| Title | COM-BUS: A Southern California Subscription Bus Service |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 49112 |
| Personal Name Creator |
McCall, Chester H., Jr. |
| Source | 106p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | CACI, Inc. - Federal |
| Corporate Contributor |
John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.); United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration |
| Publisher | United States. Urban Mass Transportation Administration |
| Publication Date | 19770501 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | The evolution and operations of the COM-BUS Subscription Commuter Bus Service are documented. COM-BUS is a privately owned organization operating at a profit without any form of subsidy. COM-BUS serves approximately 2,000 commuters per day on 47 routes which provide service in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange counties. A majority of the routes use chartered passenger buses with from 38 to 47 seats. A fleet of eight 13- to 16-passenger minibuses are used on routes where demand is insufficient to warrant the larger buses. Service provides a fairly personalized morning pickup, with major portions of the runs to work destinations being express and using freeways. In the evening, passengers are picked up at their work locations, and runs to their initial origins are accomplished. Because of its method of management operations, COM-BUS maintains subscription levels (weekly seat reservations paid for in advance) at better than 90 percent. COM-BUS was organized and now operates with a minimum of capital outlay, and is managed by essentially volunteer support. Travel times using COM-BUS are only slightly longer than those for private automobiles making the same trips. COM-BUS fares are considerably less than corresponding costs to operate a private automobile for a similar trip. The success of COM-BUS is particularly important in view of current heavy subsidies required for most transportation systems, and in view of the tendency of Southern California commuters to reject mass transit and to use private means instead. |
| Rosap ID | dot:10588 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10588 |
| TRT Terms | Buses; Charter operations; Private enterprise; Level of service; Coordination; Travel demand; Ridership; Minibuses; Economic factors; Public transit; Routes |
| General Subjects | Subscription bus service |
| Classification | NTL - ECONOMICS AND FINANCE - ECONOMICS AND FINANCE; NTL - ECONOMICS AND FINANCE - Transit Economics and Finance; NTL - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Transit Planning and Policy; NTL - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Bus Transportation; NTL - PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Transit Economics and Finances |
| Geographical Coverage |
California |
| Contract Number | DOT-TSC-1082-6 |
| Report Number | DOT-TSC-UMTA-77-13; UMTA-MA-06-0049-77-4 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/49000/49100/49112/DOT-TSC-UMTA-77-13.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |