Introduction 3
Significance of South California Transportation Policy 3
History 4
Objectives of California Shuttle Bus Service 4
Ownership 5
Public transport public utility 6
Population Trends 6
Transportation Policy and Committee findings 6
Transportation Permits 7
Improve traveler service and satisfaction 8
TRANSIT-ORIENTED CORRIDORS: 8
Benefits of California bus service 9
Transportation Policies and Recommendations 11
Conclusion 12
References 12
Introduction
The California state is famous for its beautiful and unique for the freeways and increasing number of transportation routes and facilities. But California is facing a lot of the burden due to congestion. This state is best renowned for tourism and splendid scenery spots. Unfortunately, this beautiful place is facing a lot of problems due to transportation. These problems include the air pollution due to heavy traffic load on the roads and air transportation, rapid land development. One other reason for the problem California facing is that the government is investing a lot of assets in the construction, managing and planning of road, mass transit systems and other transportation infrastructures.
The California Transport Commission established in 1978 as an independent public agency which ensured the safe travelling financial support, best transportation system that may reduce the congestion and improve the environment. This commission allocates funds for the construction of highways, roads, passenger rails and transit all over the California.
The California Shuttle Bus service was launched in 2003. It provides a daily shuttle bus service from Los Angeles and San Francisco. This company is using 47 seated charter buses for transportation.
Significance of South California Transportation Policy
The Transportation plays a significant role in the American’s lifestyles which affects their personal work and lifestyles. The transportation policy is supposed to determine the access of people to all locations in California and the mobility of people and goods. With the increase in population the travelling of people in California has increased. Larson (1993) stated that in 1990 the travelling is increased by 30 percent as compared to 1983.
California has a very strong population and there is a severe problem of daunting air, there is a significant importance of surface transportation policy. There are about more than 169,000 miles of roads and streets and hundreds of public transit agencies operate. The Federal transportation funds derived from the national are the particular source of funds for the state’s transformational facilities. The federal transportation funds are important as they contribute to the discretionary funding available to the state and also its urban areas.
History
The California Shuttle bus service was launched in 2003. The service initial traveling cost at the beginning the one way cost of Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area was about $40. These shuttle buses are having free wireless Internet and GPS tracking. It helps the customers and their social network to stay in touch.
Objectives of California Shuttle Bus Service
The idea of California Bus service stems from the need to overcome the problem of people who drive their private cars to the offices or other places. This problem results in high parking demand, environmental concerns, traffic issues and many other problems. Many people are driving their own cars to their workplace rather than the trains or other transports, and hence increasing the traffic congestion. The design of California bus service is to;
- Meet the needs of people in their requirements and considerations of public transportation.
- Utilize intelligent transportation technologies,
- And finally to increase the operational efficiency.
Ownership
There is a difference between the public transport operations and the other transport operations. In case of public transport operations, the main duty of the driver of the bus is to provide public conveyance services and facility to the passengers without any personal interests. Public transport bus operations are run with an aim of providing transportation facilities in the larger interest of the public. It’s a kind of a standard public contract between the traveler and the operator of the bus.
The ownership rights of the transport buses are either held by municipal authority or the transit authority, or are closely operated by people or there are personal firms of the United Nations agency which take responsibility of operating them on behalf of authorities on the basis of franchising or contracting. The other alternative buses are run by taking into account personal consideration, which are either on the basis of associate drivers or are operated by multi-national teams.
In some countries, bus services have been deregulated. Permission has been granted to the private bus operators to provide transportation services to the public. In such cases, there are associate authorities who might make up the inadequacy level of private services, by providing funds or other operational social services such as providing early or late night services, services on weekends or on less busy routes. The ownership or operations of bus services can also be in the form of charitable organizations or non-profit organization providing the services.
In large bus service operations, there are thousands of vehicles in the fleet. For example, during the fifties, the London Transport government had a fleet of almost 80,000 buses, which was the biggest in the world. Another similar transport system is the Andhra Pradesh’s State Road Transport system. It holds the Guinness world record of having 22,555 buses in its fleet. The small bus operations mostly have few vehicles or a single bus which is closely operated on an associate owner driver basis.
Public transport public utility
Public transport bus services are typically supported regular operation of transit buses on a route line at in agreement bus stops in keeping with a broadcast conveyance timetable.
Population Trends
According to GENI (Global Energy Network Institute) the average Daily Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) per capita in San Diego during 2009 was 13.5 miles, while in 2010 it increased to 14.5 while in California in 2009 it was about 12.7 miles which increased to q3 miles in 2010. It shows an increase in total VMT per capita of both states.
Transportation Policy challenges and Committee findings
The transportation policy is designed in such a manner that it is linked to the other policies and decisions which includes the social, environmental, and political sides. The demand of Transit in California is increasing day by day. The policy and procedures affect Europe and Canada too.
In the growing metropolitan areas like California the heavily used highways as well as the transit system require to reduce the congestion produced by transportation. It will require both the “market based approach” i.e. Pricing and the provision of new less costly facilities.
The Department of Transportation is dedicated towards improving transportation for transit, air and highways. However Department of Transportation assisted by the initiated programs comes up with regulations that affect business enterprises.
This increasing cost of conducting business reduces the net sales of the transport company. Legislation makes transportation an expensive affair, because the costs are transferred to the clients. The company has to pay taxes for each motor vehicle on the road and this increases the cost of operations.
This policy may seem beneficial in the long range to other road users but because if traffic is reduced the drivers save a lot of time and money on the highway. Some of the policies touch on the age of the driver and the special driving license. The rule has a limit for people who drive the motor vehicles and this sometimes forces the industry to keep changing drivers.
The company has to cover the costs imposed on the special licenses and this increases the company’s expenditure. The special licenses awarded also have a special charge on it and this in the long run doubles up the operation costs.
The industry is affected by the system procedures laid down by the Department of Transportation. The departments and transportation agencies sometimes impose extra charges especially for large trucks and trailers. These extra charges amount to large miscellaneous expenses for the industry. The transport industry is affected by the policies placed by the Department of Transportation because it directly affects the operations.
Shuttle Bus
John D. Hertz based the Yellow Coach producing Company in 1923 then sold-out a majority of shares of General Motors in 1925.
Transportation Permits
The Department of Transportation has the discretionary authority to issue special permits for the movement of vehicles/loads prodigious statutory limitations on the dimensions, weight, and loading of vehicles contained in Division fifteen of the American state Vehicle Code. Requests for such special permits need the completion of an application for Transportation allow.
The Transportation allows Branch is chargeable for the administration of the Transportation Permit program through the uniform issuing of Transportation Permits.
Policy Clarification Notice: Platform Trailers and Repetitive Permits:
Over the last few years, there looks to be some confusion regarding the applying on 2 of the American state Department of Transportation’s (Department’s) policies: use of platform trailers and Repetitive allow. The subsequent is provided to clarify these policies and guarantee consistent interpretation and application.
Improve traveler service and satisfaction
- Improve bus maintenance, safety and responsibility
- Begin or improve inexperienced initiatives
- Lower shuttle prices with economical services and operations
- Give the real time transit image for superior traveler service
- Produce transportation solutions for your current and future desires
Transit-oriented corridors
There are mainly two major growth issues which are the role of metropolitan and intercity transportation. It includes not only the roads but also the high speed rail investments. The other area to be focused is unplanned spillover growth in the agricultural land of sierra foothills and the desert area of the San Diego-LA and Bay Area-Sacramento.
Both of these cases have a serious impact on growth and transportation investments. The agricultural area is being reduced due to the transportation tracks building and construction of highways. It was a negative impact on the economy of the country. The Metropolitan Planning organizations are still not much authorized to manage the traffic issues, environmental impacts, and economic well-being.
Transit Expansion as an Alternative to More Highways
Fielding (1995) stated that the car usage has increased in spite of the 1970’s policy shift. This transit has addressed the growing effects. The rise in car use occurred in spite of a policy shift since the 1970s to promote mass transit. The transit may help to alleviate the traffic congestion. By 1970 the highways have begun to experience the demand pressure as expansion was cultivated to face “a cost revenue squeeze”.
The “Cost-revenue squeeze” was the result of combining rising costs and decline in the growth of user fees for the highways. Taylor (1992) stated that the cost has risen substantially for right of ways, labor, materials, high design standards, environmental concerns and also to address the community.
Benefits of California bus service
The California bus service is providing many benefits. Some of these are listed below.
- Safety
Safety is our core price. Safety, security and responsibility are at the center of all the services we offer, and that we place special stress on driver coaching and using best practices. Our shuttle driver workers are subject to:
- Pre-employment and in progress random drug and alcohol testing
- Tight background and record checks
- Physical performance evaluations
- Comprehensive client Service coaching
- The Smith System of Defensive Driver educational program completed as a part of new driver coaching with refreshers conducted throughout the year.
- Intensive in progress driver coaching as well as in room and behind the wheel coaching.
- Technology
The goal of any shuttle system is to extend rider ship and traveler satisfaction. Whether or not you're transporting workers, customers, patients or university students, 1st Transit's made-to-order technology solutions can produce an additional economical shuttle system. We are able to implement progressive technology as well as processed routing, GPS, machine-driven following, traveler numeration and additional. You may optimize shuttle routing, following and productivity whereas probably reducing the amount of buses you wish to run your system. Some technology advancements 1st Transit offers include:
- Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)
- Dispatch System Specifications
- GPS and Drive Cam technology
- On-board Wi-Fi capabilities
- Transit image
- Operational reportage
- Preventive Maintenance
Our comprehensive, processed forestallive maintenance program helps prevent breakdowns. This implies fewer service interruptions in your shuttle service schedules – and fewer hassles for you, your employees and your customers. Work orders, preventative maintenance scrutiny (PMI) reports and our Maintenance Management System (MMS) are wanting to document performance of the preventative maintenance method and to make sure the responsibility of your shuttle service.
- Air pollution
The air pollution problem in the state is increasing as well as the congestion especially after 1970s fuel shortage. The public and private planners are promoting the mass transit. According to Rose (2003), the proponents of the environmental amelioration, the mass transit improvements and the local control of transportation has asserted a voice in transportation politics which were common few years back.
- Going "Green"
At First Transit, one in all our priorities is to be prudent stewards of natural resources. We are able to enhance your inexperienced initiatives or assist you begin new ones with advanced technologies, different fuels like property supply befouls, and energy-efficient instrumentation. Not solely can your transit shuttle service be additional appealing to today’s eco-conscious customers, you’ll even be contributing to saving our surroundings.
Transportation Policies and Recommendations
As the urban growth in California is constantly increasing by which state has to face many problems, the growth can provide an opportunity to reshape the cities and the regions for a sustainable growth pattern.
There is a need to reduce the greenhouse gases and maintain a healthy atmosphere for people. There is a need to maintain a global competitive for new directions which includes the introduction of new technologies for better transportation means, and maintaining the demand of management and coordination of transportation and urban development.
The total travel demand can be reduced by the new innovations in the public and private partnerships. The strategies developed and policies should include well-organized and well defined social, cultural and environmental aspects so that there are no more issues for them. The specific actions which could be funded with revenues and with support of the legislation include:
- There should be new incentives and rewards defined for those employees and private sector managers who adopt flexible parking, use the private shuttles instead of private cars, and flextime and communication.
- The MPOs and congestion management people should be authorized for testing and evaluating road pricing.
- The transit performance benchmarks should be established and funded to meet the initial benchmark to improve them; it should encourage the coordination between adjacent transit districts and employees.
- The transit agencies should design land use plans, zoning criteria’s, ordinance and building codes for better development and transportation designs.
- The strong institutional framework should be developed to manage the growth and development in the Central Valley and Sierra foothills.
Conclusion
California is a state with great congestion and population. The transportation Policy of California is well managed enough for shuttle service. There are some issues as the population growth rate is increasing. If the shuttle bus service is managed more properly so that it addresses all the concerns of Environmental, social, and economic in a well-managed way, the transportation will be very excellent.
References
Binger,G., Lee,R., Rivasplata,C., A. Lynch, and M. (2008) . Subhashini. Connecting Transportation Decision Making with Responsible Land Use: State and Regional Policies, Programs, and Incentives San Jose: San Jose State University, Mineta Transportation Institute.
Cervero.R. (2002) .California’s Transportation Problems as Land- Use and Housing Problems: Towards a Sustainable Future, in California’s Future in the Balance: Transportation, Housing/Land Use, Public Higher Education, and Water Four Decades Beyond the Pat Brown Era, A. Modarres and J. Lubenow, eds., The Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, California State University, Los Angeles
Deakin,E. ( 2002) . Transportation in California: The Coming Challenges,” in California’s Future in the Balance: Transportation, Housing/Land Use, Public Higher Education, and Water Four Decades beyond the Pat Brown Era, Institute of Public Affairs, California State University, Los Angeles,
Ewing,R., Bartholomew,K., Winkelman,S., Walters,J. and Chen,D. (2002) . Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change. Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute.
Fielding, G. J. (1995) . Transit in American Cities, in Susan Hanson, ed., The Geography of Urban Transportation, Guilford Press, New York.
Lund,H., Willson, R. and Cervero,R. ( 2006) . A Re-Evaluation of Travel Behavior in California TODs,” in Journal of Architecture and Planning Research, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 247–263.
Larson, T. D. (1993) . “ISTEA: Where Are We After a Year?” Public Roads, Vol. 56, No. 4, March 1993, pp. 135–141.
"Les omnibus à traction hippomobile (archives of Musée départemental Dobrée)" (in French). Conseil général de la Loire-Atlantique, Nantes, France. Retrieved on 4th November 2013.
Taylor, B.D.(1992) . When Finance Leads Planning: The Influence of Public Finance on Transportation Planning and Policy in California, University of California, Los Angeles, California.
