Mineta transit research consortium publishes report on transit system efficiency

The Mineta Transportation Institute is offering a free, peer-reviewed research report on how cities can assess transit performance and develop policies to boost transit system efficiency.

Published by the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium, the report assesses the comparative efficiency of mass transit systems in Ohio.

"Ohio's economic growth has been lagging behind the national average for 13 out of the last 15 years, according to some experts," said Hokey Min, the report’s author, in a prepared statement. "To reverse this trend, Ohio leaders are seeking ways to improve the state's economic vitality and job opportunities. One way to do this is to improve the mobility of Ohio residents by increasing their access to public transportation. This can boost economic activities such as job commuting and retail shopping."

To find ways to better use these systems across Ohio and thus make best use of public financial resources, the report evaluates operational efficiency of the current mass transit system relative to benchmark standards. Then it identifies the leading causes of any transit inefficiencies. The researchers conducted window data envelopment analysis based on the past three years of time-series data for 24 of Ohio's 27 urban mass transit agencies.

Among the report’s findings: A city's overall size has no bearing on its mass transit efficiency; local climate and economic conditions are not necessarily tied to transit efficiency; and using particular transportation modes could influence mass transit efficiency, based on a data analysis of 515 U.S. transit agencies.

The report is available here.