Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 31
Performance Measures for Rural DRT 31
(e.g., non-emergency Medicaid trips), the system can better understand the performance impacts
of those specific trips on its systemwide performance.
Average Travel Time
Average travel time is computed as the sum of all passengers' travel times
divided by the total number of passenger trips. average travel time =
This is not a measure that is routinely reported by DRT systems, but it is total passengers' travel time ÷
useful, indicating both the degree of shared riding and service quality for the total number of passenger trips
passengers. One of the premises of DRT is the grouping of passengers with
similar trip patterns--ride sharing--to maximize productivity. If passengers'
travel times are short comparable with travel by private vehicle, it indicates
that the scheduling function has not achieved much ride-sharing. On the other hand, if many
passengers' travel times are long, it may indicate too much ride-sharing and passengers may be
overly inconvenienced with long on-board times to reach their destinations. Balancing ride-sharing
with passenger travel times is a key objective of the scheduling function.
4.3 Transit-Impact Performance Measures
Chapter 3 introduced transit-impact-related performance data in addition to the more stan-
dard DRT data elements such as passenger trips and vehicle-hours and -miles. These less tradi-
tional data elements (e.g., the number of seniors transported to congregate meal sites) can be
used for transit-impact performance measures. Since rural transit often serves predominately
those who are dependent on transit, a rural DRT system may want to capture its impact in
improving the quality of life for those rural residents who rely on DRT service.
The performance measures that assess the more qualitative aspects of rural DRT service and
that might be appropriate for a particular system will depend upon that rural system's mission
and what it wants to measure. Passenger survey data can also be used, providing qualitative infor-
mation from the riders. Comments and testimonials from riders can also be useful when service
is evaluated, particularly for local elected leaders who may be weighing funding decisions. Addi-
tionally, another way to assess the rural transit system's "performance" in the community is to
monitor press coverage. News media coverage can influence (and be indicative of) public percep-
tions of the transit system. Monitoring positive/neutral and negative press coverage can be one way
of assessing the system's marketing efforts and perceived quality of service on a very general level.
Assessment of the less traditional measures would be done over time to evaluate how the rural
DRT system was "performing" in the areas of interest. There are many different measures that
might be used, depending on the areas of interest for a rural DRT system. A small sample of pos-
sibilities includes
· Rate of use by seniors (total trips by seniors divided by total trips)--data obtained from
schedulers and operators' manifests.
· Rate of use by people with disabilities--data obtained from schedulers and operators'
manifests.
· Percentage of trips to/from congregate meal sites to total trips--data obtained from sched-
ulers and operators' manifests.
· Percentage medical trips (total trips to/from medical facilities divided by total trips)--data
obtained from schedulers and operators' manifests.
· Number of employment trips provided per day--data obtained from schedulers and oper-
ators' manifests. The FTA Section 5316 Program (Job Access and Reverse Commute)
OCR for page 32
32 Guidebook for Rural Demand-Response Transportation: Measuring, Assessing, and Improving Performance
requires that the actual or estimated number of jobs that can be accessed be reported on an
annual basis. Employment trips per day on the DRT service is an indicator of how many
jobs are being accessed on an ongoing basis on this service, which is, in turn, indicative of
the importance of the transportation service to the local economy. For purposes of this
measure, a round trip to and from an employment site would be counted as one job
accessed.
· Number of individuals using DRT for independent living (e.g., individuals using service to
access medical services, counseling, education, employment, grocery shopping, personal
business such as banking, and other basic life needs--essentially the customer base of rural
DRT service--can be an important measure in demonstrating the value of the service in
community). Total unduplicated individuals served per month is a suggested measure--
with data obtained from schedulers. This could also be measured on a per-capita basis (i.e.,
percent of population relying on rural DRT on a regular basis).
· Passenger feedback on service quality--for example, ratings on items such as service relia-
bility, timeliness of service, helpfulness of scheduling staff, drivers--data obtained from
passenger survey data as well as individual compliments and complaints received on an
ongoing basis.
