Citation

Heramb C, Sen A, Soot S. Transp. Res. Rec. 1979; 724: 1-8.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Jitney, one of the oldest paratransit modes and one of the few that are privately owned, is examined to ascertain its present and future viability. Land use, population, travel patterns, and transportation system characteristics are drawn from field observations and census sources for jitney corridors in Atlantic City, Chicago, and San Francisco. These corridors are prototypes of two different types of jitney operations: (a) taxicabs operating as jitneys and (b) specially licensed jitney vans. Jitney and bus operations are compared to differentiate the relative start-up and operating cost advantages of each mode. An advantage of the jitney is its low start-up cost. Corridors appraised to be suitable for jitneys are those that have a mix of intense land uses that generates a consistent demand for intracorridor travel, low rates of automobile ownership, and travel demand that is evenly dispersed spatially and temporally to reduce deadheading. However, the future viability of jitney could be endangered if fare increases instituted to provide adequate wages for drivers threaten jitney's competitiveness with publicly subsidized transit services.