As of October 1, 2016, the SWUTC concluded its 28 years of operation and is no longer an active center of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The archived SWUTC website remains available here.

60036-1 Report Abstract

A Residential-Employment Matrix for Evaluating Public Transit Service Delivery: Implications for Public Policy and Energy Conservation

Shirley J. Seaborn and Raquelle Wooten, Texas Southern University, June 1994, 57 pp.

This research proposes to evaluate alternative methods currently employed to improve accessibility to dispersed employment centers. Previous studies provide insight into the nature of service configuration patterns, institutional arrangements for increasing service effectiveness, and the design and utilization of appropriate marketing strategies and practices to meet customer needs and improve public transit service delivery. Between 1970-1980 the growth in suburban areas mushroomed as a result of sprawling development patterns induced by an automobile-oriented transportation infrastructure. This suburban growth has resulted in the creation of more densely developed minihubs in many metropolitan areas. Such clustering of development has produced a viable base on which to develop a network of suburban transit routes.

The study examines the feasibility of service configuration patterns that focus on a residential-employment linkage and how to achieve a variety of service objectives: serving existing riders at less cost; improving service to strategic market segments, such as urban and elderly riders; and attracting new markets at the least incremental cost. The methodologies employed provide a mix of bus, van and car-pool service and a system of “reverse commuting” for central city residents through existing suburban services. The overall objective is to evaluate public transit service delivery models and determine the efficacy for providing better service to diverse markets.

Keywords: Suburban Employment, Reverse Commuting

Report not available electronically.
To order free hardcopy – email [email protected] 
or call (979)845-5815
Reference Report #60036-1