Guidebook for Selecting Appropriate Technology Systems for Small Urban and Rural Public Transportation Operators

TCRP REPORT 76, “Guide for Selecting Technology for Rural and Small Urban Public Transportation Systems,” provides guidance to public transportation managers and other professionals in the selection of technology that is appropriate for the needs, size, and type of their operations. Though the focus is on rural and small urban operations, study findings also have some appli- cation to larger urban transit operations. The guidebook can be useful in the procurement of technologies, such as off-the-shelf (OTS) computer software, as well as systems, such as automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems.

The companion document to the guidebook is a report that focuses on the Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS) applications implemented at small urban and rural transit operations and includes both advanced and basic technologies. The prin- cipal guidance tool is a taxonomy—a series of tables that provide important “technology-screening” information to transit pro- fessionals based on the characteristics of their transit systems that are most important in determining technology efficacy. The report also presents the basis for the taxonomy including: information gathered during six case-study site visits, an examination of the current status of ongoing APTS sites, measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of APTS technologies, and APTS financ- ing issues