Development of management information system software for Tennessee rural transit service

This research attempted to develop a Rural Transit Management Information System (RTMIS) software for Tennessee s Section 18 rural public transportation operators. A standard software development procedure was followed during the research. Three aspects in developing RTMIS were discussed: 1) the relationship between transit performance measures and RTMIS software structure; 2) the selection of an appropriate programming language; 3) RTMIS design consideration and data processing procedures which included data input, processing, and output. It was concluded that it was appropriate to develop a practical and small size information system through the use of Lotus 123 software. The structural programming technique was an important aspect of using Lotus 123 to develop RTMIS. The application of system approach allowed RTMIS to be developed with a data structure that fit the existing record-keeping requirement of Tennessee rural transit operations.