TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 237
Fare-Free Transit Evaluation Framework
Mariel Kirschen
Amy Pettine
Miranda Adams
NELSON\NYGAARD
San Francisco, CA
Heidy Persaud
CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY
Chicago, IL
Subject Areas
Public Transportation • Finance
Research sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in cooperation with the American Public Transportation Association
TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM
The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it.
The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes various transit research fields including planning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices.
TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and APTA. APTA is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Commission.
Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Commission to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Commission defines funding levels and expected products.
Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel appointed by TRB. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation.
Because research cannot have the desired effect if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners.
TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs.
TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 237
Project J-11/Task 39
ISSN 2572-3782
ISBN 978-0-309-69831-3
© 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
Cover photo credit: Nelson\Nygaard
NOTICE
The research report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR TCRP RESEARCH REPORT 237
Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Gwen Chisholm Smith, Manager, Transit Cooperative Research Program
Dianne S. Schwager, Senior Program Officer
Dajaih Bias-Johnson, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Ellen M. Chafee, Senior Editor
TCRP PROJECT J-11/TASK 39 PANEL
Field of Special Projects
Joana M. Conklin, Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Rockville, MD (Chair)
Walter E. Allen, Acumen Building Enterprise, Inc., Oakland, CA
Jeff Bernstein, InfraTrends, LLC, Teaneck, NJ
Julie Karen Fernandez, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, TX
Andrea Hamre, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Xavier Joshua Harmony, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Woodbridge, VA
Djuana Harvell, Stapleton Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities, Denver, CO
Rich J. Lee, King County (WA) Metro Transit, Seattle, WA
Doreen Morrissey, California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), Sacramento, CA
Jitender S. Ramchandani, Commonwealth of Virginia, Henrico, VA
Judis Santos, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), San Francisco, CA
Jeremy Furrer, FTA Liaison
Terence Plaskon, FTA Liaison
Matthew Dickens, APTA Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank the many transit agencies that provided information about their programs, as well as the individuals and organizations who agreed to participate in interviews for this research:
- David Bragdon, TransitCenter
- Wyatt Gordon, Virginia Conservation Network
- Reginald Johnson, Willowbrook Inclusion Network
- Kate Lowe, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Grace Perdomo, Transit Alliance Miami
- Oboi Olantuji Reed, Equiticity
- Laura Saltzman, Access Living
- Audrey Wennink, Metropolitan Planning Council
FOREWORD
By Dianne S. Schwager
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
This report presents a framework to evaluate the potential benefits, costs, and trade-offs of implementing fare-free transit. The framework will be of immediate use to public transit practitioners and community partners, including staff from related organizations (e.g., municipal departments, metropolitan planning organizations, or neighboring transit agencies).
Because public transportation benefits non-riders and enhances community development, its funding has long relied on a wide range of local sources, typically inclusive of sales, gas, and property taxes. During the past decade, and in particular during the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities have considered eliminating fare payments, in whole or in part, to engender broader societal benefits. Communities are exploring the merits of providing public transit without charging fares and identifying strategies for replacing passenger fare revenues. The economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits of fare-free public transit are being weighed against the costs and benefits of current fare payment systems and the available capacity for increased ridership.
Under TCRP Project J-11/Task 39, “Evaluation Framework for Fare-free Public Transportation,” Nelson\Nygaard was asked to develop a framework to evaluate fare-free public transportation. The framework addresses the benefits, costs, and trade-offs that must be considered by public transit providers, policy-makers, and other stakeholders as they consider eliminating fares, in whole or in part, for public transit.
There are two primary time periods in which fare-free transit can be evaluated: before and after implementation. This report focuses on the first of the two time periods: feasibility evaluation. TCRP Research Report 237: Fare-Free Transit Evaluation Framework provides practical guidance for public transit agencies and a 10-step evaluation framework. The steps are grouped into three phases:
- Get organized. Set the context, assess existing conditions, review peer transit agencies, identify opportunities and challenges.
- Make a plan. Set evaluation goals and objectives, determine performance measures, establish selection criteria, and select fare-free transit alternatives.
- Evaluate. Estimate impacts and select preferred alternative.
The research approach for this project included a literature review, industry survey, interviews with transit agencies and stakeholders, and 23 case studies. This timely report provides examples of public transit agencies throughout the United States that have evaluated fare-free transit to demonstrate how the framework works in practice and identifies opportunities to engage relevant stakeholders and the public in the process.
The report is accompanied by an infographic that can be found on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching on TCRP Research Report 237: Fare-Free Transit Evaluation Framework.
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CONTENTS
Why Do Most Transit Agencies Collect Fares?
Why Are Some Transit Agencies Looking at Fare-Free Transit?
How Can Transit Agencies Evaluate Whether Fare-Free Transit Is Right for Their Community?
What Is an Evaluation Framework?
Chapter 2 Using the Fare-Free Transit Evaluation Framework
Chapter 3 Fare-Free Transit Evaluation in Practice
What Research Has Been Conducted on Fare-Free Transit Evaluation?
What Is the Basis of the Evaluation Framework Developed in This Research?
What Is the State of the Practice?
Chapter 4 Transit Agency Case Studies
Full Fare-Free Transit Agencies
Partial Fare-Free Transit Agencies
Not Fare-Free Transit Agencies
Chapter 5 Opportunities for Future Research
Fare Collection Cost and Revenue Reporting
Appendix A Transit Agency Survey Methodology and Findings
Appendix B Transit Agency Survey Instruments
Appendix C Community Representative Interview Methodology and Findings
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