A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR DEVELOPING THE MANAGERIAL POLICY OF URBAN PARATRANSIT SERVICES: A CASE STUDY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSIT AUTHORITY

摘要

Paratransit services are offered to improve mobility, employment opportunities, and access to community services for mentally or physically handicapped individuals. Due to the complex rules and regulations as well as the customized, on-demand service requirements, paratransit services are far more costly to render than fixed-route mass transit services. In times of ongoing budget crisis, many public transit authorities cope with a dilemma of meeting the growing demand and complex service requirements, while controlling rising costs. A decision support system (DSS) for evaluating and improving paratransit service performance is presented in this paper and applied to the actual case of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.