This reports investigates the use of Automatic Vehicle Locations Systems (AVL) to enhance transit performance, management and customer services in medium sized transit agencies, based on surveys conducted in Racine and Waukesha, Wisconsin before and after AVL implementation and in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a small city without AVL. The surveys indicate that transit system with AVL had improved schedule adherence and on-time performance. Surveys of perceptions of the transit service and the importance of AVL characteristics showed little change comparing with before the AVL was implemented. Features like improving on time performance, knowing when the bus will arrive, knowing that another bus will be dispatched in case of breakdown are still valued as important to transit users and their decisions to ride more often. The surveys also indicate that more passenger trips may be realized if better information was offered to users. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting