The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) develops near-term, practical solutions to problems facing public transportation. TCRP is managed by the Transportation Research Board, a program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. TCRP is sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration and works in partnership with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

TCRP provides you access to public transportation-related research reports, and products.

Carefully Researched, Real Life Solutions

The mobility, environmental, and energy objectives of a growing population and economy calls for public transportation systems in the United States to expand their services and improve their efficiency. Practical research that yields near-term results can do much to help – by solving operational problems, adopting useful technologies from related industries and, in general, finding ways for the public transportation industry to innovate. TCRP is a key instrument for carrying out such useful research and putting the results in the hands of organizations and individuals that can use them to solve problems.

TCRP brings carefully researched, real life solutions to your technical and operations challenges. The program is driven by the experience, needs, technical, and administrative challenges of practitioners in the public transportation industry. Explore this website to find out the latest new ideas and processes in the transit industry.

The Kinds of Studies TCRP Conducts

Original TCRP study projects and the resulting publications fall into the following categories:

  • Operations
  • Service Configuration
  • Engineering of vehicles and equipment
  • Engineering of fixed facilities
  • Maintenance
  • Human Resources
  • Administration
  • Policy and Planning
  • Special Projects

Program Structure and Oversight

TCRP is a cooperative effort of three organizations: the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); the National Academies, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research organization established by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

TCRP is funded by the public, through the FTA, and is governed by an independent board – the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. The TOPS Committee sets priorities to decide what research studies will be undertaken.

The day-to-day management of the TCRP program is the responsibility of TRB.

To ensure that research has its desired impact, TCRP established a dissemination program, which is managed by APTA. Outreach efforts through the program include distribution and promotion of reports and other products to the transit community and interested parties.

 

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