3) modal split and (4) traffic assignment.

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts

The Atlanta region will soon be faced with a choice as to how it will go about planning for and implementing its next regional fare collection system that will replace the current BREEZE system. In 2006, MARTA became the first transit agency in the United States to implement an all contactless smartcard for use on its services. However, there have been many advances in new technologies and the consumer payment preferences have evolved since the initial implementation. These developments, coupled with the rapid consumer adoption of smartphones and changing attitudes within the financial payments industry towards transit properties, have recently led four major transit agencies within North America to implement new fare collection systems based on open payments, the development of mobile ticketing applications, or a combination. This research uses a case study methodology to answer several questions related to the planning and implementation of regional fare collection systems in Chicago (CTA), Dallas (DART), Philadelphia (SEPTA) and Toronto (TTC). Based on the experience of the case study agencies, the implementation of Atlanta's next fare collection system is sure to be a long and arduous process. However, by utilizing the lessons learned from DART, CTA, SEPTA and TTC, MARTA and the other regional operators (Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett County Transit and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority) will be better poised to provide their patrons with additional means of paying fares while, at the same, minimizing the disruption to the existing fare collection system during the transition period.

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1971. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 414-428).

This dissertation contends that the decision of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission to introduce a grid of frequent, all-day bus service on arterial roads in newly built, low-density suburban neighbourhoods is responsible for Toronto’s unique ability to attract suburbanites to transit. Toronto’s approach is in stark contrast with the that followed in most North American urban regions, where auto-oriented suburban built form is considered to make transit unviable, and therefore transit service outside the urban core is typically very limited. The Ontario government’s establishment of metropolitan government in the Toronto region in 1953, at a time when transit remained a popular mode of transportation, encouraged and empowered suburban politicians to pressure the TTC to expand service to their constituencies. In response, the TTC developed a plan for suburban bus service that succeeded, in terms of ridership and financial performance, far beyond its expectations. This success, in turn, encouraged further service improvements and government support for transit, producing a virtuous spiral of service increases, ridership gains, and government funding increases, which stood in sharp contrast with the vicious spiral of ridership declines, service cuts, and fare hikes that plagued transit systems in most North American cities. This dissertation is the product of archival research in Canada and the United States, as well as a series of interviews with policymakers, planners, and activists who were engaged during the period. The Toronto model offers valuable lessons for transportation planning across North America. It demonstrates that it is possible to achieve high transit mode share, even in areas that are not designed as explicitly transit-oriented communities. This means that it is possible to shift trips away from the automobile without needing to entirely rebuild the suburban neighbourhoods where most North Americans reside, an unachievable goal on the timeline required to avert catastrophic climate change. It also demonstrates that the benefits of large capital investments in rapid transit and rail projects will only be maximized when paired with operating funding to ensure that the new infrastructure is embedded in a broader network of frequent local transit service.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1979. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 231-237. / by Mark David Abkowitz. / Ph.D.

This thesis describes the work done on the first phase of the implementation of an Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) system at the Roanoke Valley-Metro transit property. The primary objective of the first phase of this project was to create a software program to decode, edit, analyze and store the data from the APC. The second phase of the project will make reports by aggregating data from the work done in the first phase. The basis for efficient management of operations in transit properties is having accurate and reliable information on transit ridership, fare revenue, and schedule adherence for individual routes and for the transit system as a whole. Data from passenger counts are used to identify peak load points and quantify service demands. Fare revenue data are needed to analyze the systems productivity, and the time checks are essential to monitor and control the scheduling activities. The actual data collection efforts at Valley-Metro have proven to be obsolete, unreliable and very expensive. The new APC system offers the management at Valley-Metro with a new and powerful tool that will enhance their capability to make better decisions when allocating the service needs. / M.S.

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management