Abstract:
Public transportation management and planning are examined from the general manager's perspective. The experience of the author as a general manager with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board is the basis of this discussion. As a general manager he is concerned with trying to boost ridership and is constrained in doing this by the "real world" when federal, state, and even local legislators take adverse actions that directly affect how service is provided. Dealing with this requires knowledgeable planning, informed boards, and customer focus. A critical task of transit management today is to tap into the "influence network" of business leaders, who might not use transit but can influence employees and decision-makers. Concerning funding, the concept of "funding pockets" allows local areas to have greater flexibility in how the service is provided in that area. Also, management needs to concentrate on making it easier for people to pay fares. In San Diego 70% of ridership is paying by prepaid means. The author concludes with comments on the "five C's" of basic transit management: credibility; communications; customers; common vision; and clear understanding.
Supplemental Notes:
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