A Paratransit Maintenance Cost-Allocation Model

• Main Authors: P.A. Koushki, R.L. Smith, Z.A. Barry
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 1994-01-01
• Series: Journal of King Saud University: Engineering Sciences
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S101836391830597X

The maintenance cost of public transit vehicles constitutes a significant portion of a transit system’s total operating cost. While a significant body of literature on the maintenance cost of bus transit systems is available in developed and developing nations, cost records concerning paratransit systems are incomplete at best. This paper reports on the development of a minibus paratransit system maintenance cost model. The physical, maintenance, and service costs of 92 paratransit minibuses, operating over six routes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are presented. A correlation matrix, indicating degrees of linear association between a set of explanatory variables (number of stops, route length, travel speed, kilometers of operation, number of service runs, hours of operation, vehicle age, and route pavement condition), land the response variable (maintenance cost), is given. The structure of quadratic response surface and multiple linear regression models are discussed. The model, which satisfies the needs of both accuracy and practical application, is recommended.