Paratransit in America: Redefining Mass Transportation

by Robert Cervero

Overview

Paratransit challenges the conventional approach to public transport in the United States, which depends on fixed-route, fixed-schedule, publicly owned or regulated systems such as buses and trains. Paratransit is a type of service which relies on small vehicles which are frequently privately owned and operated, and which may not work on a schedule. The various options concerning service types, market niches, and effectiveness are discussed, along with the future of paratransit. Case studies describe paratransit systems in the U.S. and other places, and the interaction of paratransit with more traditional systems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275957254
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/14/1997
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.75(d)
Lexile:	1550L (what's this?)

About the Author

ROBERT CERVERO is a Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California-Berkeley. Dr. Cervero has published three books and many jourbanal articles concerned with public transport, and has frequently served as a consultant in this area.

Table of Contents

Preface
Paratransit Service Options, Markets, and Performance
Paratransit in America: Past, Present, and Prospects
Shared-Ride Taxis, Jitneys, and Commercial Vans
Ridesharing, Shuttles, and Neighborhood-Based Services
International Experiences with Paratransit
Regulatory and Policy Environments
Paratransit's Regulatory Environment
Local Regulations and Policies Governing Commercial Paratransit
State Regulations and Policies Governing Commercial Paratransit
Federal Policies and Regulations Affecting Privatization and Commercialization of Paratransit
Future Ride: Paratransit in the 21st Century
Smart Paratransit: Technologies for the Future
Paratransit for the 21st Century
Index

Editorial Reviews

Cervero (city and regional planning, U. of California-Berkeley) urges the US and other industrialized countries to offer an alternative both to automobile domination and huge, heavy-handed public transportation systems by encouraging the small, flexible, privately owned vehicles for hire that he has experienced in less developed countries. He discusses service options, markets, and performance of such vehicles as shared-ride taxis, jitneys, and commercial vans; regulatory and policy environments; and smart paratransit and other technologies and policies that could be implemented. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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