Toolkit for Estimating Demand for Rural Intercity Bus Services

This issue provides a sketch-planning guide and supporting rared xls–based tools that can be used to forecast demand for rural intercity bus services. The tools use several methods to estimate demand, and the report describes key considerations when estimating such demand.

The objective of this work is to produce a sketch planning guide and supporting tools that can be used by both service providers and state transportation program managers to forecast demand for rural intercity bus services.

CONTENTS
Summary
Chapter 1 Introduction
Background
Objectives of the Research Project
Chapter 2 Review of Rural Intercity Demand Methods and Rural Intercity Services
Literature Review: Approaches to Estimating Rural Intercity Bus Demand
Recent Examples of Efforts to Estimate Ridership on Rural Intercity Services
Other Issues Considered in Developing a Model
Chapter 3 Inventory of Existing Rural Intercity Routes and Ridership
Data Requirements
Development of a Survey Tool
Identification of Potential Survey Respondents
Survey
Data Compilation
Chapter 4 Rural Intercity Bus Classification Scheme
Traditional (Rural) Intercity Bus Service
Other Services: Regional Private and Rural Public
Adequacy of Survey Data
Reclassification
Unsubsidized Rural Routes
Chapter 5 Development of the Sketch-Planning Tool
Need for Variety of Models/Tools
Development of Demand Models
Conclusions
Chapter 6 The Toolkit
Format
Comparables/Route Descriptions
Other Issues That Were Addressed in the Final Version of the Toolkit
Chapter 7 Conclusions
Conclusions
Ideas for Future Research
References
A-1 Appendix A Rural Intercity Provider Survey Form
B-1 Appendix B Simplified Survey
C-1 Appendix C GIS Maps of Rural Intercity Bus Routes
D-1 Appendix D Rural Intercity Bus Route–Level Data by State
E-1 Appendix E Instructions for Use of the Toolkit CD for Estimating Demand of Rural Intercity Bus Services