Jitneys : a complement to public transportation

The growing inability to pay for the quality of transit service desired is encouraging many cities to pursue paratransit alternatives. Yet, no other mode is equivalent to public transit which provides extensive and continuous service while charging low fares. Jitneys seem capable of complementing transit by substituting for some transit functions, by serving some markets unreached by transit and by helping to improve transit's efficiency.

This study reviews past and present regulations that have hindered the jitney role in public transportation. These include outright prohibitions or regulations that preclude management options to increase profits regardless of service. Regulations drawn in the past to protect private interests still prevail, and these regulations may compromise some community goals such as improving the citizen's mobility. Regulation of private transportation modes should be flexible to allow for the efficient utilization of manpower and equipment and to promote the provision of all forms of transportation services.

As part of this study, ten jitney routes that provide corridor service were visited, and their organization and operating characteristics were investigated. On-board and roadside surveys provided information to evaluate performance measures from the points of view of the operator and of the user. Relationships were found between passengers per vehicle-mile, passenger-miles per vehicle-mile, passenger-miles per seat-mile and speed related to vehicular trip distance. Disaggregate cost data were collected for automobile, jitney and bus modes and were associated with causal factors such as vehicle-miles, vehicle-hours and number of vehicles. Bus transit costs associated with peak and off-peak periods of operation were determined.

The information obtained from the field studies and the analysis of observed data was used to develop a simulation procedure to plan for jitney operation. The procedure relied on a computer program to simulate and analyze operating service, quality of service, economic viability and fuel efficiency. The computer program simulated jitney and bus transit corridor operations. Manual computations were possible, but they were more time consuming and less flexible. Scenario analysis was used to demonstrate applications of the procedure and to show expected results of bus and jitney comparisons.

Other planning considerations to implement jitney services are introduced. These include opportunities for service implementation, desirable regulation and suggested approaches for establishing jitney operations.

Jitney opportunities are limited mostly by regulation rather than by their capabilities. It is strongly recommended that jitneys should be privately owned and operated. A profit incentive is necessary for jitneys if they are to remain efficient and effective.