There is a need for consistent standards against which to measure the performance of North Carolina public transportation system operators. Therefore, this research study addresses two primary questions: 1) What are appropriate performance measures to use? 2) Should performance measures be used to determine the allocation of funding, and if so, in what way?
To be effective, performance measures must reflect state and local goals, respond to the variety of types and sizes of public transportation systems, address the multitude of services operated, account for constraints outside the control of the transit system, and accommodate differing local needs and conditions.
The second question, ""Should performance measures be used to determine the allocation of funding, and if so, in what way?"" has at least two important sub-questions that are addressed by the study: 1) If performance measures are used to determine funding allocations, should that be for all or just part of a system's funding? If part, what part? 2) How can the potential conflict between funding need and system performance be resolved? Often a system with the most urgent need for funds is also a system that is performing poorly.
