2003 Twin Cities Transit System Performance Audit

Chapter 6. Metro Transit/Peer Agency AnalysisChapter 6. Peer Agency AnalysisThere are two services that can be directly compared to services in other regions. Metro Transit,being the largest transit provider in the region, can be compared to other large regional transitproviders. Metro Mobility, the region's ADA service, can be compared to ADA programs. Thischapter compares these two programs to similar programs in other regions.Use of Peer Group ComparisonsThe use of peer group comparisons for identifying differences among transit systems is avaluable tool for broad policy assessments. However, some caution should be taken. While theNTD data is reported using the same rules, differences exist among the systems that are noteasily discerned from the data. Among these are:• The institutional arrangements for delivering transits services differ among the regions servedby the peer systems. Therefore, the proportion of the total regional transit services provided bythe reporting system may vary. The relationships between agencies in the region can alsoaffect reporting statistics. For example, in the Twin Cities area, other agencies provide smallerbus transit service, leaving Metro Transit providing service only with 40-foot and larger buses.Other agencies may provide a different mix of services.• The extent of the service area compared to the urbanized area differs. While some transitservices operate beyond the boundaries of their census-defined ...