Some performance indicators may be used to identify transit systems with superior bus maintenance performance. A literature review was conducted to identify factors often reported as affecting maintenance performance. A data base was created using all of the reported factors available in the 1984 umta section 15 information. Analyses using the data base were conducted to design performance indicators and peer groups of transit systems. Within each of the peer groups, transit systems with superior bus maintenance performance were identified. The methodological procedures used for this paper were modeled on the approach used by fielding in work for umta to develop indicators and peer groups for overall transit performance analysis. Thiswork (like fielding's) was limited by the lack of a comprehensive data base from which to extract significant information relevant to the reserach. For example, the absence of climatic and topographic data may make the natural groupings of peer transit systems suspect tomaintenance experts. Additionally, much information on the effectiveness performance or quality of maintenance work was also absent. Such limitations may have a direct bearing on the validity and industry acceptance of the results, so the following actions are recommended: (a) adopt the methodological procedures of this paper and extend the data base to include the data not found in umta section 15 that are believed to be important to bus maintenance performance and (b) on the basis of the results of an evaluation using the revised data base, select several systems with high performance and several systems with low performance and conduct field audits to identify the causes of their performance differences. Using the results of the fieldaudits, prepare guidelines that document the procedures and practices of superior bus maintenance programs. If the resources of transitsystems are to be protected and preserved, it is important to implement the recommendations. The results will assist transit systems toidentify deficiencies within their own program and to achieve superior maintenance performance. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1266, Urban public transportation research 1990.
Abstract