EVALUATION OF RAIL RAPID TRANSIT AND EXPRESS BUS SERVICE IN THE URBAN COMMUTER MARKET (ABRIDGEMENT)

The basic alternative transportation modes in the urban commuter market, which are bus and rail transit, are covered in this paper. Comparing these alternatives on the basis of full cost, which includes supplier cost (costs for vehicle, way, and structure) and user-time cost (costs for access, waiting, in-vehicle transfer, and egress time), is dealt with. A modern rail rapid transit line has about the same passenger-carrying capacity as a bus system has if the bus system uses an exclusive busway for line-haul and surface streets for downtown distribution. The levels of user-time cost for a modern rail rapid transit line are equivalent to those for a bus system, but the supplier costs are much higher for rail rapid transit. Lower full cost can be achieved for low-density, short-haul residential collection if 8-passenger bus-wagon jitneys are used instead of 50-passenger buses.