Texas Transit Association

To understanding what exactly Public Transportation is, it is necessary to become familiar with the terminology associated with its various components; components that — each into themselves — consist of a variety of transportation modes. It is these various modes of transportation, when integrated together to create a system of public transit, that defines public transportation.

First, understand that Public Transportation is generally synonymous and interchangeable with “public transit,” “mass transit,” “mass transportation,” and simply “transit.”

Mode

A means for carrying transit passengers described by specific right-of-way, technology and operational features.

Transit Agency

Generally, a public entity responsible for administering and managing transit activities and services. Transit agencies can directly operate transit service or contract out with other public agencies, private non-profit and private for-profit entities for all or part of the total transit service provided to a community. Also known as a Transit System.

Urbanized Area | UZA

An area defined by the United States Census Bureau that includes one or more incorporated cities, villages and towns (or “central place”) and the adjacent densely settled surrounding territory (or “urban fringe”) that together have a minimum of 50,000 persons. The urban fringe generally consists of contiguous territory having a density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile. UZAs do not conform to congressional districts or any other political boundaries, but are set by the Census Bureau on demographics numbers and definitions. Non-Urbanized Areas are demographically Rural in population.

Intermodal | Multimodal

Involving more than one mode of transportation, such as transportation connections, choices, interagency cooperation and coordination of various modes.

Facilities

Transit Center

A fixed location or facility where passengers interchange from one route or vehicle to another. Often a transit center will include a waiting room, benches, restrooms, sales outlet, ticket or transit pass vending machines, or other services.

Park and Ride Facility

A parking garage or lot used for parking passengers’ automobiles, either free or for a fee, while they use transit agency facilities. Park-and-ride facilities are generally established as collector sites for rail or bus service, but can include vanpools and carpools.

Travel Modes and Vehicles

Accessible Vehicle

Public transportation revenue vehicles that do not restrict access, are usable, and provide allocated space or priority seating for individuals who use wheelchairs.

Water Transit

Water born transit, such as a ferryboat.

Demand Response

A transit mode of passenger cars, vans or buses operating in response to calls from passengers or their agents to the transit operator, who then dispatch a vehicle to pick up the passengers and transport them to their destinations. A demand response operation is characterized by employing vehicles that do not operate over a scheduled and fixed-route except, in some cases, on a temporary basis to satisfy a special need; and where a vehicle may be dispatched to pick up several passengers at different pick-up points before taking them to their respective destinations and may include the pick up of other passengers while en route. Also known as Paratransit, Customized Service, Specialized Service, or “Dial-a-Ride” Service.

Fixed-Route Transit Service

A provided on a repetitive, fixed-schedule basis along a specific route with vehicles stopping to pick up and deliver passengers to specific locations; unlike Demand Response service, where each fixed-route trip serves the same origins and destinations, and may include a route deviation service.

Buses

Articulated Bus

An extra-long, usually 54-60 foot bus with two connected passenger compartments. The rear body-section is connected to the main body by a joint mechanism that allows the vehicle to bend when in operation for sharp turns and curves and yet have a continuous interior.

Double Decked Bus

A high-capacity bus having two levels of seating, one over the other, connected by one or more stairways. Total bus height is usually 13-14.5 feet, a typical passenger seating capacity of between 40-80 people, and is your typical London “doubledecker.”

Intercity Bus

A bus usually with only a front door, separate luggage compartments, and usually with restroom facilities and high-backed seats for use in high-speed long-distance service that is mostly associated with private, over-the-road, private motor coaches as well as rural transit agencies.

Suburban Bus

A bus usually only with front doors, normally with high-backed seats, and without luggage compartments or restroom facilities for use in longer-distance, commuter service with relatively few stops.

Transit Bus

A bus with front and center doors, normally with a rear-mounted engine, low-back seating, and without luggage compartments or restroom facilities; used in frequent-stop service.

Trolley Replica Bus

A bus with an exterior (and usually an interior) designed to look like a streetcar from the early 1900s.

Rail

Light Rail

A relatively lightweight passenger rail cars usually operating in one- or two-car trains along fixed rails (or guideways) in right-of-way that may not be separated from other traffic for much of the way. Light rail vehicles are usually driven electrically with power being drawn from an overhead electric line. These vehicles are also known as Streetcar, Tramway, or Trolley Car, particularly in the European setting.

Commuter Rail

A transit mode that is usually an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban passenger train service consisting of local short distance travel operating between a central city and adjacent suburbs. Service is operated on a regular basis by or under contract with a transit operator to transport passengers within urbanized areas, or between urbanized areas and outlying areas. Such rail service, using either locomotive hauled or self propelled railroad passenger cars, is generally characterized by multi-trip tickets, specific station to station fares, railroad employment practices and usually only one or two stations in the central business district. It does not include heavy rail rapid transit or light rail or streetcar transit service. Also known as Regional or Suburban Rail.

Heavy Rail

A transit mode that is usually an electric railway with the capacity for a heavy volume of traffic and passengers. It is characterized by high speed and rapid acceleration passenger rail cars operating singly or in multi-car trains on fixed rails or other guideway; separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded; sophisticated signaling, and high platform loading. Also known as Metropolitan Rail or Rapid Rail.

Monorail

A transit mode that is usually an electric railway of guided transit vehicles operating single- or in multiple-car trains. The vehicles are suspended from, or straddle, a guideway formed by a single beam, rail, or tube.

Rapid Transit

A rail or bus transit service operating completely separate from all modes of transportation on an exclusive right-of-way. Also known as Bus Rapid Transit when involving rubber-tired vehicles.

Traffic Flow

High-Occupancy Vehicle Lane | HOV Lane

An exclusive or controlled access right-of-way that is restricted to high occupancy vehicles (such as buses, passenger vans and cars carrying two or more passengers) for a portion or all of a day. HOV Lanes are used extensively during the traffic rush hours in many major metropolitan areas and a single HOV lane can be reversed between morning and evening commutes usually into or away from a central employment area. Also known as a Transitway or a Commuter Lane.

Contraflow Lane

A reserved lane for buses moving in a direction opposite to that of the flow of traffic in the other lanes. Most likely of use when there is a significant amount of reverse commute needs, moving people from downtown city centers to suburban places of employment. Such lanes are of particular help to welfare-to-work recipients in the inner city.

Vanpool

A transit mode of vans, class C buses and other vehicles operating as a ridesharing arrangement, providing transportation to a group of individuals traveling directly between their homes and a regular destination within the same geographical area. The vehicles have a minimum seating capacity of seven persons, including the driver. For inclusion in the National Transit Database, it is considered mass transit service if it is operated by a public entity or is one in which a public entity owns, purchases, or leases the vanpool vehicle. A Vanpool must also be in compliance with mass transit rules including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provisions, and be open to the public. Other forms of public participation to encourage ridesharing arrangements such as the provision of parking spaces, use of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, coordination or clearing house service, do not qualify as public vanpools.

Carpool

An arrangement where two or more people share the use and cost of privately owned vehicles in traveling together to and from pre-arranged destinations.

Reverse Commute

Vehicle movement in a direction opposite the main flow of traffic, such as from the central city to a suburb during the morning peak period or rush hour

Bus Lane | Busway

A roadway reserved for buse use only that may be a grade separated or controlled access roadway.