Annotated Bibliography - SSTI

Title Evaluating Public Transit Benefits and Costs: Best Practices Guidebook
Authors Todd Litman
Sponsor Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI)
Date October, 2011
Pages 124
Category BCA, Modes: Transit
Note
Online http://www.vtpi.org/tranben.pdf
Summary The report serves as a "comprehensive framework" for comparing costs and benefits of
automobile transportation to public transit, including productivity gains and property
values. It distinguishes between efficiency‐justified and equity justified services and the
measures used when considering transit and automobile use. Efficiency‐justified
services that intend to decrease congestion, accidents, and pollution, can be analyzed
using indicators that concentrate on cost‐effectiveness such as costs per passenger‐mile
or benefit‐cost ratio. Equity‐justified services aim to provide transport to disadvantaged
individuals.
The report also provides a comprehensive cost comparison summary between transit
and automobile investment including "urban‐peak external costs of transit and
automobile" and "per capita annual external costs of transit and automobile users".
Among the 12 costs calculated are operating subsidy, right of way land value,
congestion, external parking, and congestion. The average external costs per passenger
mile are assessed as $.202 for a car with an auto occupancy of 1.42 and $.336 for a
diesel bus with 10.2 passengers. However, under urban peak conditions externalities
are greater for auto travel and transit is its most efficient due largely to higher
passenger loads, almost reversing the relationship ($.464 for auto and $.295 for transit
ppm. The author urges individual analysis for each project and consideration of the
equity aspects of transit subsidy.
Annotated Bibliography Page 22