PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FOR BUS TRANSIT

Abstract Performance analysis has gained increased attention now that transit organizations are emphasizing efficiency objectives. Debates over both the number of indicators required and their method of selection are reviewed. Research upon which this paper is based uses FY 1980 Section 15 data to first identify and then test a set of performance indicators which are useful for evaluation of fixed route, motor bus transit. Four parallel data sets, based on transformations of the original data, and several exploratory factor analyses were used to detect the underlying structure of the data. Rigorous testing verified that the structure represented the most salient performance dimensions. A small subset of seven performance indicators was identified and tested as representative of these underlying dimensions. These indicators can be used together or individually to assess transit performance for a single system or for cross-sectional comparisons.