National Academies Press: OpenBook

Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains (2011)

Chapter: CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies

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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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Suggested Citation:"CHAPTER TWO Characteristics of Surveyed Transit Agencies." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13634.
×
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7 CHAPTER TWO CHARACTERISTICS OF SURVEYED TRANSIT AGENCIES ridership numbers. Figure 1 shows the number of surveyed agencies by size category (n = 42). FIGURE 1 Surveyed agencies by size. Among the surveyed agencies for which data were avail- able, service area ranged from 15 to 3,350 square miles; service area population from 45,500 to 17.8 million people; and annual ridership from roughly 294,000 to 3.36 billion in the years 2007 and 2008. Eighty percent of agencies provide paratransit services (n = 40). Table 1 shows characteristics of transit agencies completing the survey, and Figure 2 shows the locations of these agencies. To sort characteristics, trends, and similarities, and differ- ences efficiently and meaningfully among the 42 transit agencies that responded to survey questions, the respondent agencies are categorized by total relevant fleet size (buses, rail vehicles, and paratransit/demand-response vehicles): • Small agencies operate up to 50 vehicles at peak operation; • Medium agencies operate between 51 and 250 vehicles at operation; and • Large agencies operate more than 250 vehicles at peak operation. The surveyed agencies were chosen to cover a wide spec- trum of services and practices, because small, medium, and large agencies have intrinsic differences in operational and management practice. Despite the moderate sample size, the agencies represent a broad range of characteristics that are not necessarily defined by total fleet size: bus, rail, and para- transit vehicles of different types, sizes, and configurations; a mix of small and large urban and rural service areas with different population densities; and significantly different FIGURE 2 Surveyed transit agencies by location.

8 TABLE 1 CHARACTERISTICS OF SURVEYED TRANSIT AGENCIES Agency/Respondent Information Service Area Statistics Vehicles in Service Annual Unlinked Trips Agency Has Policies Regarding Transport on Regular Buses and Trains Agency Has Policies Regarding Transport on Paratransit Vehicles W he el ch ai rs S eg w ay / S co ot er S tr ol le rs B ic yc le s L ug ga ge O th er L ar ge I te m s W he el ch ai rs S eg w ay / S co ot er S tr ol le rs B ic yc le s L ug ga ge Square Miles Population Density (pop/sq mi) Small Brandon Transit Brandon, Manitoba 30.9 49,000 1,586 Bus 12 • • • • • • • • Paratransit 3 Total 15 Downeast Transporta- tion, Inc. Ellsworth, Maine 1,588 51,791 33 Bus 48 479,112 • N/A Greater Glens Falls Transit Glens Falls, New York 46 59,743 1,299 Bus 5 336,198 • • • • • • • • Paratransit 1 3,104 Total 6 339,302 Macatawa Area Express Transportation Author- ity (MAX) Holland, Michigan 42 69,764 1,661 Bus 7 185,964 • • • • • • • Paratransit 14 107,834 Total 21 293,798 City of Las Cruces RoadRUNNER Transit Las Cruces, New Mexico 55 90,590 1,647 Bus 11 671,727 • • • • • • Paratransit 12 58,029 Total 23 729,756 Las Vegas Monorail Company Las Vegas, Nevada 280 1,785,303 6,376 Rail 32 9,329,974 • N/A The T Lawrence, Kansas 30 90,000 3,000 Bus 10 387,938 • • • • • • Paratransit 11 49,733 Total 21 437,671 SunTran Ocala, Florida 55 89,638 1,630 Bus 6 327,623 • • • • • Paratransit 2 76,769 Total 8 341,902 Ottumwa Transit Authority Ottumwa, Iowa 16.5 24,998 1,515 Bus 9 • • • • • • Paratransit 49 Total 58 342,841 Pullman Transit Pullman, Washington 9 26,860 2,984 Bus 18 1,236,930 • • • • Paratransit 5 19,434 Total 23 1,256,364 River Bend Transit Quad Cities, Iowa 2,157 274,116 127 Paratransit 70 220,000 • • • Marble Valley Regional Transit District (MVRTD) Rutland, Vermont Bus 27 • • • • • • • • • Paratransit 21 Total 48 830,000 City of Sioux Falls/ Sioux Area Metro Sioux Falls, South Dakota 68 144,000 2,118 Bus 28 905,780 • • • • • Paratransit 22 120,434 Total 50 1,026,214 Metro Ride Wausau, Wisconsin 27 45,513 1,686 Bus 22 851,895 • • • • • Paratransit 28 32,794 Total 50 884,689 Table 1 continued on p. 9

9 Agency/Respondent Information Service Area Statistics Vehicles in Service Annual Unlinked Trips Agency Has Policies Regarding Transport on Regular Buses and Trains Agency Has Policies Regarding Transport on Paratransit Vehicles W he el ch ai rs S eg w ay /S co ot er S tr ol le rs B ic yc le s L ug ga ge O th er L ar ge I te m s W he el ch ai rs S eg w ay /S co ot er S tr ol le rs B ic yc le s L ug ga ge Square Miles Population Density (pop/sq mi) Medium CyRide Ames, Iowa 15 50,276 3,352 Bus 53 4,635,634 • • N/A Paratransit 3 10,920 Total 56 4,646,554 Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (Tri Delta) Antioch, California 225 270,000 1,200 Bus 57 2,671,505 • • • • • • • Paratransit 19 112,564 Total 76 2,730,069 Valley Transit Appleton, Wisconsin 1,399 252,477 180 Bus 24 1060854 • Paratransit 58 163,124 Total 82 1,223,978 Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (CCCTA) Concord, California 149 500,000 3,356 Bus 106 4,397,978 • • • • • • Paratransit 51 166,887 Total 157 4,564,865 VOTRAN Daytona Beach, Florida 1,207 468,670 388 Bus 46 3,318,580 • • • • • • Paratransit 60 272,458 Total 106 3,591,038 Lane Transit District Eugene, Oregon 241 272,272 1,130 Bus 96 11,407,709 • • • • • N/A Paratransit 36 155,440 Total 132 11,563,149 Lee County Transit Ft. Myers, Florida/ Lee County 121 451,153 3,729 Bus 49 3,058,843 • • • • • • Paratransit 41 129,168 Total 90 3,188,011 BC Transit Kelowna, British Columbia 81.7 120,700 1,477 Bus 49 • • • • • • • • • Paratransit 19 Total 68 Laketran Lake County, Ohio 295 227,511 771 Bus 24 647,260 • • • • • • Paratransit 71 338,207 Total 95 985,467 Metro Transit Madison, Wisconsin 72 245,181 3,405 Bus 168 13,433,149 • • • • • • • • Paratransit 77 286,037 Total 245 13,719,186 North County Transit District (NCTD) Oceanside, California 403 842,000 2,089 Bus 138 9,744,558 • • • • • • Rail 30 2,403,975 Paratransit 39 188,979 Total 207 12,337,512 Sarasota County Area Transit Sarasota, Florida 213 398,854 1,873 Bus 44 2,300,820 • • • • • • • • Paratransit 63 241,843 Total 107 2,542,663 Table 1 continued from p. 8 Table 1 continued on p. 10

10 Agency/Respondent Information Service Area Statistics Vehicles in Service Annual Unlinked Trips Agency Has Policies Regarding Transport on Regular Buses and Trains Agency Has Policies Regarding Transport on Paratransit Vehicles W he el ch ai rs S eg w ay /S co ot er S tr ol le rs B ic yc le s L ug ga ge O th er L ar ge I te m s W he el ch ai rs S eg w ay /S co ot er S tr ol le rs B ic yc le s L ug ga ge Square Miles Population Density (pop/sq mi) Large Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Atlanta, Georgia 498 1,574,600 3,162 Bus 504 67,519,392 • • • • • • • • Rail 188 82,984,033 Paratransit 118 409,563 Total 810 150,912,988 Capital Metro Austin, Texas 568 1,170,276 2,060 Bus 347 36,339,090 • • • • • • • • Rail N/A - began 3/10 N/A - began 3/10 Paratransit 384 714,563 Total 731 37,053,653 Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Chicago, Illinois 327 3,763,791 11,510 Bus 1,843 328,199,214 • • • • Rail 1,016 198,137,245 Total 2,859 526,336,459 Community Transit Everett, Washington 281 723,381 2,574 Bus 230 10,849,358 • • • • • • Paratransit 49 214,568 Total 279 11,063,926 Public Transit Divi- sion (TheBus) Honolulu, Hawaii 227 909,863 4,008 Bus 439 69,759,895 • • • • • • • • • • Paratransit 205 833,835 Total 644 70,593,730 Metropolitan Transit Authority Harris County (METRO) Houston, Texas 1,285 2,796,994 2,177 Bus 1,027 84,594,867 • • Rail 17 11,800,912 Paratransit 376 1,418,647 Total 1,420 97,814,426 Miami-Dade Transit Miami, Florida 306 2,402,208 7,850 Bus 825 83,458,376 • • • • N/A Rail 118 26,127,465 Paratransit 302 1,678,018 Total 1,245 111,263,859 Société de transport de Montréal (STM) Montreal, Quebec 193.2 1,877,693 9,719 Bus 1,288 • • • • • • Rail 648 Paratransit 67 Total 2,003 NJ TRANSIT Corporation Newark, New Jersey 3,353 17,799,861 5,309 Bus 2,141 169,281,953 • • • • • • Rail 1,020 105,839,656 Paratransit 434 1,278,925 Total 3,595 276,400,534 MTA New York City Transit New York, New York 321 8,008,278 24,948 Bus 3,933 902,640,956 • • • • • • • • Rail 5,288 2,428,308,510 Paratransit 1,843 5,437,639 Total 11,064 3,336,387,105 Table 1 continued from p. 9 Table 1 continued on p. 11

11 AGENCY OPERATIONS Surveyed agencies operate rail only, buses only, or a combi- nation of services, as shown in Figure 3 (n = 42). FIGURE 3 Surveyed agencies by type of operation. Bus Services Of the 40 agencies surveyed that operate buses (including those that operate buses in addition to rail), 39 (98%) offer local, regular fixed-route bus service. A large group of those surveyed (16 of 40, or 40%) offer express or commuter bus San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) Oakland, California 93 833,762 8,965 Rail 540 115,227,684 • • • • • • • • • OC Transpo Ottawa, Ontario 170.5 784,725 4,602 Bus 845 • • • • • • • • Rail 2 Paratransit 91 Total 938 Southeastern Penn- sylvania Transporta- tion Authority (SEPTA) Philadelphia, Penn. 832 3,300,407 3,967 Bus 1,172 183,574,756 • • • • • • • • • • • Rail 720 155,593,575 Paratransit 345 1,773,845 Total 2,237 340,942,176 TriMet Portland, Oregon 574 1,466,540 2,555 Bus 532 64,114,973 • • • • • • Rail 85 6,875,263 Paratransit 272 7,847,149 Total 889 104,168,660 Utah Transit Author- ity (UTA) Salt Lake City, Utah 1,412 1,744,417 1,235 Bus 371 23,395,624 • • • • • • Rail 64 16,182,145 Paratransit 150 478,242 Total 585 40,056,011 Washington Metro- politan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Washington, District of Columbia 692 1,305,693 1,887 Bus 1,285 135,484,298 • • • • Rail 830 288,039,725 Paratransit 452 1,712,709 Total 2,567 425,236,560 Sources: U.S. Census, National Transit Database, Canadian Urban Transit Association. Note: All data from 2008 except for the following agencies: Las Vegas Monorail Company (2007), Sun Tran (2007), Pullman Transit (2007), Riverbend Transit (2006/2008), BC Transit (2007), Miami-Dade Transit (2007). AGENCY POLICIES Many of the agencies surveyed have policies regarding bringing large items on board buses and trains. The major- ity of agencies (33 of 42, or 78%) have policies regarding wheelchairs on transit, followed by strollers (30 of 42, or 71%). Policies regarding bringing bicycles on vehicles are in place at only 13 of the agencies surveyed (31%). Although all of the agencies that offer paratransit service have policies in place regarding the transport of wheelchairs, and nearly all (29 of 36, or 91%) have policies regarding accommodation of mobility devices (including scooters and, in some cases, Segways), only one-third of the agencies have policies regarding luggage, carts, and parcels. Only nine agen- cies (28%) have policies in place regarding the transport of strollers on paratransit, some of which allow for strollers and some of which prohibit them. These policies are discussed in subsequent chapters and a summary table that highlights ele- ments of all agency policies is included in Appendix C. Table 1 continued from p. 10

12 services. Of these 16 agencies, 14 (88%) are operated by either medium- or large-sized agencies. Only a few offer bus rapid transit (BRT) services in dedicated rights-of-way (six of 40, or 15%). Of 40 responding transit agencies, 32 (80%) operate para- transit vehicles (Table 2). BART noted that agency staff “do not directly operate paratransit” but “do so through contrac- tors.” Similarly, Miami–Dade and Metro Ride noted that they have affiliated service. Although they do not operate paratransit directly, a couple of other agencies included para- transit vehicles in the information about their fleet. TABLE 2 DOES YOUR AGENCY OPERATE PARATRANSIT VEHICLES? Yes 32 (80%) No 8 (20%) n = 40. Bus Features With regard to regular bus service (regular, local bus service, commuter buses, and BRT), agencies generally have a diverse fleet of vehicles. Many offer both low-floor and high-floor buses. Only 11 of 39 agencies (28%) operated only one kind of vehicle. Overall, 35 of 39 responding agencies operate low- floor buses (90%) and 33 operate high-floor buses (85%). Rail Services Sixteen agencies offer some sort of rail service. Although two agencies operate only rail, the other 14 also offer bus service. It is generally difficult to make wide conclusions from (and about) these data, other than acknowledging the great variety among the 16 rail-operating agencies. Nearly a third of them (five of 16 agencies) offer more than one mode of rail. Additionally, a majority feature platform-level entry trains (80%). One-half of the agencies (eight of 16) operate heavy rail service. The survey group includes one monorail operator in Las Vegas, as well as one agency, Capital Metro in Austin, that operates freight service in addition to start-up commuter rail. Table 3 summarizes the types of buses and rail cars operated by surveyed agencies.

13 T A B L E 3 T Y P E S O F B U S E S A N D R A IL C A R S O P E R A T E D B Y S U R V E Y E D A G E N C IE S A ge n cy N am e T yp es o f B u se s an d S er vi ce s H ei gh t of V eh ic le In te ri or F lo or T yp es o f R ai l S er vi ce H ei gh t of V eh ic le I nt er io r F lo or L oc al bu s se rv ic e E xp re ss / co m m ut er bu se s B R T (d ed ic at ed ri gh t- of - w ay ) P ar at ra ns it L ow -fl oo r (b oa rd in g) bu se s H ig h- fl oo r bu se s C om m ut er ra il H ea vy ra il L ig ht ra il S tr ee tc ar , tr ol le y or o th er fi xe d ra il se rv ic e Pl at fo rm - le ve l en tr y tr ai ns L ow -fl oo r (b oa rd in g) tr ai ns H ig h- fl oo r tr ai ns Sm al l B ra nd on T ra ns it B ra nd on , M an it ob a • • • • D ow ne as t T ra ns po rt at io n, I nc . E ll sw or th , M ai ne • • • G re at er G le ns F al ls T ra ns it G le ns F al ls , N ew Y or k • • • • M ac at aw a A re a E xp re ss T ra ns po rt at io n A ut ho ri ty (M A X ) H ol la nd , M ic hi ga n • • • • C it y of L as C ru ce s R oa dR U N N E R T ra ns it L as C ru ce s, N ew M ex ic o • • • • L as V eg as M on or ai l C om pa ny L as V eg as , N ev ad a • • T he T L aw re nc e, K an sa s • • • S un T ra n O ca la , F lo ri da • • • O tt um w a T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty O tt um w a, I ow a • • • P ul lm an T ra ns it P ul lm an , W as hi ng to n • • • • R iv er B en d T ra ns it Q ua d C it ie s, I ow a • • M ar bl e V al le y R eg io na l T ra ns it D is tr ic t ( M V R T D ) R ut la nd , V er m on t • • • • • C it y of S io ux F al ls /S io ux A re a M et ro S io ux F al ls , S ou th D ak ot a • • • • M et ro R id e W au sa u, W is co ns in • • • • Su bt ot al S m al l 12 2 12 9 12 1 1 Ta bl e 3 co nt in ue d on p . 1 4

14 A ge n cy N am e T yp es o f B u se s an d S er vi ce s H ei gh t of V eh ic le In te ri or F lo or T yp es o f R ai l S er vi ce H ei gh t of V eh ic le I nt er io r F lo or L oc al bu s se rv ic e E xp re ss / co m m ut er bu se s B R T (d ed ic at ed ri gh t- of - w ay ) P ar at ra ns it L ow -fl oo r (b oa rd in g) bu se s H ig h- fl oo r bu se s C om m ut er ra il H ea vy ra il L ig ht ra il S tr ee tc ar , tr ol le y or ot he r fi xe d ra il s er vi ce P la tf or m - le ve l en tr y tr ai ns L ow -fl oo r (b oa rd in g) tr ai ns H ig h- fl oo r tr ai ns M ed iu m C yR id e A m es , I ow a • • • E as te rn C on tr a C os ta T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty ( T ri D el ta ) A nt io ch , C al if or ni a • • • • • V al le y T ra ns it A pp le to n, W is co ns in • • • C en tr al C on tr a C os ta T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty ( C C C T A ) C on co rd , C al if or ni a • • • • V O T R A N D ay to na B ea ch , F lo ri da • • • • L an e T ra ns it D is tr ic t E ug en e, O re go n • • • • L ee C ou nt y T ra ns it F t. M ye rs , F lo ri da /L ee C ou nt y • • • B C T ra ns it K el ow na , B ri ti sh C ol um bi a • • • • L ak et ra n L ak e C ou nt y, O hi o • • • • • M et ro T ra ns it M ad is on , W is co ns in • • • • • N or th C ou nt y T ra ns it D is tr ic t ( N C T D ) O ce an si de , C al if or ni a • • • • • • • S ar as ot a C ou nt y A re a T ra ns it S ar as ot a, F lo ri da • • • • Su bt ot al M ed iu m 12 3 1 10 11 11 1 1 1 Ta bl e 3 co nt in ue d fr om p . 1 3 Ta bl e 3 co nt in ue d on p . 1 5

15 A ge n cy N am e T yp es o f B u se s an d S er vi ce s H ei gh t of V eh ic le In te ri or F lo or T yp es o f R ai l S er vi ce H ei gh t of V eh ic le I nt er io r F lo or L oc al bu s se rv ic e E xp re ss / co m m ut er bu se s B R T (d ed ic at ed ri gh t- of - w ay ) P ar at ra ns it L ow -fl oo r (b oa rd in g) bu se s H ig h- fl oo r bu se s C om m ut er ra il H ea vy ra il L ig ht ra il S tr ee tc ar , tr ol le y or ot he r fi xe d ra il s er vi ce P la tf or m - le ve l e nt ry tr ai ns L ow -fl oo r (b oa rd in g) tr ai ns H ig h- fl oo r tr ai ns L ar ge M et ro po li ta n A tl an ta R ap id T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty (M A R T A ) A tl an ta , G eo rg ia • • • • • C ap it al M et ro A us ti n, T ex as • • • • • C hi ca go T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty ( C T A ) C hi ca go , I ll in oi s • • • • • C om m un it y T ra ns it E ve re tt , W as hi ng to n • • • • • P ub li c T ra ns it D iv is io n (T he B us ) H on ol ul u, H aw ai i • • • • • M et ro po li ta n T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty H ar ri s C ou nt y (M E T R O ) H ou st on , T ex as • • • • • • • M ia m i- D ad e T ra ns it M ia m i, F lo ri da • • • • • • S oc ié té d e tr an sp or t d e M on tr éa l ( S T M ) M on tr ea l, Q ue be c • • • • • • • • N J T R A N S IT C or po ra ti on N ew ar k, N ew J er se y • • • • • • • • • • M T A N ew Y or k C it y T ra ns it N ew Y or k, N ew Y or k • • • • • • • • S an F ra nc is co B ay A re a R ap id T ra ns it ( B A R T ) O ak la nd , C al if or ni a • • O C T ra ns po O tt aw a, O nt ar io • • • • • • • • S ou th ea st er n P en ns yl va ni a T ra ns po rt at io n A ut ho ri ty ( S E P T A ) P hi la de lp hi a, P en n. • • • • • • • • • • T ri M et P or tl an d, O re go n • • • • • • • • • • U ta h T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty ( U T A ) S al t L ak e C it y, U ta h • • • • • • • • • W as hi ng to n M et ro po li ta n A re a T ra ns it A ut ho ri ty (W M A T A ) W as hi ng to n, D is tr ic t o f C ol um bi a • • • • • • • Su bt ot al L ar ge 15 11 5 13 15 10 5 8 7 2 12 3 5 T ot al 39 16 6 35 35 33 6 8 8 3 14 3 5 Ta bl e 3 co nt in ue d fr om p . 1 4

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TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 88: Strollers, Carts, and Other Large Items on Buses and Trains documents the state of the practice of transit agencies managing capacity on vehicles carrying customers with large items. The synthesis also includes a discussion of vehicle designs to accommodate these various large items.

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