EVALUATION OF A DEMONSTRATION SMALL BUS PROGRAM FOR THE ELDERLY AND HANDICAPPED

The availability of transportation services to all citizens should be considered essential to maintenance of the quality of life. The best efforts of public and private agencies notwithstanding, it is clear that there are numerous individuals and groups who do not enjoy the same levels of transportation service. The state of Michigan undertook a demonstration program, Local Efforts in Transportation Services, that provides essential transportation services to the elderly and handicapped in specific neighborhoods in the city of Detroit. A discussion of the factors that were considered in a service evaluation performed from quantitative, qualitative, and institutional issue viewpoints is included. Comparisons are made among small bus services provided by public transportation agencies and directed to the elderly and handicapped. These comparisons provide a context within which an assessment of similar types of small bus services to this sector of society can be made.