A comparative analysis of public transportation services for the elderly market segment of two cities : Johnson City and Kingsport, Tennessee

This thesis examines the public transportation services of two small urban cities -- Johnson City, Tennessee and Kingsport, Tennessee -- and investigates the travel behavior of the elderly market segment in each of the cities. It determines whether public transportation services (fixed-route and demand-responsive) in these two cities are addressing operational, economical, and psychological barriers of the riders, particularly the elderly, through ridership characteristics and market segmentation. Johnson City and Kingsport are similar in area size, population, and geographic location but have very different public transportation services. Therefore, the different definitions, approaches, and perspectives in the two small urban cities are presented.