Multiservice Transport Systems for Urban Mobility

New kinds of government-sponsored demonstrations of public mass transportation services and systems are needed if current and projected deficiencies in urban mobility are to be corrected. One such demonstration project approach, developed under the Urban Mass Transportation Act as amended in 1968 and called MUST for MUltiple Service Transportation is described. The new demonstration concept is designed to provide more useful information through more explicit demand analysis examining differential responses to a wide range of public transportation services, varying both quantities and qualities of transport service levels. Variables to be controlled in such demonstrations include routings and schedules, vehicle operations, types and sizes, and management organization, as well as pricing and real-time technology. The effective design and efficient execution of such demonstration projects represent complex planning and systems engineering challenges, although not necessarily large-scale construction of new facilities. The question is asked: Will planners and engineers accept these challenges?