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Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 - FTA
Click HERE for graphic. NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. Neither the Community Transportation Association of America nor the United States Government assumes any liability for its contents or use thereof. This report was prepared by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) for the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP), administered by the American Public Works Association under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration (FTA). FTA's national RTAP program coordinates resources, technical assistance and training designed to improve the delivery of transit services in rural areas across the country. The project team for this directory was headed by CTAA's Director of Public Policy George Rucker. Assisting in the collection of data and preparation of this report were: Chris Zeilinger, Carolyn Jesky, Scott Bogren, Gail Cain, Rita Harmon, Gail Hyman, Nathalie Oliver, Barbara Rasin Price, David Raphael and Donna Savage. Questions or comments about this report should be addressed to the RTAP National Transit Resource Center Hotline at (800) 527-8279 (Voice/TDD), The TAP-IN bulletin board service at (202) 628-2537 or through the Internet at CTRmag@aol.com. Table of Contents Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Chapter 1 The Section 18 Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Chapter 2 Demographics of Section 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Chapter 3 The Section 18 Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Chapter 4 The Section 18 Fleet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Chapter 5 Rural Transit Facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter 6 The Section 18 Work Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Chapter 7 Types of Service Provided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Chapter 8 Revenue Sources and Funding Patterns. . . . . . . . . 20 Chapter 9 Who Rides Section 18 and Why. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Chapter 10 Section 18 Coverage and Levels of Service . . . . . . 27 Appendix Data Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-1 i Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Executive Summary Based on data gathered for the 1992 fiscal year, the Section 18 net- work reflects the following characteristics: - The majority of Section 18 recipients, 58 percent, are public enti- ties. Thirty-seven percent are private nonprofit agencies, three percent are private for-profit organizations and two percent are tribal agencies. - Most Section 18 recipients are small. Twenty-five percent of all providers operate one or two vehicles, less than a third operate more than 10 vehicles. The median fleet has six vehicles, representing a 15 percent increase over the median size reported in 1989. - Most Section 18 recipients operate in sparsely settled areas. Sixty percent of all providers serve an area with less than 100 persons per square mile. One in eight serves an area with less than 10 persons per square mile. - Most Section 18 vehicles are vans. Vans carrying eight to 15 pas- sengers make up 53 percent of all vehicles; small buses (1 6 to 24 passengers) account for another 21 percent. The fleet is seriously over-age with the average van currently past its expected life. - Nearly half of all Section 18 vehicles are wheelchair accessible. Accessibility has increased significantly in recent years and is now characteristic of 40 percent of all vans and two-thirds of all small buses. For agencies with the smallest fleets, those figures increase. - Most Section 18 providers do not have their own maintenance facilities. Twenty-nine percent of the providers own a maintenance fa- cility, and nearly half of these share it with other local agencies. Another 9 percent rent a maintenance facility. Four-fifths of the agencies that have their own maintenance facility rated it as good or excellent. - Demand-response service is the most common mode among Sec- ii Status Report on Public Transportation in America, 1994 tion 18 providers. Eighty-six percent of all providers offer demand- response service, with 31 percent offering fixed-route service as well. Though less than half of the agencies utilize fixed-route service, that mode accounts for a majority of the total passenger trips. - The core ridership is made up of transit dependent persons. Sixty- two percent of Section 18 riders are women, 36 percent are elderly (compared with less than 18 percent of the total rural population), and 24 percent have some form of disability. - Jobs and human services are the leading destinations. One-fifth of an trips are work-related, another 17 percent provide access to human services and a further 14 percent are in connection with health care. - The average annual operating budget for a Section 18 provider is $316,150. State and local funds account for 40 percent of this total and Section 18 funds account for 24 percent. - Currently, Medicaid accounts for 6 percent of total operating funds for Section 18 providers and Medicaid reimbursements represent nearly half of an human services transportation funding received by Section 18 agencies. - The typical Section 18 agency provides 83,000 trips a year, and averages 20,000 miles per vehicle per year. The average trip involves 2.6 vehicle miles and costs $3.81 per trip and $1.48 per vehicle-mile. - Much of rural America remains unserved. Thirty-eight percent of the nation's rural residents live in areas without any public transit service and another 28 percent live in areas in which the level of transit service is negligible (i.e., equivalent to less than 25 yearly trips for each household without a vehicle). The comparative level of transit service in urban areas is equivalent to 955 trips for each carless household. iii Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Preface This Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 reports the findings of a nationwide study of transit systems funded un- der Section 18 of the Federal Transit Act. The year-long project was funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through its Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) and carried out by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). Its principal purposes were: (1) To identify the current population being served by public transportation in rural areas, and the characteristics of the services provided; (2) To identify the number and characteristics of local transit agencies providing services in rural areas; and (3) To assess the unserved needs and populations in rural areas of the United States. Data were collected from the 1,147 agencies identified as receiving Section 18 funding and providing service during 1992. Certain basic information (nature of organization, fleet size, service area, types of service provided and total ridership) was obtained from all. Additional details on operational aspects were obtained from a large portion of the total network. The percentage responding ranged from 57 percent on trip purposes to 66 percent on vehicle characteristics and maintenance facilities; and from 73 percent on funding sources to 89 percent on staff size and composition. This report is a companion to the Directory of Rural Public Transportation Providers Funded by FTA's Section 18 Program and the Directory of Specialized Transportation Providers Funded by FTA's Section 16 Program, to be published by FTA in the near future. It follows a 1991 CTAA report, Section 18: A Profile of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's Section 18 Rural Transportation Funding Program and, wherever possible, notes changes in the network that have occurred since preparation of that report (which was based on sample data gathered in 1989). iv Status Report on Public Transportation in America, 1994 Chapter 1 The Section 18 Program Prior to 1978, virtually all federal transit assistance went to urban areas. In that year, Congress created a new program of transit assistance to areas other than urbanized areas. Urbanized areas (UZAs) have a population of at least 50,000. For federal transit programs (and for this report), the remainder of the country is considered rural. The new rural program became Section 18 of the Federal Transit Act. Section 18 funds are apportioned to the states according to a statu- tory formula based on each state's population in rural areas and places of less than 50,000 residents. Administration of the funds is by the states (following national guidelines), which make specific funding decisions and monitor program implementation. During the first dozen years of Section 18's existence, its funding level averaged $72 million a year, but 1991's Intermodal Surface Trans- portation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) increased the share of formula assis- tance going to rural areas from 2.9 to 5.5 percent, and the most recent appropriations act (for FY '95) provides $133 million for the program. Click HERE for graphic. Since FY '84, a number of states have also transferred funds from their apportionment for small-urban areas to the rural program. Under ISTEA, states can, in addition, transfer highway funds to Section 18 for use as capital assistance. Despite its increased share of formula assistance, the Section 18 program still accounts for less than 3 percent of the FTA budget. 1 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 2 Demographics of Section 18 Nearly two-thirds of America's population lives in urbanized areas. Of the 249 million people counted by the 1990 Census, 94 million were found in the 33 largest urbanized areas (those of a million or more people). Another 38 million live in areas with between 200,000 and a million residents and 26 million live in areas of between 50,000 and 200,000. That leaves almost 91 million people, or 36 percent of the population, living outside of urbanized areas. While rural America's population grew by 3.5 percent between 1980 and 1990, total U.S. population growth was roughly 10 percent and urban areas grew by nearly 14 percent (including the designation of 33 new urban areas as a result of the 1990 Census). Large-Urban Areas 94 million Medium-Urban Areas 38 million Small-Urban Areas 26 million Rural Areas 91 million Total 249 million Regionally, the size of the rural population varies, greatly. In the West, rural residents account for only one-fourth of the population, while 44 percent of all residents live in rural areas in the South. In the Midwest, 43 percent of the population is rural while in the Northeast, it is 28 percent. Click HERE for graphic. Nearly 41 percent of the rural population lives in areas close enough to urban centers to be considered part of a metropolitan area. Here, too, the regions can differ widely: almost two-thirds of the non-urban population in the Northeast is inside metropolitan counties, while two- thirds of the Midwest's non-urban population is found out side metropolitan counties. The Section 18 service area includes 773 cities with a population 2 Status Report on Public Transportation In Rural America, 1994 between 10,000 and 50,000. These cities comprise 15 percent of the rural population (23 percent in the West, 17 percent in the Midwest, 14 percent in the South and 9 per-cent in the Northeast). Transit Dependent It is widely recognized that rural residents who are elderly, disabled or poor are particularly transit dependent. Nationally, 76 million people are transit dependent (based on 1990 Census data) and rural areas account for 29 million of them, or 38 percent of the total. Thirty-two percent of all rural residents are classified as transit dependent, including 36 percent of rural Americans living in non- metropolitan areas. By contrast, only 30 percent of urban residents are so classified. Click HERE for graphic. Another obvious indicator of transit need is the number of households lacking access to a car or similar vehicle for personal use. The 1990 Census reported 10.6 million carless households. While the majority of those are found in the largest urban areas, rural areas account for nearly one-fourth of the total: one of every 13 rural households is dependent on others for mobility. In small and medium-sized urban areas, one of every 10 households is without a personal vehicle, and in the largest urban areas, it is one in six. The fact that large urban areas have a high percentage of carless, households is in part a reflection of the fact that transit availability reduces the need for personal vehicles. AR of our major cities have public transportation systems, but, as will be seen later, two-fifths of America's rural households are located in areas without any public transportation service. Finally, it is worth noting that carless, households are far more common in non-metropolitan areas than in the rural portions of metropolitan areas. Summary The Section 18 service area includes nearly 3.5 million square miles and almost 91 million people, 32 percent of whom are disadvantaged by age, poverty and/or disability. One-in-nine rural Americans live in a household without a personal vehicle. To put it another way, the Section 18 program is expected to serve 36 percent of the overall popula- 3 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 tion, 38 percent of the transit-dependent population and 24 percent of persons living in carless households. For detailed demographic data on urban and rural areas by census region, see Appendix Tables 1 and 2. 4 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 3 The Section 18 Network Approximately 40 percent of rural providers are located in the Mid- west and 29 percent in the South. The majority of the Section 18 providers are public entities. In the Northeast, public providers account for two-thirds of the Section 18 network. Since 1989, the public-body share of the network increased in every region but the West, where it remained the same. Thirty-seven percent of rural transit providers are nonprofit agen- cies. Nonprofits are most common in the South, where they account for 45 percent of all providers, and least common in the Northeast, where they constitute less than a quarter of the total. The percentage of nonprofit agencies declined slightly from 1989 in all four regions. Only 3 percent of the identified providers are for-profit agencies, mainly concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. The number of for- profit agencies fell by 30 percent over the past five years, declining as a share in each region except the South (where they make up less than 1 percent of the network). As noted in Chapter 7, however, a substantial number of Section 18 providers do not provide all of the service themselves. For-profit entities make up a significant share of those with whom Section 18 recipients contract for transit services. Section 18 Providers by Type Public Bodies 662 (58%) Nonprofit Agencies 428 (37%) Private Companies 39 (3%) Tribal Entities 18 (2%) Total 1147 Only 2 percent of the providers indicated that they were tribal entities. The vast majority of these Native American recipients are in the Midwest and the West. Increase in Fleet Sizes The average size of a Section 18 provider has increased in recent years, though many still operate a very modest number of vehicles. The profile of the network prepared in 1989 found the average fleet to be almost nine vehicles and the median fleet to be five vehicles. The cur- rent network has an average fleet of nearly 11 vehicles and a median fleet of six vehicles. Average fleet sizes have increased in every region. 5 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Despite these increases, nearly a fourth of the network still operates only one or two vehicles and only 31 percent operate more than 10. The largest fleets are characteristic of the South, where nearly half of the agencies operate 11 or more vehicles, and the smallest are characteristic of the Midwest, where half the agencies operate no more than four vehicles and 36 percent operate no more than two. Section 18 Providers by Size No Vehicles 2 (.3%) 1 to 2 Vehicles 280 (24%) 3 to 5 Vehicles 256 (22%) 6 to 10 Vehicles 253 (22%) Over 10 Vehicles 356 (31%) Fleets tend to be somewhat larger among non-profit providers than among public agencies, but the difference is not large and probably reflects the fact that nonprofits are far more likely than public agencies to have a multi-county service area. More than one-fourth of the Section 18 providers operate in a single town or small city. The average town served has a population of less than 16,000 (except in the South, where it is almost 18,000), so these systems operate in a very low-density environment compared with urban transit providers. The majority of Section 18 providers operate in a single county. Except in the West, the average county served has an area of less than 800 square miles and, except in the Northeast, a population of far less than 50,000. The average density of counties served ranges from 15 persons per square mile in the West to 112 in the Northeast. Section 18 Providers by Service Area City/Town 303 (26%) County-Wide 591 (52%) Multi-County 244 (21%) Intercity Only 9 (1%) One-fifth of the network serves more than one county, generally three to five counties each. The service areas of these agencies typically exceed 2,000 square miles and, in the West, average nearly 8,000 square miles. The densities involved are thus even lower than for agencies operating within single counties. One out of every eight Section 18 providers operates in a service area that contains fewer than 10 persons per square mile. Summary The rural public transit network differs dramatically from the conventional urban transit model - in terms of the type of agencies pro- viding transit services, fleet size and the extent of their service area. While nine out of ten urban transit agencies are public bodies, this is 6 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 true of less than 60 percent of the Section 18 network While the average urban system has a fleet of more than 80 buses, the average Section 18 agency operates less than 12 vehicles. And, while all urban agencies operate in a high-density urban environment, three-fourths of the Sec- tion 18 network operate county-wide or even in multi-county areas. See Appendix Tables 3 and 4 for details on provider type and size by census region and nature of service. 7 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 4 The Section 18 Fleet As noted earlier, the Section 18 fleet has grown by more than a fifth since 1989 and now totals more than 12,200 vehicles. The average fleet size for a public body is 10, while nonprofit providers average just over 12 vehicles each. Fleet Characteristics by Agency Type Public Nonprofit Other All Number of Providers 662 428 57 1,147 Number of Vehicles 6,730 5,181 312 12,223 Average Fleet Size 10.0 12.2 5.5 10.6 Vans More than half of the vehicles operated by the Section 18 network are vans, with 8 to 15 seats. Together with other small vehicles (sedans and station wagons), they account for 64 percent of all Section 18 ve- hicles, compared with 61 percent in 1989. In the South, vans alone ac- count for 65 percent of all vehicles. In the Northeast, in contrast, vans comprise less than 30 percent of the fleet. Vans make up two- thirds of all vehicles operated by the smallest providers (those with only one or two vehicles). Vans are also more numerous in the fleets of nonprofits than those of public agencies. Two manufacturers account for almost four-fifths of all vans cur- rently in service: standard Dodge vans make up about 42 percent of the active fleet and standard Ford vans account for 37 percent. (Modified vans account for less than 15 percent of the total van fleet.) Small Buses Small buses, seating 16 to 24 passengers, are the second largest vehicle type in service today. They comprise 21 percent of the Section 18 fleet nation-wide, compared with 18 percent five years ago. Small buses constitute the largest category in the Northeast, where they make up 39 percent of all vehicles, while in the South, they account for only 14 percent of the fleet. Small buses are more numerous in the fleets of public 8 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 agencies than those of nonprofits, and are most common in fleets of 6 to 10 vehicles. The small bus market among Section 18 providers includes more than 20 manufacturers, but five account for almost half of the total: Champion (15 percent), El Dorado National (13 percent), Diamond (6 percent) and Thomas and Supreme (5 percent each). Medium Buses Medium-sized buses seating 25 to 35 persons make up only 9 percent of the Section 18 fleet nationwide, but they account for one-fifth of all vehicles in the West. They are also utilized more by public transit agencies than by nonprofits: 13 percent of the public fleet versus 4 percent of the nonprofit fleet. To a large extent, this difference reflects the higher frequency of fixed-route service among public agencies. The share of the Section 18 fleet represented by medium and larger buses has declined significantly since 1989, from 21 percent to 15 percent. Nearly half of the medium-sized buses in the Section 18 fleet come from four manufacturers: Bluebird (16 percent), Bus Industries of America (13 percent), Thomas (11 percent) and TMC (9 percent). Vehicle Types Vans 53% Small Buses 21% Medium Buses 9% Large Buses 6% Other 11% Large Buses Six percent of the Section 18 fleet consists of buses with a capacity in excess of 35 seats. Large buses are most frequently found in the West and least often in the Midwest. As would be expected, they are most often found in the larger fleets and among transit authorities and other public bodies. Four firms account for more than 60 percent of the large buses in Section 18 service: GMC (28 percent), Thomas (16 percent), Gillig and Neoplan (10 percent each). Accessibility Section 18 providers indicate that 40 percent of all their vehicles are equipped with wheelchair lifts or ramps (45 percent of vehicles with more than seven seats). This represents a substantial increase during the past five years, since only 34 percent of the Section 18 fleet was lift or ramp-equipped in 1989. Two-thirds of all small buses are reported as accessible, compared with only 51 percent in 1989. 9 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 The smaller fleets show the highest average rate of accessibility. Seventy percent of all vehicles in fleets of one or two vehicles are accessible; 59 percent of vehicles in fleets of three to five vehicles are accessible. Thus, 62 percent of all vehicles in smaller fleets (five or less) are accessible, compared with 38 percent of all vehicles in the larger fleets. In 1989, in contrast, there was very little difference between these two categories. Similarly, the difference between public and nonprofit agencies has sharpened substantially since 1989. Among public agencies, 54 percent of all vehicles (and 60 percent of those with eight seats or more) are currently accessible, compared with 38 percent in 1989. Among nonprofits, 35 percent of all vehicles (and 40 percent of those with eight seats or more) are lift- or ramp-equipped now, compared with 32 percent in 1989. It should be noted that two-thirds of the service provided by public agencies is fixed-route, while nearly three-fourths of that provided by nonprofits is demand-response. Accessible Vehicles Vans 40% Small Buses 67% Medium Buses 44% Large Buses 22% All Vehicles 40% There are clear regional differences in vehicle accessibility levels. In the Northeast, 60 percent of all vehicles of eight seats or more are reported to be lift- or ramp-equipped, while in the South the figure is 32 percent. This pattern is reflected for virtually all vehicle types. Replacement Needs The survey data make it clear that the Section 18 fleet is seriously over-age. If a four-year or 100,000 mile life is assumed for vehicles of less than 26 seats, seven years or 200,000 miles for medium buses and 12 years or 500,000 miles for large buses, nearly half of the total fleet is past life-expectancy Replacement Needs (Over-Age Vehicles) Vans 3,293 50% Small Buses 1,284 50% Medium Buses 506 46% Large Buses 271 37% All Vehicles 5,867 48% The over-age fleet problem appears to be worst in the Midwest and least severe in the South. It also appears to be somewhat more serious for nonprofits than for public agencies. Using the same life-expectancies as a basis and without dealing with the current backlog of vehicles past their normal life expectancy, the annual replacement need is more than 2,800 vehicles. If the backlog of overage ve- 10 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 hicles were to be replaced over a five year period, the annual replace- ment need would be nearly 4,000 vehicles. Vehicle Funding Currently FTA data show the Section 18 program itself as funding sources approximately 650 vehicles a year, a level achieved in the past two years. This means the program is meeting less than a quarter of the annual replacement needs.. even if the existing backlog is ignored. However, data on vehicle funding collected from the providers them- selves suggest that Section 18 plays a larger role than the foregoing would suggest, indicating that Section 18 funding was involved in at least 40 percent of the purchases, or almost 5,000 of the current vehicles. Next in importance among FTA sources is Section 16 assistance, which supports services to the elderly and persons with disabilities. This source accounts for 17 percent of all Section 18 fleet acquisitions. Almost 300 Section 18 providers have vehicles acquired with Section 16 funds. Section 3 capital assistance from FTA was mentioned in connection with less than 10 percent of the vehicles purchased. Summary The Section 18 fleet has increased significantly in recent years and now numbers more than 12,000 vehicles. More than half of these vehicles are vans and another one-fifth are small buses. Accessibility has also increased substantially with nearly half of all vans and buses lift- or ramp-equipped, including more than 60 percent of those in agencies with a fleet of 5 or fewer. The Section 18 fleet is badly over-age with almost half of all vehicles beyond normal life expectancy Annual replacement of nearly 4,000 vehicles would be necessary to eliminate this backlog within a 5- year period. The two most important funding sources for vehicle acquisition are FTA's Section 18 and 16 programs. See Appendix Tables 5 through 9 for details on fleet and vehicle characteristics by census region and by type and size of provider. 11 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 5 Rural Transit Facilities Administrative Offices The majority of Section 18 providers report that they own their administrative facilities. This is true in all four census regions and for both large and small providers. However, it is more typical of public bodies than nonprofit agencies, where 44 percent are owners. One-third of the public systems indicate that they are housed in a local government facility owned by their parent institution. This group makes up nearly one-fourth of all those who are owners of their office space. Status of Section 18 Facilities Owned Rented None Administrative 635 (55%) 512 (45%) Maintenance 333 (29%) 146 (13%) 668 (58%) For the other owners, federal funding plays a leading role in the acquisition of their administrative quarters in a third of the cases. It is more frequent in the Northeast and for the larger agencies. Among those reporting use of funds from a specific federal program, Section 18 funds are mentioned as often as Section 3 capital assistance. Maintenance Facilities Maintenance facilities are far less common. Twenty-nine percent of the providers indicate that they operate their own maintenance quarters; 14 percent of those are local government facilities and are usually shared with other vehicle operators. Another 13 percent rent a maintenance area and the remaining 58 percent of providers send their vehicles elsewhere for maintenance. Ownership is most common in the Northeast and least common in the Midwest region. It is significantly more usual among public agencies than nonprofits and also more cus- Maintenance Facilities by Agency Size Owned Rented None Small (Under 5 Vehicles) 117 (22%) 41 (8%) 380 (70%) Large (6 or More) 216 (36%) 105 (17%) 288 (47%) 12 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 tomary among larger providers. One-fourth of the small agencies that say they own a maintenance facility indicate that it is not exclusively theirs. The average maintenance facility is 9,000 square feet for owners and about 5,000 square feet for renters. These are surprisingly large num- bers, considering the predominance of relatively small fleets in the Section 18 network Again, the figures are no doubt influenced by those Section 18 providers whose maintenance facility is used by others as well. Federal funding is more important for the acquisition of maintenance facilities than is the case for administrative space. Section 18 or other federal funds were involved in the purchase of about half of those maintenance facilities that are not shared with other local government agencies. State funding does not appear to have the leading role often, but it is frequently indicated as a supplemental source (for example, as a match for a federal program). Rating the Facilities Rural providers with maintenance facilities were asked to rate their adequacy in terms of size and equipment. Nearly three-fourths of the owners and more than 60 percent of the renters considered their current facility large enough. Two-thirds of owners and 55 percent of renters said they are adequately equipped. Two-thirds of renters and 87 per cent of owners rated their facility as good or excellent overall. Acquisition and Renovation Asked about definite plans to acquire or renovate facilities, 8 percent of all providers indicated plans to acquire new administrative space and 16 percent said they planned to expand or renovate their present space. Acquisition plans were most common among renters in the Northeast, more likely for public agencies than nonprofits and more likely for larger agencies than for small ones. Plans to: Administrative Maintenance Acquire or Replace 95 (8%) 152 (13%) Improve 187 (16%) 105 (9%) In terms of the more ambitious commitment to acquire maintenance space, only 9 percent of those currently without such a facility indicated plans to acquire one; the share having such plans was highest in the Northeast and among larger providers. Thirty-eight percent of 13 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 those currently renting maintenance space said they planned to acquire their own garage. Seventeen percent indicated plans to improve their present facility. In short, a majority of those renting maintenance space plan to upgrade in one way or another. The same is true of 35 percent of those owning maintenance facilities. Over all, roughly 150 rural operators plan to invest in a new maintenance facility and another 100 plan improvements in existing maintenance facilities. Such plans are far more characteristic of large agencies than of small ones. Summary While the majority of Section 18 operators own the office space they use (sometimes jointly with their primary agency), only 29 percent op- erate their own maintenance facilities. Another 13 percent rent a facility, but most must send their vehicles elsewhere for service. Four-fifths of those having a maintenance facility rate it as good or excellent. One-fifth of all Section 18 agencies plan to invest in a maintenance shop, with most of those contemplating acquisition of a new facility. See Appendix Tables 10 through 15 for details on the current status and investment plans relative to administrative and maintenance facilities by census region and by type and Size of agency. 14 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 6 The Section 18 Work Force The nearly 1,150 Section 18 providers report a work force that in- cludes almost 8,500 full-time employees, an additional 7,700 part-time employees and nearly 5,700 volunteers. Assuming that the average part- time employee works at least 20 hours a week and the average volunteer works 6 hours a week: - the full Section 18 work force totals 13,173 full-time-equivalent employees (FTEs), - the average operator employs the equivalent of 11-plus FTEs, - full-time employees make up 64 percent of the work force, and volunteers make up 6 percent of the Section 18 work force. Makeup of Section 18 Workforce Full-Time Employe 8,500 Part-Time Employees 7,700 Volunteers 5,700 The use of volunteers is reported by nearly one-fourth of all agencies, that figure drops to 12 percent for agencies serving a single town or city, but rises to 38 percent for agencies with a multi-county service area. Regionally, volunteers are used somewhat more frequently in the South and Midwest and least frequently in the West. Despite the higher frequency with which volunteers are reported in the South, they account for only a minor share of FTEs in that region. In the Midwest, volunteers account for 10 percent of total staff resources. The size of an agency has a significant effect on staffing patterns. The smallest providers (those with 5 vehicles or fewer) operate with an average of 4 FTEs, with only slightly over half of those being full-time employees. Among providers with six vehicles or more, staff averages 18 FTEs, two-thirds of whom are full-time employees. Breakdown of Workforce in Terms of FTEs (13,170 Full-Time Equivalent Employees) Full Time 64% Part Time 30% Volunteer 6% Thirteen percent of all Section 18 agencies report that they operate with no full-time staff, using only part-time em- 15 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 ployees and/or volunteers. Nearly one-fourth of the small agencies (fleets of five or fewer vehicles) indicate that this is their situation. Regionally, this staffing pattern is most common in the Midwest and virtually nonexistent in the South. Part-time staff is most important for the agencies serving a single city or town, where such employees account for more than two-fifths of estimated staff resources. Summary More than one-fourth of the nearly 22,000 people involved in the operation of the Section 18 network are volunteers, though they probably account for about 6 percent of total staff hours. Another 30 percent of the Section 18 work force is employed part-time (indeed, 13 percent of all agencies report no full-time staff). The average agency employs 19 persons, which is equivalent to 11.5 full-time employees. See Appendix Tables 16 through 18 for details on staffing patterns by census region, by agency size and type and by nature of service. 16 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 7 Types of Service Provided The more than 12,000 Section 18 vehicles traveled a total of 245 million miles in 1992, delivering roughly 95 million trips. The average of 20,000 miles per rural vehicle compares with 27,000 per bus in urban transit. Of course, the urban system vehicles are almost all fun-sized transit buses, while two-thirds of the Section 18 vehicles are vans or small buses. Three major types of service are involved: demand-response, fixed- route and subscription. Six out of seven Section 18 providers offer at least some demand- response service. This type accounts for 30 percent of all trips and involves about half of the total vehicle miles of operation. The average demand-response trip involves about 4 vehicle miles. Click HERE for graphic. Some fixed-route service is reported by 42 percent of the network, with three-fourths of those indicating that they offer demand-response service as well. This type of service accounts for more than half of all trips but only involves about one-third of total vehicle miles. The average fixed-route trip involves about one-third as many vehicle-miles as the average demand-response trip. Subscription service (provided on a regular prearranged basis) accounts for 13 percent of all trips and less than one-fifth of total vehicle-miles. Regionally, the predominance of fixedroute service is greatest in the Northeast, where it is reported by 68 percent of the providers and accounts for 69 percent of all trips; and least in the Midwest, where it is reported by 33 percent of the providers and makes up 36 percent of total service. 17 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Percentage of Trips by Mode City/ County- Multi- Town Wide County Fixed-Route 84% 44% 28% Demand-Response 14% 31% 46% Subscription 1% 18% 23% Other 1% 2% 3% The type of service area does not seem to impact on the types of service offered, but it does have a strong relationship with the number of trips accounted for by each mode. While 41 percent of agencies serving a single town or city offer fixed-route service, that mode accounts for 84 percent of all trips in those service areas. By contrast, a similar share (40 percent) of all providers serving more than one county report at least some fixed-route service, but it only accounts for 28 percent of their total trips. Use of Contract Services Ten percent of rural transit agencies identified in the current analysis do not actually provide transportation service: while they are responsible for service design and related planning, they contract with one or more agencies or companies to deliver the rides. Another 11 percent of the providers contract for part of their operation, such as night or weekend service. This means that one-fifth of the network uses contract providers to at least some extent (a distinct drop from the one-fourth that reported using contract services in the 1989 analysis). Therefore, the total number of actual providers of Section 18 service is between 1,300 and 1,400, as compared with 1,150 recipients. Share Contracting For: Some All Public Bodies 11% 15% Nonprofits 12% 4% All Recipients 11% 10% Use of contracting for service is most prevalent in the Northeast. In Massachusetts, for example, almost all public transit agencies contract for the actual operation of the vehicles. Contracting is least frequent in the Midwest and the South. Public bodies are almost twice as likely to contract for service as are nonprofits. Agency size is also associated with contracting for service. Larger agencies are more likely to contract for service and are especially likely to provide the same combination of in-house and contracted service. Summary The Section 18 network operates nearly 245 million vehicle-miles annually to provide more than 95 million trips to rural residents. De- mand-response service is offered by 86 percent of the agencies but ac- counts for 30 percent of all trips. Fixed-route service is used by 42 per- 18 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 cent of the agencies and accounts for more than half of all trips. Subscription service makes up 13 percent of the total. Fixed-route service is most common among agencies serving a single town or city, accounting for 84 percent of all trips provided by those agencies. In contrast, demand-response service makes up almost half of all trips by multi-county providers. A fifth of all Section 18 agencies contract with other providers for at least some of their service (ten percent contract out for all of their service). Contracting is more frequent among public bodies than nonprofit agencies. See Appendix Tables 19 through 22 for details on types of service, vehicle-miles and contracting out by census region, agency type and size, and nature of service. 19 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 8 Revenue Sources and Funding Patterns The total annual operating budget for the Section 18 network in 1992 was roughly $363 million, an average of $316,150 per agency. This figure represents a 37 percent increase from the average operating bud- get reported in 1989, but at least half of this increase can be attributed to inflation. The average budget for a public agency provider is almost a third larger than that of the average nonprofit provider. Budget size varies widely, as evidenced by the fact that the median budget of $161,160 (which half of the agencies equal or exceed) is about half as large as the numerical average. Providers were asked to estimate the share of their funding coming from various sources. Ninety percent indicated that they receive some revenue from fares or rider contributions, constituting 15 percent of an funding (down marginally from the data reported in 1989). Fares are a more important source for public than for nonprofit agencies. Federal Funding All providers reported some Section 18 funding, which accounts for 24 percent of the average operating budget (down from 29 percent reported in 1989). Section 18 funding represents a larger share of the budget of smaller agencies than for the larger ones, and it is generally more important for nonprofit than for public agencies. The projected total of $88 million in Section 18 funds is consistent with FTA data on obligations, as the FTA reported total funding for rural operations and project administration to be $82.2 million in Fiscal Year 1992. Sources of Operating Revenue Public Non- All Agencies Profit State/Local 40% 52% 21% Section 18 24% 20% 30% Fares/Contributions 15% 17% 11% Human Serv. Programs 14% 5% 29% In-Kind 2% 1% 3% Other 5% 5% 6% 20 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 State and Local Funding Eighty-six percent of rural public transit agencies receive funding from state and/or local governments. This is the single most important source of funds, accounting for 40 percent of revenue, a significant in- crease from the 34 percent reported in 1989. The mix of state and local funding includes: - 42 percent of the rural operators receive both state and local funding - 30 percent report only local funding and - 14 percent report only state funding. Overall, state and local funding each accounts for about 20 percent of total revenues. As would be expected, state and local assistance is far more important for public providers than for nonprofits. Regional Patterns There are regional patterns reflected in funding data, a substantial share of which is likely a function of regional differences in type and size of agencies. The largest budgets are characteristic of the Northeast region and the smallest budgets are seen in the Midwest region. Dependence on Section 18 funds is greatest in the South (34 percent of revenues) and least in the West (13 percent). Conversely, state and local government funding is most important in the West (58 percent of revenues) and least important in the South (23 percent). Human Services Funding Revenue from human services programs is almost as important as that from fares and contributions, accounting for 14 percent of an operating funds. For nonprofit agencies, this revenue source accounts for 29 percent of operating funds, with almost half of it represented by Medicaid reimbursements. Click HERE for graphic. Human services programs are as important as state and local funding in the South but provide only 3 percent of revenue in the West. Nearly two-thirds of all providers in the South report at least some human services program income. Medicaid is the most important in dollar terms, although elderly funding is reported more often. In the Midwest region, elderly funding is also the most important of the human services sources. 21 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Based on the total number of trips reported, compared with the aggregate operating budget, the average Section 18-funded trip cost was $3.80. Half of all agencies reported average trip costs of at least $4.60, but more than one-fourth reported an average cost of less than $3.00 per trip and 41 percent reported average costs of between $3.00 and $6.00. Agencies reporting fixed route service but no demand-response operations reported an average trip cost of $3.00 - one-third lower than the $4.60 trip cost reported by agencies with demand-response but no fixed-route service. Click HERE for graphic. For purposes of comparison, Section 15 data on urban transit opera- tions indicate an overall average of $1.80 in operating cost per trip (excluding rail). The lower urban costs are largely due to the predominance of fixed-route service as well as to the ability to fill larger vehicles. Costs for demand-response service in urban areas are dramatically higher than in rural areas, with an average of $10.55 in operating expenses per demand-response trip - more than twice the average reported in the Section 18 program. Multiple factors affect average trip costs. The Section 18 data indicate that the most important factor together with the mode of service delivery is the nature of the service area. The average trip cost for agencies serving a single city or town was 40 percent less than the national average. Service area density similarly shows its effect: the average trip cost for agencies with a service area density of 1,000 persons or more per square mile is almost half that for agencies with low density service areas (under 100 persons per square mile). Summary The total operating budget of Section 18-funded agencies in 1992 was approximately $363 million, reflecting a 37 percent increase since 1989. The principal sources of revenue were: state and local funding (40 percent), federal Section 18 funds (24 percent), fares and contributions (15 percent) and income from human services programs (14 percent). Human services programs account for 29 percent of all revenues for nonprofit agencies but only 5 percent of the operating budgets of public agencies. For both groups, the most important of the human services funding sources is reimbursement for Medicaid transportation. 22 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Average trip costs for all Section 18 agencies was approximately $3.80. The principal factors appearing to affect trip costs are the population density of the service area and the type of service provided. See Appendix Tables 23 through 25 for details on revenue sources and average trip costs by census region, type and size of agency and nature of service area. 23 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Chapter 9 Who Rides Section 18 and Why Rural transit ridership is disproportionately female and transit de- pendent. Sixty-two percent of Section 18 riders are women, despite the fact that the female share of the rural population is only 51 percent. The elderly make up 36 percent of ridership although only 18 percent of rural residents are aged 60 or older. Finally, 24 percent of riders reportedly have a disability, while only 13 percent of rural residents are disabled according to the Census. All City/Town County Multi-County Number of Trips 95 mil. 29 mil. 35 mil. 31 mil. Females 62% 55% 65% 65% Elderly and Disabled 11% 6% 15% 13% Other Elderly 25% 16% 31% 28% Other Disabled 13% 7% 17% 19% All Other 51% 71% 37% 40% The predominance of women riders is greatest in the Northeast and Midwest and least in the West. The gender difference in ridership is more marked for nonprofits than for public agencies and higher for small providers than for larger ones. Similarly, the share of elderly and disabled riders is greater for nonprofits than for public bodies and for small agencies as compared with large agencies. And the most dramatic difference in ridership is that associated with differences in service area. Less than 30 percent of the riders of systems serving a single town or city are elderly or disabled, while more than 60 percent of the ridership of agencies with county-wide or multi-county service areas fall into those categories. Trip Purposes Section 18 providers were asked to estimate the distribution of their service by major trip purposes. Since most do not maintain records on this aspect of their operations, the results are approximations. Trips to and from jobs or job training make up the largest single category, with 24 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 20 percent of all trips estimated as being for those purposes. (For comparison purposes, 1990 data from the Nationwide Personal Transporta- tion Survey (NPTS) show journey-to-work as accounting for 26 percent for all vehicle travel.) Trips to-and-from various human services make up 17 percent of all Section 18 trips, with trips to-and-from nutrition programs accounting for more than half of that total. Medical care accounts for 14 percent of all trips (compared with only 2 percent of trips reported in the NPTS). Shopping accounts for 13 percent of all trips (compared with 20 percent reported by the NPTS). The remaining 36 percent of trips attributed to personal and other activities is substantially less than the 45 percent reported by NPTS for social, recreational and other personal or family business. Purposes by Service All City/Town County Multi-County Number of Trips 95 mil. 29 mil. 35 mil. 31 mil. Employment 20% 16% 19% 23% Medical 14% 9% 18% 18% Nutrition 9% 4% 14% 18% Shopping 13% 13% 15% 11% Social Services 8% 6% 10% 10% Other Personal 15% 24% 9% 6% Other 21% 28% 15% 18% Again the nature of the service area appears to have a great influ- ence over the pattern of trip purposes. Systems serving county-wide or multi-county areas report that 63 percent of their service is for employment, social service activities or medical care, as compared with 35 percent for agencies serving a single town or city. While the comparisons with the NPTS make it clear, that health and human services activities account for a disproportionate share of Section 18 trips, comparing current estimates with those made in 1989 suggests that human services programs have declined somewhat in importance. This is true also of travel to jobs and job training. The share accounted for by medical trips is largely unchanged, however. 25 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Summary The Section 18 ridership is disproportionately made up of women, seniors and persons with disabilities. This is particularly true of providers with a county-wide or larger service area, 65 percent of their riders are women, compared with 55 percent of riders on systems serving a single city or town. Sixty percent of the riders on county-wide or multicounty systems are elderly or disabled, as compared with only 30 percent of the riders on city or town systems. Trip purposes reported by Section 18 agencies give further evidence of the network's key role in providing access to job opportunities, health care and social services. Job-related trips make up 20 percent of all Section 18 service (about the same as the share of all trips reported by nonmetropolitan residents in the NPTS). Medical trips account for 14 percent of Section 18 service (compared with less than 2 percent in the NPTS), and another 17 percent of Section 18 trips are in connection with human services programs (a category not reported in the NPTS). See Appendix Tables 26 through 31 for details on rider characteristics and trip purposes by census region, type and size of agency, and nature of service area. 26 Status Report on Public Transportation In Rural America, 1994 Chapter 10 Section 18 Coverage & Levels of Service According to the most recent data collected for this report, Section 18 agencies currently serve 1,841 of the nation's 3,095 rural counties. Approximately 53 million people, roughly 60 percent of the rural popu- lations live in the areas currently served by one or more Section 18 agencies. This means that there may be no public transit service available in more than 1,250 rural counties and to almost 40 percent of small town and rural residents. Regionally, the most extensive rural coverage is in the West, where 63 percent of the rural population resides within the service area of a Section 18 provider. At the other end of the scale is the Midwest, where only 56 percent of the rural residents have access to public transit service. Levels of Service The availability of service in a rural community, however, is no measure of the adequacy of service. As noted above, nearly 40 percent of the rural population has no public transit services. The level of rural service even where public transit operates is low. At the current annual level, 53 million rural residents must rely on an estimated 95 million one-way trips. This means an average of less than two trips per year for each resident in areas with service, or the equivalent of only one trip per rural resident nationally. In terms of carless households, public transit service in rural areas is the equivalent of 38 trips per year for each rural household without access to a car or other personal vehicle. Rural Transit Service by Region (Rides per Carless Household) Northeast 34 Midwest 49 South 24 West 84 In the West, rural service levels are considerably higher than the national averages, with the equivalent of just less than two public transit trips per year on a per capita basis and 84 trips per carless household. They are lowest in the South, where less than one trip per rural resident is available and only 24 trips per carless household. In contrast, Section 15 data collected by the FTA in 1991 indicate that public transportation in urban areas provides the equivalent of 955 trips for every carless household, or 49 trips per urban resident -- a per 27 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Click HERE for graphic. 28 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 capita rate almost 50 times as high as than in rural communities. in the largest urbanized areas (those with more than one million population), the service level is equivalent to roughly 73 trips per capita and more than 1,200 trips per carless household. Even in small urban areas (those between 50,000 and 200,000 population), transit service represents the equivalent of almost nine trips per capita and more than 230 trips per carless household. Comparison of Rural and Urban Service (Rides per Carless Household) Large 1,223 Medium 445 Small 231 Rural 38 In summary, public transit service available to rural Americans today is: - on a per capita basis, approximately one-50th of the level of service available in the cities; - less than 4 percent of the service available per carless household in urban areas; and - only 16 percent of the service available in smaller cities, the most poorly served urban area. Service Area Impact The urban bias in the availability of public transportation extends into rural areas. Residents of towns of 10,000 to 50,000 make up less than one-fifth of all rural residents, but their towns account for two- fifths of the Section 18 service provided. Relative to carless households, the service available in towns of 10,000-50,000 is twice that available in the rest of rural America. That this pattern is not confined to the towns of more than 10,000 is shown by data on Section 18 providers by nature of service area. Those serving a single town or city account for only 7 percent of total service area population but for 31 percent of all service, and provide the equivalent of nearly 7 rides per service area resident. Agencies serving a multicounty area, on the other hand, account for half of the total service area population but less than a third of all service. Their ridership is the equivalent of just more than one trip per service area resident. Levels of Service Data collected for this report make it possible to chart, at the level of counties and places of 10,000-to-50,000, the distribution of Section 18 service relative to numbers of carless households. Four categories are used: no service, low service (defined as the equivalent of less than 25 trips per carless household), average service (25-to-50 trips per carless household), and above-average service (more than 50 trips per carless 29 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 household). Carless households are used as the measure of relative need in an effort to minimize dispute over the point. It seems self-evident that a household without access to its own vehicle is clearly dependent on others for meeting any mobility needs and is thus transit dependent. It also seems desirable to focus on the status of service in non-met- ropolitan areas. Section 18 service in the rural portions of metropolitan areas may be supplemented (or even substituted for) by service from urban transit systems in the adjacent urbanized area. Since the extent to which this is true is unknown, we confine our conclusions to the most rural portion of the Section 18 service area. The disparity between these areas and urban America remains stark. As noted previously, nearly 40 percent of rural residents are not currently served by any public transportation. Another 28 percent live in so-called low service areas, areas in which available service is well below the national rural average. In other words, public transit service is non-existent or minimal for nearly two-thirds of all small town and rural residents. Only one of every five rural Americans lives in an area in which service exceeds 50 trips per dependent household. Nonmetro Population by Level of Transit Service Unserved 20.1 mil. Minimal Service (Under 25/Carless Household) 14.9 mil. Average Service (25-50/Carless Household) 7.4 mil. Above Average Service (Over 50/Carless Household) 11.1 mil. Meeting Unmet Needs In estimating the investment necessary to meet existing rural transit needs, we have tried to separate the discussion into three parts: 1) providing an average level of service to currently unserved rural areas; 2) bringing existing service levels up to the national rural average; and 3) providing a level of service to all rural residents that is comparable to the existing minimum urban threshold. To extend the current average annual levels of Section 18 service to areas currently without any public transit services, it is estimated that an additional 31 million Section 18 trips would be required, an increase of approximately one-third. To bring rural communities currently classified as low-service areas up to the current rural average would require an in- 30 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 crease of Section 18 service annually of roughly 18 million trips. Thus, more than a So percent increase in Section 18 funding and service levels would be required to assure an average of 38 trips per carless household throughout rural America. Even if this increase were achieved and effectively targeted, relative service levels in rural areas would remain 6 percent of those available to the average urban resident. Thus, a much more significant investment would be needed to bring transit services in rural areas into line with a minimum urban standard. For example, to raise rural service to equivalent levels achieved in smaller-urbanized areas (cities under 200,000), current Section 18 ser- vice would have to be increased six-fold. Summary Today, 40 percent of the rural population lives outside of areas currently served by Section 18 agencies. Rural residents receive the equivalent of only one yearly trip per capita, or 38 trips per household without access to a car. By comparison, public transit service in small-urban areas is six times that in rural communities. As a whole, the average urban resident has access to 25 times as much public transit service. Within rural areas, public transit services are concentrated disproportionately in towns and cities. Section 18 agencies serving a single town or city report an average of more than seven annual trips per capita, compared with the overall rural average of less than two trips per rural resident An estimated 50 million rural Americans (including two-thirds of all non-metropolitan residents) live in communities that either have no ac- cess to public transit services or receive less than the equivalent of 25 trips per carless household. To bring all rural communities up to the average level of service that exists today in the Section 18 program would require a 50 percent annual increase in rural funding. A six-fold increase would be required to bring rural transit services up to the existing minimum urban threshold. See Appendix Tables 32 through 34 for details on relative service levels nationally and by census region, type of agency and nature of service area. 31 Status Report on Public Transportation in Rural America, 1994 Appendix Tables Table 1 Selected Population Characteristics for Urban Areas Table 2 Selected Population Characteristics for Rural Areas Table 3 Section 18 Provider Network by Census Region Table 4 Section 18 Provider Network by Type of Service Area Table 5 Section 18 Fleet Characteristics by Census Region Table 6 Section 18 Vehicle Characteristics by Census Region Table 7 Section 18 Fleet Characteristics by Agency Type Table 8 Section 18 Vehicle Characteristics by Agency Type Table 9 Section 18 Vehicle Characteristics by Fleet Size Table 10 Administrative Facilities of Section 18 Agencies by Census Region Table 11 Administrative Facilities of Section 18 Agencies by Agency Type and Size Table 12 Maintenance Facilities of Section 18 Agencies by Census Region Table 13 Maintenance Facilities of Section 18 Agencies by Agency Type and Size Table 14 Facility Investment Plans of Section 18 Agencies by Census Region Table 15 Facility Investment Plans of Section 18 Agencies by Agency Type and Size Table 16 Staff of Section 18 Agencies by Census Region Table 17 Staff of Section 18 Agencies by Agency Type and Size Table 18 Staff of Section 18 Agencies by Service Area Table 19 Section 18 Service Modes by Census Region Table 20 Section 18 Service Modes by Agency Type and Size Table 21 Section 18 Service Modes by Type of Service Area Table 22 Section 18 Agencies Contracting for Service Table 23 Revenue Sources of Section 18 Agencies by Census Region Table 24 Revenue Sources of Section 18 Agencies by Agency Type and Size Table 25 Section 18 Trip Costs Table 26 Ridership of Section 18 Agencies by Census Region Table 27 Ridership of Section 18 Agencies by Agency Type and Size Table 28 Ridership of Section 18 Agencies by Nature of Service Area Table 29 Trip Purposes of Section 18 Ridership by Census Region Table 30 Trip Purposes of Section 18 Ridership by Agency by Agency Type and Size Table 31 Trip Purposes of Section 18 Ridership by Nature of Service Area Table 32 Section 18 Service Area Characteristics and Service Levels Table 33 Relative Section 18 Service by Census Region Table 34 Relative Section 18 Service by Agency Type and Service Area Table 1 SELECTED POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS FOR URBAN AREAS United Northeast Midwest South West States Large Urban Areas (1 Million-Plus): NUMBER 4 7 12 10 33 POPULATION (000s) 24,722 19,671 22,102 27,523 94,017 DENSITY (Per Sq.Mi.) 4,263 2,897 2,721 4,025 3,413 % TRANSP'N DEPEND'T 25.8% 21.2% 30.2% 33.7% 28.2% % HOUSEHOLDS w/o CAR 28.1% 14.7% 11.6% 9.4% 16.0% Medium Urban Areas (200,000-to-1 Million): NUMBER 15 21 38 17 91 POPULATION (000s) 7,234 8,290 15,709 6,977 38,211 DENSITY (Per Sq.Mi.) 2,496 2,210 1,751 2,633 2,091 % TRANSP'N DEPEND'T 29.8% 29.0% 35.7% 34.3% 32.8% % HOUSEHOLDS w/o CAR 14.6% 10.0% 9.8% 8.4% 10.5% Small Urban Areas (50,000-to-200,000): NUMBER 43 65 111 53 272 POPULATION (000s) 4,704 6,310 9,932 5,084 26,030 DENSITY (Per Sq.Mi.) 1,832 1,969 1,402 2,184 1,714 % TRANSP'N DEPEND'T 23.0% 25.3% 35.0% 35.0% 30.5% % HOUSEHOLDS w/o CAR 13.3% 9.6% 10.3% 7.0 10.1% Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing. Table 2 SELECTED POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS FOR RURAL AREAS United Northeast Midwest South West States Inside Metropolitan Areas: NUMBER COUNTIES 114 192 327 80 713 POPULATION (000s) 9,375 8,392 13,632 5,514 36,912 DENSITY (Per Sq.Mi.) 152 83 77 29 70 % TRANSP'N DEPEND'T 23.3% 22.5% 28.6% 28.8% 25.9% HSHLDS.w/o CARS (000s) 207 128 305 90 729 % HOUSEHOLDS w/o CAR 6.2% 4.4% 6.3% 4.8% 5.6% Towns of 10,000-Plus Included: NUMBER 44 47 92 55 238 AVERAGE DENSITY 1,279 1,746 987 1,602 1,265 SHARE OF TOTAL POPUL'N 8.2% 9.4% 11.6% 18.8% 11.3% SHARE OF TRANSP'N DEP. 10.6% 11.5% 29.0% 20.8% 13.5% SHARE OF CARLESS HSHLDS.20.1% 18.4% 19.3% 30.5% 20.7% Outside Metropolitan Areas: NUMBER COUNTIES 92 860 1,067 360 2,379 POPULATION (000s) 4,774 17,006 24,071 7,688 53,539 DENSITY (Per Sq.Mi.) 53 27 36 5 18 % TRANSP'N DEPEND'T 31.0% 323.4 39.8% 34.5% 36.2% HSHLDS.w/o CARS (000s) 164 467 956 187 1,774 % HOUSEHOLDS w/o CAR 9.3% 7.3% 10.8% 6.8% % Towns of 10,000-Plus Included: NUMBER 33 190 209 103 535 AVERAGE DENSITY 1,127 1,656 1,207 354 861 SHARE OF POPUL'N 11.4% 20.4% 15.3% 25.9% 18.1% SHARE OF TRANSP'N DEP. 13.3% 21.3% 15.9% 25.8% 18.6% SHARE OF CARLESS HSHLDS.22.0% 30.5% 20.1% 32.8% 24.4% % HOUSEHOLDS w/o CAR 7.3% 6.4% 9.2% 6.0% 7.7% Source: 1990 Census of Population and Housing. Table 3 SECTION 18 PROVIDER NETWORK BY CENSUS REGION Northeast Midwest South West U.S. Number of Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Type: Public Body 81-68% 264-56% 180-53% 137-62% 662-58% Nonprofit 29-24% 174-37% 153-45% 72-33% 428-37% For Profit 10-8% 23-5% 2-1% 4-2% 39-3% Tribal Entity 8-2% 2-1% 8-4% 18-2% Size:@ 1-2 Vehicles 24-20% 170-36% 33-10% 53-24% 280-24% 3-to-5 Vehicles 34-28% 102-22% 65-19% 55-25% 256-22% 6-to- 1 0 Vehicles 21-18% 95-21% 75-22% 62-28% 253-22% Over 10 Vehicles 40-33% 102-22% 164-49% 50-23% 356-31% Scope:# City/Town 34-28% 169-36% 25-7% 75-34% 303-26% County 62-54% 210-45% 197-58% 122-55% 591-52% Multi-County 22-18% 84-18% 115-34% 23-10% 244-21% (Avg. No. Counties) (3) (5) (5) (3) (5) @ Two agencies have no vehicles, providing only ridesharing services in one case and only brokerage services in the other. # Nine agencies are intercity bus operators only. Percentages do not always add to 100 percent because of rounding. Table 4 SECTION 18 PROVIDER NETWORK BY TYPE OF SERVICE AREA City/Town Countywide Multi-County U.S.# Number of Providers 303 591 244 1,147 Type: Public Body 240-79% 325-55% 96-39% 662-58% Nonprofit 44-15% 250-42% 134-55% 428-37% For Profit 17-6% 8-1% 6-2% 39-3% Tribal Entity 2-1% 8-1% 8-3% 18-2% Size: 1-2 Vehicles 102-34% 154-26% 19-8% 280-24% 3-5 Vehicles 96-32% 129-22% 28-11% 256-22% 6-10 Vehicles 71-23% 152-26% 30 -12% 253-22% Over 10 Vehicles 34-11% 154-26% 167-68% 356-31% # Includes 9 agencies providing only intercity service and 2 agencies without any vehicles, not shown separately. Percentages do not always add to 100 percent because of rounding. Table 5 SECTION 18 FLEET CHARACTERISTICS BY CENSUS REGION United Northeast Midwest South West States Number of Agencies 120 469 337 221 1,147 Total Number of Vehicles 1,321 3,9 5,204 1,734 12,223 Share of Agencies by Size: 1 or 2 Vehicles 20% 37% 10% 23% 24% 3 to 5 Vehicles 28% 21% 20% 25% 22% 6 to 10 Vehicles 18% 20% 23% 28% 22% 11 or More Vehicles 33% 22% 48% 4% 31% Share of Vehicles by Size: 1 or 2 Vehicles 3% 6% 1% 4% 3% 3 to 5 Vehicles 10% 10% 5% 12% 8% 6 to 10 Vehicles 13% 19% 11% 26% 16% 11 or More Vehicles 74% 65% 83% 58% 72% Average Fleet Size 11.0 8.4 15.2 8.0 10.61 Median Fleet Size 6 4 10 6 6 Table 6 SECTION 18 VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS BY CENSUS REGION United Northeast Midwest South West States Total Fleet 1,321 3,964 5,204 1,734 12,223 Share Which Are: Vans 29% 52% 65% 37% 53% Small Buses (16-24) 39% 25% 14% 21% 21% Medium Buses (25-35) 20% 7% 5% 13 9% Large Buses (Over 35) 6% 3% 4% 17 6% Share Lift/Ramp Equipped: Vans 64% 50% 29% 53% 40% Small Buses 74% 71% 54% 74% 67% Medium Buses 37% 57% 27% 56% 44% Large Buses 29% 29% 21% 17% 22% All Vehicles Over 7 Seats 60% 55 32% 52% 45% Share Past Expected Life:# Vans 55% 57% 42% 60% 50% Small Buses 51% 53% 42% 54% 50% Medium Buses 31% 54% 46% 54% 46% Large Buses 24% 47% 38% 36% 37% All Vehicles* 46% 55% 42% 53% 48% # Expected life is 4 years or 100,000 miles for vans and small buses, 7 years or 200,000 miles for medium buses, and 12 years or 500,000 miles for large buses. * Excluding sedans and station wagons. Source: Projected from data on 8,154 vehicles reported by 760 agencies. Table 7 SECTION 18 FLEET CHARACTERISTICS BY AGENCY TYPE PUBLIC PRIVATE UNITED BODIES NONPROFITS STATES Number of Agencies 662 428 1,147 Total Number of Vehicles 6,730 5,181 12,223 Share of Agencies by Size: 1 or 2 Vehicles 26% 22% 24% 3 to 5 Vehicles 24% 19% 22% 6 to 10 Vehicles 22% 22% 22% 11 or More Vehicles 29% 37% 31% Share of Vehicles by Size: 1 or 2 Vehicles 4% 2% 3% 3 to 5 Vehicles 9% 6% 8% 6 to 10 Vehicles 17% 14% 16% 11 or More Vehicles 70% 77% 72% Average Fleet Size 10.0 12.2 10.6 Median Fleet Size 6 7 6 Table 8 SECTION 18 VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS BY AGENCY TYPE PUBLIC PRIVATE UNITED BODIES NONPROFITS STATES Total Fleet 6,730 5,181 12,223 Share Which Are: Vans 43% 65% 53% Small Buses (16-24) 25% 16% 21% Medium Buses (25-35) 13% 4% 9% Large Buses (Over 35) 9% 2% 6% Share Lift/Ramp Equipped: Vans 64% 33% 40% Small Buses 74% 64% 67% Medium Buses 37% 51% 44% Large Buses 29% 25% 22% All Vehicles Over 7 Seats 60% 40% 45% Share Past Expected Life:# Vans 46% 51% 50% Small Buses 50% 50% 50% Medium Buses 45% 48% 46% Large Buses 41% 26% 37% All Vehicles* 47% 50% 48% # Expected life is 4 years or 1 00,000 miles for vans and small buses, 7 years or 200,000 miles for medium buses and 12 years or 500,000 miles for large buses. * Excluding sedans and station wagons. Source: Projected from data on 8, 1 54 vehicles reported by 760 agencies. Table 9 SECTION 18 VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS BY FLEET SIZE 1 or 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 11 or MORE ALL FLEET SIZE VEHICLES VEHICLES VEHICLES VEHICLES PROVIDERS Total Fleet 408 982 1,952 8,881 12,223 Share Which Are: Vans 67% 52% 44% 54% 53% Small Buses (1 6-24) 17% 22% 25% 20% 21% Medium Buses (25-35) 4% 10% 13% 8% 9% Large Buses (Over 35) 2% 2% 4% 7% 6% Share Lift/Ramp Equipped: Vans 72% 56% 46% 35% 40% Small Buses 83% 76% 65% 65% 67% Medium Buses 33% 42% 38% 46% 44% Large Buses 0% 38% 42% 19% 22% All Vehicles Over 7 Seats 70% 59% 50% 42% 45% Share Past Expected Life:# Vans 54% 57% 53% 48% 50% Small Buses 45% 54% 49% 49% 50% Medium Buses -@- 32% 53% 46% 46% Large Buses -@- 29% 35% 38% 37% All Vehicles 51% 52% 51% 47% 48% # Expected life is 4 years or 100,000 miles for vans and small buses, 7 years or 200,000 miles for medium buses and 12 years or 500,000 miles for large buses. * Excluding sedans and station wagons. @ Sample too small for reliability. Source: Projected from data on 8,154 vehicles reported by 760 agencies. Table 10 ADMINISTRATIVE FACILITIES OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY CENSUS REGION NORTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTH WEST U. S. No. Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Administrative Fac's: Owned 55% 58% 54% 53% 55% Rented 45% 42% 46% 47% 45% Owned Facilities - Funding: Local Facility 18% 24% 20% 31% 23% Federal Funds 42% 28% 31% 18% 28% Local Funds 21% 18% 26% 18% 21% State Funds 3% 6% 6% 2% 5% Other 16% 24% 18% 31% 23% Table 11 ADMINISTRATIVE FACILITIES OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NOW 1-5 6 OR MORE BODIES PROFITS VEHICLES VEHICLES U. S. No. Providers 662 428 536 609 1,147 Administrative Fac's: Owned 66% 44% 59% 52% 55% Rented 34% 56% 41% 48% 45% Owned Facilities - Funding: Local Facility 34% 1% 32% 15% 23% Federal Funds 27% 32% 14% 43% 28% Local Funds 22% 18% 27% 15% 21% State Funds 4% 7% 2% 8% 5% Other 13% 42% 26% 19% 23% Sources: Projected from information provided by 852 agencies. Table 12 MAINTENANCE FACILITIES OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY CENSUS REGION NORTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTH WEST U. S. No. Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Maintenance Fac's: Owned 42% 24% 31% 30% 29% Rented 16% 15% 12% 8% 13% None 42% 61% 58% 62% 58% Owned Facilities - Funding: Local Facility 14% 13% 16% 13% 14% Federal Funds 47% 50% 38% 35% 43% Local Funds 8% 16% 27% 25% 20% State Funds 8% 6% 2% 5% Other 31% 13% 13% 25% 18% Avg. Size (Sq.Ft.) 10,725 8,040 7,290 10,990 8,750 Large Enough 51% 82% 76% 76% 74% Equipped Well 53% 71% 70% 70% 68% Rated: Excellent 39% 36% 26% 32% 33% Good 39% 57% 56% 62% 55% Poor 14% 5% 16% 6% 10% Very Poor 8% 2% 2% 3% Rented Facilities: Avg.Size (Sq.Ft.). 4,290 6,650 3,610 5,860 4,970 Large Enough 63% 77% 49% 59% 61% Equipped Well 37% 70% 51% 59% 55% Rated: Excellent 16% 23% 18% 24% 20% Good 58% 43% 41% 53% 47% Poor 15% 33% 33% 12% 27% Very Poor 11% 8% 12% 7% Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source: Projected from information provided by 755 agencies. Table 13 MAINTENANCE FACILITIES OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NON- 1-TO-5 6 OR MORE BODIES PROFITS VEHICLES VEHICLES U.S. No. Providers 662 428 536 609 1,147 Maintenance Fac's: Owned 40% 13% 22% 36% 29% Rented 12% 9% 5% 12% 13% None 48% 78% 72% 51% 58% Owned Facilities - Funding: Local Facility 17% 25% 8% 14% Federal Funds 41% 54% 18% 56% 43% Local Funds 23% 6% 33% 13% 20% State Funds 4% 9% 8% 5% Other 15% 31 24% 15% 18% Avg. Size (Sq. Ft.) 9,510 6,010 8,340 8,970 8,750 Large Enough 74% 75% 76% 73% 74% Equipped Well 71% 55% 70% 66% 68% Rated: Excellent 31% 40% 22% 38% 33% Good 57% 46% 68% 48% 55% Poor 9% 14% 8% 11% 10 Very Poor 3% 2% 3% 3 Rented Facilities: Avg. Size (Sq. Ft.)] 5,121 3,205 4,690 5,070 4,970 Large Enough 51% 72% 79% 55% 61% Equipped Well 53% 53% 75% 48% 55% Rated: Excellent 20% 17% 14% 22% 20% Good 42% 50% 75% 36% 47% Poor 27% 33% 11% 32% 27 Very Poor 10% -- -- 9% 7% Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source: Projected from information provided by 755 agencies. Table 14 FACILITY INVESTMENT PLANS OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY CENSUS REGION NORTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTH WEST U.S. No. Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Administrative Facilities: Number of Owners 66 271 181 117 635 Plan to Replace # # Plan to Improve 18% 14% 22% 25% 19% Number of Renters 54 198 156 104 512 Plan to Acquire 38% 12% 18% 18% 18% Plan to Improve 20% 5% 19% 14% 13% Maintenance Facilities: Number Without Facility 51 286 194 137 668 Plan to Acquire 23% 7% 10% 8% 9% Number of Owners 50 113 104 66 333 Plan to Replace 14% 6% 17% 6% 11% Plan to Improve 20% 18% 24% 40% 24% Number of Renters 19 70 39 18 146 Plan to Acquire 63% 13% 46% 35% 38% Plan to Improve 16% 3% 26% 24% 17% # Less than 0.5 percent. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source:Projected from information provided by 852 agencies. Table 15 FACILITY INVESTMENT PLANS OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NON- 1-5 6 OR MORE BODIES PROFITS VEHICLES VEHICLES U. S. No. Providers 662 6091 1,147 Administrative Fac's: Owners - Number 437 188 317 318 635 Plan to Replace Plan to Improve 15% 26% 14% 23% 19% Renters - Number 225 240 219 291 512 Plan to Acquire 22% 13% 11% 22% 18% Plan to Improve 9% 14% 8% 16% 13% Maintenance Fac's: Don't Have - Number 317 334 378 288 668 Plan to Acquire 9% 8% 3% 16% 9% Owners - Number 265 55 117 216 333 Plan to Replace 10% 11% 9% 12% 11% Plan to Improve 21% 31% 12% 30% 24% Renters - Number 80 37 41 105 146 Plan to Acquire 44% 33% 11% 48% 38% Plan to Improve 10% 28% 11% 30% 17% # Less than 0.5 percent. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source:Projected from information provided by 852 agencies. Table 16 STAFF OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY CENSUS REGION Northeast Midwest South West U.S. No. Providers 120 469 337 221 1 Staff Reported: Full-Time 1,020 2,786 3,327 1,343 8,476 Part-Time 787 2,934 2,555 1,420 7,696 Volunteers 340 3,643 1,012 655 5,650 Projected FTE's:# 1,465 4,800 4,757 2,151 13,173 Share Accounted For By: Full-Time Staff 70% 58% 70% 62% 64% Part-Time Staff 27% 31% 27% 33% 29% Volunteers 3% 11% 3% 5% 6% Share Reporting: Volunteers 14% 26% 26% 22% 24% No Full-Time Staff 10% 19% 2% 17% 13% # Full-Time Equivalents projected assuming average part-time employee works halftime and average volunteer contributes 15 percent of full work week. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source: Projected from information provided by 1,020 agencies. Table 17 STAFF OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NON- SMALL LARGE BODIES PROFITS (1-5 VEH's)(6+ VEH's) U.S. No. Providers 662 428 536 609 1,147 Staff Reported: Full-Time 4,847 3,319 1,159 7,236 8,496 Part-Time 4,475 3,033 1,409 6,222 7,696 Volunteers 1,223 4,030 1,634 3,979 5,650 Projected FTE's:# 7,268 5,440 2,109 10,944 13,173 Share Accounted For By: Full-Time Staff 67% 61% 55% 66% 64% Part-Time Staff 31% 28% 33% 28% 29% Volunteers 2% 11% 12% 5% 6% Share Reporting: Volunteers 20% 31% 25% 23% 24% No Full-Time Staff 12% 14% 24% 4% 13% # Full-Time Equivalents projected assuming average part-time employee works halftime and average volunteer contributes 15 percent of full work week. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source: Projected from information provided by 1,020 agencies. Table 18 STAFF OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY SERVICE AREA CITY/TOWN COUNTY MULTI-COUNTY U.S. No. Providers 303 591 244 1,147 Staff Reported: Full-Time 1,280 3,648 3,425 8,496 Part-Time 1,853 2,750 3,016 7,696 Volunteers 218 1,499 3,807 5,650 Projected FTE's:# 2,239 5,248 5,504 13,173 Share Accounted For By: Full-Time Staff 57% 70% 62% 64% Part-Time Staff 41% 26% 27% 29% Volunteers 2% 4% 10% 6% Share Reporting: Volunteers 12% 24% 38% 24% No Full-Time Staff 14% 14% 9% 13% # Full-Time Equivalents projected assuming average part-time employee works halftime and average volunteer contributes 1 5 percent of full work week. Totals include intercity providers not shown separately. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Source: Projected from information provided by 1,020 agencies. Table 19 SECTION 18 SERVICE MODES BY CENSUS REGION (Total Ridership and Vehicle-Miles in Thousands) UNITED NORTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTH WEST STATES Total No. Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Total Fleet 1,321 3,964 5,204 1,734 12,223 Total No. Trips 12,810.0 28,888.9 30,164.8 23,338.3 95,202.0 Total Vehicle-Miles 32,278.3 76,566.9 92,254.1 43,459.2 244,558.5 AVM per Vehicle 24,435 19,316 17,725 25,063 20,007 AVM per Trip 2.5 2.6 3.1 1.9 2.6 Agencies by Mode: DR but no FR 27% 64% 58% 49% 56% FR but no DR 35% 7% 7% 12% 11% Both FR and DR 33% 26% 33% 36% 31% Neither FR nor DR 5% 3% 1% 2% 3% (Subscription) (21%) (32%) (43%) (31%) (34%) Ridership by Mode: Fixed Route 69% 36% 48% 77% 55% Demand-Response 25% 45% 30% 16% 30% Subscription 5% 17% 19% 5% 13% Other 1% 2% 2% 1% 2% Average Vehicle-Miles by Service Mix: DR but no FR 5.0 3.4 4.8 4.6 3.9 FR but no DR 1.3 2.0 2.0 0.9 1.3 Both FR and DR 3.0 1.8 2.1 1.7 1.0 AVM = Average Vehicle Miles, DR= Demand-Response, FR =Fixed Route. Subscription service largely associated with agencies also providing demand-response service. Percentages do not always add to 100 percent because of rounding. Table 20 SECTION 18 SERVICE MODES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE (Total Ridership and Vehicle-Miles in Thousands) PUBLIC PRIVATE SMALL LARGE UNITED BODIES NONPROFITS (<6 VEHIC)(11+ VEHIC) STATES Total No. Providers 662 428 536 609 1,147 Total Fleet 6,730 5,181 1,390 10,833 12,223 Total No. Trips 66,979.1 25,651.6 11,606.0 83,548.0 95,202.0 Total Vehicle-Miles 136,141.2 100,696.4 35,467.5 209,091.1 244,558.5 AVM per Vehicle 20,227 19,436 25,504 19,290 20,007 AVM per Trip 2.0 3.9 3.0 2.5 2.6 Agencies by Mode: DR but no FR 53% 63% 60% 49% 56% FR but no DR 12% 7% 12% 12% 11% Both FR and DR 33% 28% 24% 36% 31% Neither FR nor DR 2% 2% 4% 2% 3% (Subscription) (31%) (40%) (23%) (31%) (34%) Ridership by Mode: Fixed Route 67% 23% 43% 54% 55% Demand-Response 24% 48% 47% 30% 30% Subscription 9% 25% 8% 14% 13% Other 1% 4% 1% 2% 2% Average Vehicle-Miles by Service Mix: DR but no FR 5.0 3.4 4.8 4.6 3.9 FR but no DR 1.3 2.0 2.0 0.9 1.3 Both FR and DR 3.0 1.8 2.1 1.7 1.0 AVM =Average Vehicle-Miles, DR=Demand-Response, FR=Fixed Route. Subscription service largely associated with agencies also providing demand-response service. Percentages do not always add to 100 percent because of rounding. Table 21 SECTION 18 SERVICE MODES BY TYPE OF SERVICE AREA (Total Ridership and Vehicle-Miles in Thousands) COUNTY- MULTI- UNITED CITY/TOWN WIDE COUNTY STATES Total No. Providers 303 591 244 1,147 Total Fleet 1,669 4,814 5,710 12,223 Total No. Trips 29,418.3 35,168.9 30,523.4 95,202.0 Total Vehicle-Miles 28,973.6 112,833.3 101,836.4 244,558.5 AVM per Vehicle 17,409 23,505 17,881 20,007 AVM per Trip 1.0 3.2 3.4 12.6 Agencies by Mode: DR but no FR 58% 54% 58% 56% FR but no DR 14% 11% 8% 11% Both FR and DR 27% 33% 32% 31% Neither FR nor DR 1% 2% 2% 3% (Subscription) (22%) (38%) (40%) (34%) Ridership by Mode: Fixed Route 84% 44% 28% 55% Demand-Response 14% 36% 46% 30% Subscription 1% 18% 23% 13% Other 1% 2% 3% 2% Average Vehicle-Miles By Service Mix: DR but no FR 3.5 4.2 4.2 3.9 FR but no DR 0.8 1.6 2.7 1.3 Both FR and DR 0.7 3.4 2.9 1.0 AVM = Average Vehicle-Miles, DR Demand-Response, FR Fixed Route. Subscription service largely associated with agencies also providing demand-response service. Percentages do not always add to 100 percent because of rounding. Table 22 SECTION 18 AGENCIES CONTRACTING FOR SERVICE SHARE CONTRACTING OUT FOR: PROVIDERS ANY SVC. ALL SVC. SOME SVC. Total Network 1,147 21% 10% 11% Regions: Northeast 120 38% 23% 14% Midwest 469 16% 8% 8% South 337 17% 6% 11% West 221 30% 14% 16% Agency Type: Public Bodies 662 27% 15% 11% Nonprofits 428 16% 4% 12% Agency Size: Small (Under 6 Veh's) 536 15% 9% 6% Large (6-Plus Veh's) 609 30% 14% 16% Service Area: City/Town 303 24% 15% 9% Countywide 591 20% 8% 12% Multi-County 244 23% 10% 13% NB: Network includes 9 agencies providing intercity service only and 2 without any vehicles. Table 23 REVENUE SOURCES OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY CENSUS REGION NORTH NORTHEAST CENTRAL SOUTH WEST U. S. No. Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Mean Budget $469,560 $228,330 $344,150 $376,520 $316,150 Median Budget $271,700 $108,940 $215,670 $126,470 $161,160 Funding Sources: Fares/Contr'ns 13% 16% 13% 16% 15% Sec. 18 19% 22% 34% 13% 24% State/Local 45% 44% 23% 58% 40% Human Svs. Progs. 16% 11% 23% 3% 14% (Elderly) 0%) (4%) (6%) 0%) (4%) (Disability) 0%) (3%) 0%) # (2%) (Medicaid) 01%) 0%) 01%) # (6%) (Other) (3%) (3%) (5%) 0%) (3%) In-Kind 1% 3% 1% 2% Other 7% 6% 3% 9% 5% Share Reporting: Fares/Contr'ns 89% 93% 91% 91% 90% Sec. 18 100% 99% 95% 95% 97% State/Local 96% 90% 80% 80% 86% Human Svs. Progs. 30% 31% 66% 39% 43% (Elderly) (13%) (14%) (40%) (26%) (24%) (Disability) 01%) (10%) (16%) (8%) 01%) (Medicaid) (13%) (5%) (37%) (9%) (16%) (Other) (20%) (18%) (40%) (15%) (24%) In-Kind 9% 13% 32% 20% 20% Other 46% 26% 26% 30% 30% # Less than 0.5 percent. Source: Projected from information provided by 836 agencies, Table 24 REVENUE SOURCES OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NONPROFIT 1-5 VEH 6+ VEH TOTAL No. Providers 662 428 536 609 1,147 Mean Budget $352,900 $275,330 $89,980 $575,890 $316,150 Median Budget $165,000 $139,115 $55,475 $359,860 $161,160 Funding Sources: Fares/Contr'ns 17% 11% 15% 15% 15% Sec. 18 20% 30% 32% 23% 24% State/Local 52% 21% 41% 40% 40% Human Svs. Progs. 5% 29% 6% 15% 14% (Elderly) (2%) (7%) (3%) (4%) (4%) (Disability) 0%) (3%) (#) (2%) (2%) (Medicaid) 0%) (14%) 0%) (6%) (6%) (Other) 0%) (6%) (2%) (3%) (3%) In-Kind 1% 3% 2% 2% 2% Other 5% 6% 4% 6% 5% Share Reporting: Fares/Contr'ns 91% 89% 89% 91% 90% Sec. 18 98% 96% 99% 96% 97% State/Local 94% 74% 86% 86% 86% Human Svs. Progs. 29% 63% 30% 53% 43% (Elderly) (14%) (38%) (15%) (31%) (24%) -(Disability) (8%) (16%) (3%) (19%) 01%) (Medicaid) 00%) (24%) (9%) (22%) (16%) (Other) (16%) (37%) (14%) (33%) (24%) In-Kind 12% 31% 14% 24% 20% Other 26% 33% 21% 36% 30% # Less than 0.5 percent. Source: Projected from information provided by 836 agencies. Table 25 SECTION 18 TRIP COSTS (Total Budget and Ridership Data in Thousands) NUMBER OF TOTAL TOTAL COST PROVIDERS RIDERSHIP BUDGET PER TRIP All Providers 1,147 95,202.0 $362,625.0 $3.81 Regions: Northeast 120 12,810.0 $56,347.2 $4.40 Midwest 469 28,888.9 $107,087.5 $3.71 South 337 30,164.8 $115,979.4 $3.84 West 221 23,338.3 $83,210.9 $3.57 Agency Type: Public 662 67,011.3 $233,619.8 $3.49] Nonprofit 428 25,619.4 $117,841.2 $4.60 Size: 1 or 2 Vehicles 280 2,645.8 $11,243.2 $4.25 3 to 5 Vehicles 256 8,9601 $36,985.8 $4.13 6 to 10 Vehicles 253 19,263.2 $70,776.4 $3.67 11 or More Vehicles 356 64,284.9 $243,399.3 $3.79 Density:# Under 100 698 51,220.1 $228,676.1 $4.46 100-to-999 295 23,507.2 $85,742.6 $3.65 1,000 or More 154 20,474.8 $48,206.3 $2.35 Svc. Area: City/Town 303 29,418.3 $66,885.5 $2.27 Countywide 591 35,168.9 $168,180.0 $4.78 Multi-County 244 30,523.4 $123,877.4 $4.06 Mode: DR, No FR 636 33,996.3 $157,441.8 $4.63 FR, No DR 125 14,955.3 $45,476.4 $3.04 Both FR and DR 353 45,372.6 $155,597.1 $3.43 Service population in persons per square mile of service area. DR = Demand Response, FR = Fixed Route. Components may not always add because of rounding. Table 26 RIDERSHIP OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY CENSUS REGION Northeast Midwest South West U.S. Number of Providers 120 469 337 221 Number of Rides (000s) 12,810.0 28,888.9 30,164.8 23,338.3 95,202.0 Rider Characteristics: Female 66% 65% 62% 56% 62% Elderly and Disabled 10% 13% 11% 8% 11% Other Elderly 36% 27% 25% 15% 25% Other Disabled 13% 22% 10% 7% 13% All Other 41% 38% 55% 70% 51% Table 27 RIDERSHIP OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NOW 1-5 6 OR MORE BODIES PROFITS VEHICLES VEHICLES U. S. Number of Providers 662 428 536 609 1,147 Number of Rides (000s) 67,011.3 25,619.4 11,606.0 83,548.0 95,202.0 Rider Characteristics: Female 60% 68% 73% 61% 62% Elderly and Disabled 9% 16% 18% 10% 11% Other Elderly 21% 33% 42% 23% 25% Other Disabled 11% 20% 11% 14% 13% All Other 59% 31% 29% 54% 51% Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Sources: Projected from information provided by 680 agencies with regard to rider characteristics. Table 28 RIDERSHIP OF SECTION 18 AGENCIES BY NATURE OF SERVICE AREA CITY/TOWN COUNTY MULTI-COUNTY U.S. Number of Providers 303 591 244 1,147 Number of Rides (000s) 29,418.3 35,168.9 30,523.4 95,202.0 Rider Characteristics: Female 55% 65% 65% 62% Elderly and Disabled 6% 15% 13% 11% Other Elderly 16% 31% 28% 25% Other Disabled 7% 17% 19% 13% All Other 71% 37% 40% 51% U.S. totals include intercity providers not shown separately. Table 29 TRIP PURPOSES OF SECTION 18 RIDERSHIP BY CENSUS REGION NORTHEAST MIDWEST SOUTH WEST U.S. Number of Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Number of Rides (000s) 12,810.0 28,888.9 30,164.8 23,338.3 95,202.0 Trip Purposes: Employment 19% 20% 18% 21% 20% Nutrition Program 8% 8% 13% 7% 9% Other Social Services 13% 10% 8% 5% 8% Medical Care 14% 14% 17% 11% 14% Shopping 19% 16% 9% 13% 13% Other 27% 32% 35% 43% 36% Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Sources: Projected from information provided by 659 agencies. Table 30 TRIP PURPOSES OF SECTION 18 RIDERSHIP BY AGENCY TYPE AND SIZE PUBLIC NON- 1-5 6 OR MORE BODIES PROFITS VEHICLES VEHICLES U.S. Number of Providers 6621 428 536 609 1,147 Number of Rides (000s) 66,979 25,652 11,606 83,548 95,202 Trip Purposes: Employment 20% 21% 14% 20% 20% Nutrition Program 8% 13% 15% 9% 9% Other Social Services 5% 8% 11% 8% 8% Medical Care 12% 22% 18% 14% 14% Shopping 14% 13% 22% 12% 13% Other 41% 23% 20% 37% 36% Table 31 TRIP PURPOSES OF SECTION 18 RIDERSHIP BY NATURE OF SERVICE AREA MULTI- CITY/TOWN COUNTY COUNTY U.S. Number of Providers 303 591 244 1,147 Number of Rides (000s) 29,418 35,169 3 95,202 Trip Purposes: Employment 16% 19% 23% 20% Nutrition Program 4% 14% 14% 9% Other Social Services 6% 10% 10% 8% Medical Care 9% 18% 18% 14% Shopping 13% 15% 11% 13% Other 52% 24% 24% 36% U.S. totals include intercity providers not shown separately. Sources: Projected from information provided by 659 agencies. Table 32 SECTION 18 SERVICE AREA CHARACTERISTICS AND LEVELS OF SERVICE (Population and Ridership Data in Thousands) METRO NONMETRO TOTAL Number of Counties 715 2,380 3,095 Total Population 36,957.0 53,494.9 90,451.8 Area (Square Miles) 530,909 2,948,916 3,479,825 Density (Persons/Square Mile) 70 18 26 Transit Dependent Population 9,575.5-26% 19,372.5-36% 28,948.0-32% Carless Households 729.8-6% 1,773.7-9% 2,503.5-8% Ridership (One-Way Trips): 25,582.2 69,619.8 95,202.0 Average Per Capita 0.7 1.3 1.1 Average Per Carless Household 35.1 39.2 38.0 Population in Unserved Areas 14,542.7-39% 20,084.0-38% 34,626.6-38% Population in Low-Service Areas 9,333.7-25% 14,910.2-28% 24,243.9-27% Population in Avg. Service Areas 5,618.0-15% 7,363.5-14% 12,981.6-14% Popul'n in Above-Avg. Svc. Areas 7,436.9-20% 11,137.2-21% 18,574.1-21% No.of Towns of 10,000+ Included 238 535 773 Area (Square Miles) 3,294 11,254 14,548 Density (Persons/Square Mile) 1,265 861 952 Share of Total Population 11% 18% 15% Share of Transit Depen't. Pop'n. 14% 19% 17% Share of Ridership 30% 41% 38% Average Per Capita 1.8 2.9 2.6 Average Per Carless Household 50.5 65.8 61.8 Metro/Nonmetro refers to location inside or outside of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). (Metro areas shown are outside of urban areas.) Transit dependent population includes all elderly (65+), poor, and/or disabled persons. Carless Households are those without a car or light truck available. "Unserved" Metro Areas may be served by urban system. Low service means fewer than 25 trips per carless household. Average service means 25 to 50 trips per carless household. Above-average service means more than 50 trips per carless household. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding. Table 33 RELATIVE SECTION 18 SERVICE BY CENSUS REGION Northeast Midwest South West U.S. Number of Providers 120 469 337 221 1,147 Number of Rural Counties 206 1,052 1,396 441 3,095 Number of Svc. Area Counties 128 693 826 194 1,841 Rural Population (000s) 14,149 25,398 37,703 13,202 90,451 Carless Households (000s) 371 595 1,261 277 2,503 Svc. Area Popu'n. (000s) 8,710 14,165 21,975 8,267 53,116 (As Percent of Rural) (62%) (56%) (58%) (63%) (59%) Number of Rides (000s) 12,810 28,889 30,165 23,338 95,202 Ridership Relative to: Total Rural Population 0.9 1.1 0.8 1.8 1.1 Service Area Population 1.5 2.0 1.4 2.8 1.8 Carless Households 34.5 48.6 23.9 84.3 38.0 Table 34 RELATIVE SECTION 18 SERVICE BY AGENCY TYPE AND SERVICE AREA PUBLIC NON- CITY/ COUNTY- MULTI- BODIES PROFITS TOWN WIDE COUNTY Number of Providers 662 428 303 591 244 Service Area Pop'n. (000s)# 29,708 21,412 3,976 22,184 26,506 (Share of Total) (56%) (40%) (7%) (42%) (50%) Ridership (000s) 67,011 25,19 29,418 35,169 30,523 (Share of Total) (70%) (27%) (31%) (37%) (32%) Average Trips Per Capita 2.3 1.2 7.4 1.6 1.2 Adjusted to allow for overlapping service areas. Components may not always add to totals because of rounding.
