2012 APTA Fact Book Appendix A - American Public Transportation ...

2012 Public Transportation Fact Book,
Appendix A: Historical Tables
GLOSSARY
Definitions are grouped by topic in the following categories:
• General Definitions
• Employee and Labor Definitions
• Energy Use and Vehicle Power Definitions
• Financial - Capital Expense Definitions
• Financial - Operating Expense Definitions
• Financial - Passenger Fare Structure Definitions
• Financial - Revenue Definitions
• Infrastructure – Rights-of-Way and Maintenance Facility Definitions
• Infrastructure – Passenger Station Definitions
• Mode of Service Definitions
• Operating Data - Service Supplied Definitions
• Passenger Data - Service Consumed Definitions
• Service Availability and Commute Mode Definitions
• Vehicle Characteristics Definitions
• Vehicle Equipment Definitions
GENERAL DEFINITIONS:
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Public Transportation (also called transit, public transit, or mass transit) is transportation by a
conveyance that provides regular and continuing general or special transportation to the public, but not
including school buses, charter or sightseeing service.
Transit agency (also called transit system) is an entity (public or private) responsible for administering
and managing transit activities and services. Transit agencies can directly operate transit service or
contract out for all or part of the total transit service provided. When financial and oversight responsibility
is with a public entity, it is a public transit agency. When more than one mode of service is operated, it
is a multimodal transit agency.
EMPLOYEE AND LABOR DEFINITIONS:
Capital Employee is a transit agency employee whose labor hour cost is reimbursed under a capital
grant or is otherwise capitalized. Generally, only large transit agencies have such employees.
Employees of contractors and suppliers of products are not included.
Employee is a person who works for a transit agency including employees of providers of purchased
transportation service..
Employee Compensation is the sum of the amount of pay employees receive in salaries and wages plus
the cost to the transit agency on fringe benefits to employees and employment related tax payments.
Only compensation for employees of the transit agency is included, compensation for employees of
purchased transportation service providers is reported in purchased transportation expense.
Fringe Benefits are payments to employees for time not actually worked and the cost of other employee
benefits to the transit agency. Payment for time not actually worked includes payments to the employee
for vacations, sick leave, holidays, and other paid leave. Other benefits include transit agencies
payments to other organizations for retirement plans, social security, workmen's compensation, health
insurance, other insurance, and other payments to other organizations for benefits to employees. Only