INVESTIGATING TRANSIT PRODUCTION AND PERFORMANCE: A PROGRAMMING APPROACH

M G. Karlaftis

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2003

Subject Area

mode - mass transit

Keywords

United States, Transit, Public transit, Productivity, Production rate, Panel studies, Nonparametric analysis, Methodology, Methodologies, Mass transit, Local transit, Linear programming, Economic efficiency, Data analysis

Abstract

This analysis extends prior research on efficiency and productivity in transit systems using an extensive panel data set. First, efficiency rankings and efficient subsets of transit systems are obtained through data envelopment analysis (DEA), a non-parametric linear programming-based methodology. Based on the results of the DEA analysis, globally efficient frontier production functions are then built in the context of transit operations in the United States. The results indicate that when jointly considered, there is an improvement on both the theoretical and empirical aspects of examining efficiency and production in transit systems. Results also suggest that efficiency and returns to scale findings differ substantially depending on the evaluation methodology. Directions for further research are suggested.

Comments

Transportation Research Part A Home Page: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09658564

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