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Transportation
facts/statistics
2005
APTA Public Transportation Factbook [ PDF]
(9.3 mb)
Background
Information
The Volusia County Council created Volusia County’s public transportation
system, called Votran, in 1975. Votran is a service of Volusia County
Government.
Votran provides transportation to all urban areas of the county with a fleet
of 56 revenue-producing fixed route buses, four trackless trolleys, 29 van
pools and 44 paratransit vehicles. Additional service is provided through
contracts.
Votran’s staff has grown to more than 200 employees.
A new Mobility Management Center (administration and operations office) in
South Daytona was completed in 1998.
McDonald Transit, a professional transportation management firm based in Ft.
Worth, Texas, contracts with Volusia County to provide the system’s
management.
Votran Stats
Votran provides public transportation services to the community
by fixed-route bus, van pool, and paratransit services.
The system also contracts for one of its fixed routes (i.e., the I-4 Link
express commuter bus service Votran operates with LYNX Transit) and some of
the demand-response services it provides.
Votran’s fixed route system uses approximately 56 vehicles during peak hour
operation, providing service on 26 routes.
Standard daily service runs from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday - Saturday, with
limited fixed route service on Sunday and at night.
The frequency of most routes is one hour, with a few operating on the
half-hour. Service is provided seven days per week, with the exception of
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
Votran also operates seasonal trolley service from January - September each
year.
As the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) within Volusia County,
Votran ensures the provision of demand response paratransit services for the
disabled and disadvantaged community.
The transit routes extend approximately 640 directional route miles
providing service in a County that is just over 1,200 square miles in size.
Total boardings recorded during fiscal year 2005 for the fixed route system
were 2,897,088. Total boardings for paratransit were 326,184.
Since 1998, Votran added the following enhancements for our riders:
- Constructed the Intermodal Transit
Facility (ITF) near the Ocean Center.
- Began running Night Service in the Greater Daytona Beach Area.
- Began the Route 24, providing service from Deland to Pierson/Seville Area.
- Added bike racks to all fixed route buses and trolleys.
- Developed the Commuter Assistance Program, including van pools, park and
ride lots, and ride share programs.
- Partnered with Lynx and The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to
provide the I-4 Express Commuter Bus.
- Began the Route 60 Cross-County Connector service on Saturdays.
- Initiated the major technology improvements, including automatic vehicle
locators, automated fare boxes, digital camera security systems, and
electronic route information signs at the major transfer centers.
- Introduced www.votran.org so customers could have access to information
24/7.
Public
Transportation Facts
- Public transportation is a $41
billion industry that employs more than 351,000 people.
- Since 1995, transit use has increased by 23 percent -- faster than highway
travel.
- APTA estimates that about 14 million Americans ride on public
transportation each weekday.
- Americans took more than 9.6 billion public transportation trips in 2004.
- Transit usage increased by 6.4 percent in the decade from 1990-2000.
- More than half, or 54 percent, of all public transportation trips are made
to commute to work, while 46 percent are trips to school, shopping, medical
appointments, entertainment facilities and for other purposes.
- Nearly 20 percent of all transit trips are taken by people over the age of
65 or under 18.
- The need for public transportation is great. One in four households have
no access to public transportation, and one half have limited service.
- Every $1 invested in public transportation projects generates from $4 to
$9 in local economic activity.
- Every $1 billion invested by the federal government in public
transportation infrastructure supports approximately 47,500 jobs.
- For every mile traveled, public transportation uses about one half of the
fuel consumed by automobiles, and about a third of that used by sport
utility vehicles and light trucks.
- Riding a transit bus is 79 times safer than car travel.
Number of People Using Public Transportation
All ridership data relate to trips taken--not to people--because that is how
data are collected and reported. The heavy use of passes, transfers, joint
tickets, and cash by people transferring from one vehicle to another, one
mode to another, and from one public transportation agency to another makes
it impossible to count people. Only boardings (unlinked passenger trips) can
be counted with any accuracy. At the largest public transportation agencies,
even the number of boardings may be estimated for at least a portion of the
ridership (e.g., free shuttle vehicles without fareboxes and light rail
service using the "proof-of-payment" system).
The majority of people using public transportation take two trips per day
(one to work in the morning and one home in late afternoon or evening). A
small proportion--perhaps 5%--make only one public transportation trip
(e.g., they ride public transportation to the airport and then fly out of
town, or they ride public transportation in the morning to work, but ride
home in a friend's automobile at night). A somewhat larger proportion
(primarily the public transportation-dependent) take 4, 6, 8, or even 10
trips per day.
At most agencies perhaps 10% to 30% of riders must transfer to a second (and
sometimes a third) vehicle to reach their final destination. Some transfer
from bus to bus, from bus to train, from one agency's vehicle to another
agency's vehicle, etc.; thus, there is a large amount of double-counting of
people. APTA's best estimate is that the number of people using public
transportation on any day is about 45% of the number of trips reported.
Saturday ridership is often about 50% of weekday ridership, and Sunday
ridership may be only 25%. In many smaller cities, public transportation
service does not operate on Sundays; in a lesser number, there is no
Saturday service.
Historical Ridership Trends
Public transportation's popularity has been affected by changing social and
economic forces. In the beginning of the 20th Century, ridership grew
steadily until the Great Depression. Between 1929 and 1939, people took
fewer work trips and often could not afford to take leisure trips. During
World War II, public transportation was the dominant mode on the
transportation landscape. Ridership peaked in 1946, when Americans took 23.4
billion trips on trains, buses and trolleys.
After World War II, ridership experienced a decline due to inexpensive fuel
and government policies favoring low-density suburban development and the
sprawl created by the new interstate highway system. By 1960, ridership
dropped to 9.3 billion trips, and it continued to decline to a low of 6.5
billion trips in 1972. Beginning in 1973, ridership rose gradually to 9.4
billion trips in 2003. Reasons for the increase include a strong economy and
improved customer service. Also, higher levels of public and private
investment in public transportation resulted from 1991 federal legislation
and succeeding funding bills.
Age of Passengers by Population Group
TABLE 15: Age of Passengers by Population Group
|
Population of urban area |
≤18 |
19-64 |
65
≥ |
|
Under 50,000
|
21% |
61% |
18% |
|
50,000-199,999
|
19% |
68% |
13% |
|
200,000-500,000
|
15% |
70% |
15% |
|
500,000-999,999
|
9% |
77% |
14% |
|
1 million and more
|
10% |
84% |
6% |
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE
|
10% |
83% |
7% |
Source: APTA, Americans in Transit,
1992
Passengers with Disabilities by Population Group
TABLE 14: Disabled Passengers by Population Group
|
Population of urban area |
Percent with disabilities |
|
Under 50,000
|
1.2%
|
|
50,000-199,999
|
1.1%
|
|
200,000-500,000
|
1.4%
|
|
500,000-999,999
|
2.5%
|
|
1 million and more
|
6.0%
|
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE
|
5.2%
|
Source: APTA, Americans in Transit,
1992
Gender of Passengers by Population Group
TABLE 13: Gender of Passengers by Population Group
|
Population of urban area |
Male |
Female |
|
Under 50,000
|
36% |
64% |
|
50,000-199,999
|
43% |
57% |
|
200,000-500,000
|
39% |
61% |
|
500,000-999,999
|
38% |
62% |
|
1 million and more
|
49% |
51% |
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE
|
48% |
52% |
Source: APTA, Americans in Transit,
1992.
Annual Family Income of Passengers by Population Group
TABLE 16: Annual Family Income of Passengers by Population Group
|
Population of urban area |
<
$15,000 |
$15,000-$50,000 |
$50,000 > |
|
Under 50,000
|
61% |
36% |
3% |
|
50,000-199,999
|
55% |
39% |
6% |
|
200,000-500,000
|
54% |
38% |
8% |
|
500,000-999,999
|
52% |
42% |
6% |
|
1 million and more
|
25% |
57% |
18% |
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE
|
28% |
55% |
17% |
Source: APTA, Americans in Transit,
1992.
Ethnicity and Race of Passengers by Population Group
TABLE 17: Ethnicity and Race of Passengers by Population Group
|
Population of urban area |
White |
Black |
Hispanic |
Other |
|
Under 50,000
|
82% |
6% |
9% |
3% |
|
50,000-199,999
|
63% |
24% |
8% |
5% |
|
200,000-500,000
|
48% |
34% |
14% |
4% |
|
500,000-999,999
|
45% |
41% |
9% |
5% |
|
1
million and more
|
45% |
31% |
18% |
6% |
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE
|
45% |
31% |
18% |
6% |
Source: APTA, Americans in Transit,
1992.
Purpose of Trips by Population
Group
TABLE 18: Purpose of
Trips by Population Group
|
Population of urban area |
Work |
School |
Shopping |
Medical |
Social |
Other |
|
Under 50,000
|
26% |
9% |
8% |
34% |
27% |
2% |
|
50,000-199,999
|
39% |
26% |
12% |
6% |
9% |
12% |
|
200,000-500,000
|
46% |
19% |
13% |
5% |
8% |
9% |
|
500,000-999,999
|
51% |
15% |
11% |
5% |
6% |
12% |
|
1 million and more
|
55% |
15% |
9% |
5% |
9% |
7% |
|
NATIONAL AVERAGE
|
54% |
15% |
9% |
5% |
9% |
8% |
Source: APTA, Americans in
Transit, 1992.
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