FTA and SURTC Examine Small Transit Vehicle Technology

Recent advancements in vehicle design have led to several new technologies becoming standard options for transit buses. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS), including automatic vehicle location (AVL), stop announcements and electronic fare collection are now readily available technologies. Increased accessibility through low-floor vehicles and alternative fuels are commonly found in buses across the country. While many of these technologies could greatly improve the service and operations of small urban and rural transit agencies, they have yet to be widely adopted by small transit vehicle manufacturers.

The majority of new vehicle purchases funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are buses and converted vans less than 30 feet in length. While use of small transit vehicles is widespread, orders tend to be customized and small, slowing development of the market as a whole. The FTA predicts a guided effort within the industry will lead to significant improvements in small transit vehicles. With rising fuel prices and a shift toward energy independence, small transit agencies could benefit from the availability of alternative fueled or powered vehicles. Adopting ITS could help small agencies improve demand-response scheduling with AVL systems.

The FTA has started to examine the potential for small vehicle improvement as part of its continued effort to improve public transportation. The initial work for this Advanced Small Transit Vehicle (ASTV) project is focused on determining where improvements can be made. Based on some background research, the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center (SURTC) has prepared a scoping paper defining the issue and outlining the FTA plan to address the industry's needs. This paper will be introduced at stakeholder meetings that will allow industry representatives a chance to provide input on the project. Two stakeholder meetings are planned for late spring. The first will be held May 3 in Anaheim, CA, in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference. The second meeting is scheduled for June 8 in Orlando, FL, during the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) EXPO '06. Anyone involved with small transit vehicles is encouraged to attend and propose issues with vehicle technologies and availability. These meetings will provide a forum for open discussion and will guide the FTA's efforts. SURTC is also helping conduct a survey of stakeholders, specifically small transit agencies, to gain more information about the needs and concerns with small transit vehicles.

The goal of the ASTV project is to identify and resolve the major shortcomings of small transit vehicles. Based on input from the survey and stakeholder meetings, the FTA will determine how to help the vehicle manufacturing industry mitigate these shortcomings. One possibility is a guidance document outlining functional specifications of an ideal ASTV. The FTA hopes this effort will produce significant improvements in transit and advance vehicle technology.

Enderlin School District is Bus Routing Test

SURTC is fine-tuning its school bus routing software with help from the Enderlin, ND, school district where the software is being tested.

"With about 120 riders, Enderlin is an ideally sized district for this project," says SURTC researcher Dave Ripplinger. "This type of program is already in use in many large school districts, typically those with more than a thousand students. SURTC thought it was important for smaller schools to have access to this type of routing software too."

Ripplinger presented initial routes to the Enderlin School Board in April. The board then asked him to help develop routes for students who attend school in Sheldon, a school district that will be consolidating with Enderlin next year.

Ripplinger and graduate research assistant Yan Wang are developing easy-to-use, low-cost software specifically designed to help rural and small-urban school districts design bus routes that make the best use of buses and fuel while minimizing the amount of time students must spend on the bus.

In addition to developing the software, SURTC is identifying common needs of North Dakota school districts in regard to school bus routing. Ultimately, SURTC plans to establish a help center to guide schools in routing buses more efficiently and explore policy issues related to school transportation funding. In addition, SURTC will explore the possibility of using school buses to transport non-students in rural areas.

Ripplinger said the software is mostly complete but will be fine-tuned based on the experiences in Enderlin. The project is expected to be complete in June, and will include the software, the results of Enderlin's use of the program and a research paper outlining how this program will impact transportation in school districts in North Dakota.