US Motorbus Efficiency & Effectiveness 1996:
Transit Agencies with 100 or More Peak Buses
Introduction & Notes

Motor Bus Effectiveness (Passenger Miles per Vehicle Mile)
Motor Bus Efficiency (Cost per Vehicle Hour)
Labor Market Weighted Motor Bus Efficiency
Motor Bus Combined Performance Ratings

Version 3.0 (23 October 1998) Labor Market Weighted Efficiency Data Added Replaces Version 2.0 (21 October 1998) Austin-Capital Metro Added Replaces Version 1.0 (12 October 1998)

Calculated from National Transit Database, 1996

All public transit agencies operating 100 or more motorbuses included, except Las Vegas (Citizens Area Transit), for which complete data is not contained in the National Transit Database Report. The included transit agencies represent 83.0 percent of US motorbus passenger miles and 81.7 percent of vehicle miles.

Effectiveness is measured by passenger miles per vehicle mile.

Efficiency is measured by cost per vehicle hour.

Scale scores represent the position of the transit agency between the lowest and highest standard deviation converted to a scale of 100 (Effectiveness and Efficiency).

Combined Score is the mean of the Effectiveness and Efficiency Scores

The scale scores are unadjusted:

• Effectiveness: No adjustment is made for significant demographic and market differences. For example, it would be expected that the New York City Transit Authority would score well on the Effectiveness measure, because the population density of its service area (35,000 per square mile) is more than 10 times the average of the other transit agencies. Similarly, a transit agency with a service area density below 2,000 per square mile (such as the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority) would be expected to score lower on the Effectiveness measure.

• Efficiency: No adjustment is made for labor market differences. For example, it would be expected that VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio would score well on the Efficiency measure, because labor costs in San Antonio are at least 20 percent below average. Similarly, a transit agency in a high cost labor market would be expected to score low on the Efficiency measure (such as the New York City Transit Authority).