Homelessness: A Guide for Public Transportation
Report Number: R-242
Publication Date: 09/14/2023
Unemployment, low wages, poverty, and lack of affordable housing are the main drivers of an increasing homeless population throughout the U.S. in recent years. Transit agencies are being impacted by homelessness. While transit agencies cannot address the underlying causes of homelessness, there are opportunities to work with local partners to be a part of helping individuals in need, while providing a safe, reliable, and customer-friendly experience for all riders.
This report presents transit agency experiences and lessons learned as they have built on, newly implemented, or are considering programmatic activities that respond to homelessness.
Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide
Report Number: R-240
Publication Date: 08/22/2023
As of 2020, nearly 50 percent of the bus-operator workforce was over 55. Evidence indicates that many younger job seekers are often not aware of the potential career opportunities and employee benefits that are available at transit agencies.
This report provides recommendations and resources enabling transit agencies to better assess, plan, and implement their operator workforce management programs.
Third-Party Contracts for Fixed-Route Bus Operations and Maintenance: Performance Metrics
Report Number: S-171
Publication Date: 06/05/2023
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.
This report focuses on the performance metrics used in contracts for fixed-route bus operations and maintenance, extending the 2018 findings of TCRP Synthesis 136: Contracting Fixed-Route Bus Transit Service.
Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide
Report Number: R-240
Publication Date: 12/16/2022
As of 2020, nearly 50 percent of the bus-operator workforce was over 55. Evidence indicates that many younger job seekers are often not aware of the potential career opportunities and employee benefits that are available at transit agencies.
This report provides recommendations and resources enabling transit agencies to better assess, plan, and implement their operator workforce management programs.
Provision of Alternative Services by Transit Agencies: The Intersection of Regulation and Program
Report Number: R-239
Publication Date: 05/17/2023
Transit agencies are increasingly offering an alternative service for their Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit riders. This service is typically an on-demand or same-day transportation option subsidized by a transit agency and is an alternative to the next-day service of ADA paratransit.
This report details how alternative services provide at least some cost savings and also meet more spontaneous travel needs of ADA paratransit riders based on cost per subsidized trip versus cost per ADA paratransit trip. The report also identifies and documents legal and regulatory matters that transit agencies should address for their alternative services.
Supplemental to the report are an Alternative Services Estimation Tool, Appendix B: Sample Materials for Planning and Deploying an Alternative Service, a Workshop Curriculum, and Implementation of Research Findings and Products.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety in Bus Rapid Transit and High-Priority Bus Corridors
Report Number: S-169
Publication Date: 04/12/2022
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 when making decisions about BRT route design.
This report documents practices in BRT/high-priority bus transit corridor planning, design, and construction, with a focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Inclusive Public Participation in Transit Decision-Making
Report Number: S-170
Publication Date: 03/30/2023
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.
This report documents current, effective, ongoing public participation mechanisms resulting in, and instilling participation from, communities of color; communities with limited English-language proficiency and low-income populations; and people with disabilities.
