Public Acceptance of New Mass Transit System

This paper presents attitudes of townspeople in the Morgantown, W.Va. area toward the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) System just prior to its opening. The attitudes are derived from home interviews of a representative sample of 305 nonstudent household heads. Two aspects of community acceptance are identified and examined: (1)Whether the respondents think that the PRT will be an efficient means of transportation; and (2) whether the respondents believe that the PRT is an asset to the community. The data indicate that persons who perceive the new system as contributing to a progressive image for the community were generally favorable toward the PRT. In addition, respondents who now use buses or who anticipate using the PRT are especially favorable toward the system as an asset to the community’s image.