Todd Hansen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Todd Hansen
15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportat... more 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Project Title: Identifying Best Practices for Managing Operating Costs for Rural and Small Urban Public Transportation Systems URL: http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6694-1.pdf 16. Abstract Rural and small urban transit providers across the United States face fiscal challenges caused by the growing gap between the cost of providing transit service and available federal, state, and local funding. In Texas, the fiscal challenges facing rural and small urban transit providers are compounded by an increasing population and growth in urbanization in some counties and declining population with increasing demand for transit service for an aging population in other counties. The research report examines the drivers of operating costs, approaches to containing costs, transit agency priorities for tools needed to better contain costs, and methodology used ...
This guidebook is a resource for rural and small urban transit agency managers to use in better u... more This guidebook is a resource for rural and small urban transit agency managers to use in better understanding, predicting, and managing operational costs. Doing so can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of public transit in the community served. The guide is presented in three parts: Part 1. Understanding Transit Cost Fundamentals; Part 2. Strategies for Optimizing Transit Costs; and Part 3. Tools and Resources.
This research explores the link between paratransit service and fixed-route service through the a... more This research explores the link between paratransit service and fixed-route service through the accessibility of bus stops as determined by the features to get to the stop and present at the stop while waiting for the bus to arrive. Using bus stop inventory data and a manifest sample of paratransit trips from a metropolitan transit agency, researchers ranked the accessibility need of bus stops according to which features needed improvement and how many potential users would be impacted around the bus stop. Researchers estimated the total cost of making the needed capital improvements for bus stops as well as the subsequent operating cost savings for paratransit service through trip transfer to fixed-route service. The tools and methodology used in the research can allow a transit agency to prioritize capital improvements for accessibility features, coordinate improvement efforts between the agency and other area local authorities, and provide an additional transportation option for ...
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2020
The paper presents the development and methodology of application tools for use in transit agency... more The paper presents the development and methodology of application tools for use in transit agency cost allocation. Researchers worked with the National Rural Transit Assistance Program to develop the Two-Variable Cost Allocation Calculator applications as a resource for small transit agencies. Reports and guidance on cost allocation were reviewed to identify key considerations for application design, was also informed by previous experience with transit agencies for examples of cost and data considerations with respect to agency size, travel mode, and type of service. The applications use a two-variable methodology of vehicle hours and miles to allocate variable costs for each service, then allocate fixed costs according to the proportions of variable costs. The applications also provide a process to sub-allocate costs for shared-ride demand responsive services using passenger hours and miles data. A common set of data requirements needed to run the applications into groups of servi...
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2018
The research presented examines projected and actual operational cost savings from the implementa... more The research presented examines projected and actual operational cost savings from the implementation of a paratransit feeder-service pilot in Houston, Texas. Transit agencies can offer feeder service by utilizing demand-response paratransit vehicles to connect to fixed-route rail and buses for the remaining portion of the trip. Feeder service has the potential to create savings in operating costs for transit agencies along with additional travel options for ambulatory paratransit customers. At the direction of Houston METRO, researchers projected the number of trips that would transfer to feeder service from standard paratransit service to support the agency in designing a pilot. Subsequently, the researchers analyzed the actual feeder-service trip data at the conclusion of the pilot period to assist the agency in studying the final pilot results. The presented research compares projected trip-demand and operational costs conducted before the pilot period to actual trip and cost savings during the 6-month pilot to determine the rate of trip transfer between regular paratransit service and combination feeder-service connecting paratransit to fixed-route service. The research analyzes the cost per revenue hour for feeder-service trips compared with the pre-pilot projections and the actual cost of the same trip using entirely paratransit service to show the net benefit for the transit agency. The results show lower operational costs for paratransit feeder-service compared with regular paratransit service during the pilot period. Transit agencies interested in implementing feeder service can use the research methodology to estimate the impacts of potential paratransit feeder trips.
The work done by the students listed on the previous page has been conducted during the past year... more The work done by the students listed on the previous page has been conducted during the past year in conjunction with many other students in six other graduate classes. Those students completed preliminary data collection on the City of Gonzales, wrote and analyzed a housing survey, and contributed to many other parts of the plan (for example, housing condition methodology, public involvement techniques, population projections, etc.). They analyzed and suggested housing and economic opportunities; prepared case studies on other communities that have dealt with similar challenges; and proposed creative solutions to some of Gonzales's issues. These students came from a wide range of PhD, Masters and Bachelors programs in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, the College of Architecture, and several other colleges at Texas A&M University. Their current fields of study include architecture, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, land development, economics, and urban planning; their undergraduate fields of study cover an even wider range of subjects. These students and professors are listed below.
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2021
This research project developed an evaluation framework and service standards for microtransit se... more This research project developed an evaluation framework and service standards for microtransit service at a metropolitan transportation authority. Microtransit provides an elevated level of service from traditional demand response, enabling more spontaneous travel and better connectivity to the fixed-route system, meaning microtransit service performance standards fit in between traditional demand response and fixed route. Microtransit neighborhood zones also serve distinct purposes depending on the operational and financial characteristics of a given zone. The purpose of this evaluation framework project was to determine the optimal performance measurement process for microtransit service. The research team developed the evaluation framework through gathering information from agency staff on current goals and objectives for microtransit, conducting an industry scan, and determining measurable metrics from available data sources. The project developed a typology of microtransit serv...
15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportat... more 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Project Title: Identifying Best Practices for Managing Operating Costs for Rural and Small Urban Public Transportation Systems URL: http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-6694-1.pdf 16. Abstract Rural and small urban transit providers across the United States face fiscal challenges caused by the growing gap between the cost of providing transit service and available federal, state, and local funding. In Texas, the fiscal challenges facing rural and small urban transit providers are compounded by an increasing population and growth in urbanization in some counties and declining population with increasing demand for transit service for an aging population in other counties. The research report examines the drivers of operating costs, approaches to containing costs, transit agency priorities for tools needed to better contain costs, and methodology used ...
This guidebook is a resource for rural and small urban transit agency managers to use in better u... more This guidebook is a resource for rural and small urban transit agency managers to use in better understanding, predicting, and managing operational costs. Doing so can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of public transit in the community served. The guide is presented in three parts: Part 1. Understanding Transit Cost Fundamentals; Part 2. Strategies for Optimizing Transit Costs; and Part 3. Tools and Resources.
This research explores the link between paratransit service and fixed-route service through the a... more This research explores the link between paratransit service and fixed-route service through the accessibility of bus stops as determined by the features to get to the stop and present at the stop while waiting for the bus to arrive. Using bus stop inventory data and a manifest sample of paratransit trips from a metropolitan transit agency, researchers ranked the accessibility need of bus stops according to which features needed improvement and how many potential users would be impacted around the bus stop. Researchers estimated the total cost of making the needed capital improvements for bus stops as well as the subsequent operating cost savings for paratransit service through trip transfer to fixed-route service. The tools and methodology used in the research can allow a transit agency to prioritize capital improvements for accessibility features, coordinate improvement efforts between the agency and other area local authorities, and provide an additional transportation option for ...
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2020
The paper presents the development and methodology of application tools for use in transit agency... more The paper presents the development and methodology of application tools for use in transit agency cost allocation. Researchers worked with the National Rural Transit Assistance Program to develop the Two-Variable Cost Allocation Calculator applications as a resource for small transit agencies. Reports and guidance on cost allocation were reviewed to identify key considerations for application design, was also informed by previous experience with transit agencies for examples of cost and data considerations with respect to agency size, travel mode, and type of service. The applications use a two-variable methodology of vehicle hours and miles to allocate variable costs for each service, then allocate fixed costs according to the proportions of variable costs. The applications also provide a process to sub-allocate costs for shared-ride demand responsive services using passenger hours and miles data. A common set of data requirements needed to run the applications into groups of servi...
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2018
The research presented examines projected and actual operational cost savings from the implementa... more The research presented examines projected and actual operational cost savings from the implementation of a paratransit feeder-service pilot in Houston, Texas. Transit agencies can offer feeder service by utilizing demand-response paratransit vehicles to connect to fixed-route rail and buses for the remaining portion of the trip. Feeder service has the potential to create savings in operating costs for transit agencies along with additional travel options for ambulatory paratransit customers. At the direction of Houston METRO, researchers projected the number of trips that would transfer to feeder service from standard paratransit service to support the agency in designing a pilot. Subsequently, the researchers analyzed the actual feeder-service trip data at the conclusion of the pilot period to assist the agency in studying the final pilot results. The presented research compares projected trip-demand and operational costs conducted before the pilot period to actual trip and cost savings during the 6-month pilot to determine the rate of trip transfer between regular paratransit service and combination feeder-service connecting paratransit to fixed-route service. The research analyzes the cost per revenue hour for feeder-service trips compared with the pre-pilot projections and the actual cost of the same trip using entirely paratransit service to show the net benefit for the transit agency. The results show lower operational costs for paratransit feeder-service compared with regular paratransit service during the pilot period. Transit agencies interested in implementing feeder service can use the research methodology to estimate the impacts of potential paratransit feeder trips.
The work done by the students listed on the previous page has been conducted during the past year... more The work done by the students listed on the previous page has been conducted during the past year in conjunction with many other students in six other graduate classes. Those students completed preliminary data collection on the City of Gonzales, wrote and analyzed a housing survey, and contributed to many other parts of the plan (for example, housing condition methodology, public involvement techniques, population projections, etc.). They analyzed and suggested housing and economic opportunities; prepared case studies on other communities that have dealt with similar challenges; and proposed creative solutions to some of Gonzales's issues. These students came from a wide range of PhD, Masters and Bachelors programs in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, the College of Architecture, and several other colleges at Texas A&M University. Their current fields of study include architecture, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, land development, economics, and urban planning; their undergraduate fields of study cover an even wider range of subjects. These students and professors are listed below.
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2021
This research project developed an evaluation framework and service standards for microtransit se... more This research project developed an evaluation framework and service standards for microtransit service at a metropolitan transportation authority. Microtransit provides an elevated level of service from traditional demand response, enabling more spontaneous travel and better connectivity to the fixed-route system, meaning microtransit service performance standards fit in between traditional demand response and fixed route. Microtransit neighborhood zones also serve distinct purposes depending on the operational and financial characteristics of a given zone. The purpose of this evaluation framework project was to determine the optimal performance measurement process for microtransit service. The research team developed the evaluation framework through gathering information from agency staff on current goals and objectives for microtransit, conducting an industry scan, and determining measurable metrics from available data sources. The project developed a typology of microtransit serv...