Chapter 1 - Introduction

The Data Tables for the 2002 National Transit Database (NTD) Report Year is one of three publications comprising the National Transit Database Program's Annual Report. It provides detailed summaries of financial and operating data submitted to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) by the nation's mass transit agencies for the Report Year ending on or between January 1 and December 31, 2002. FTA administers the NTD Program through a professional services support contract under the guidance of FTA's Office of Oversight in the Office of Program Management. This is the 23rd Annual Report published.

Two additional publications complete the Annual Report:

1. The National Transit Summaries and Trends
2. The Transit Profiles presented in two volumes: The Fifty Largest Agencies and Transit Profiles

For the 2002 Report Year, several changes were made to the NTD that impacted the data tables:

• New tables had to be created to accommodate additional data while others were consolidated.
• A new Safety and Security module was created within the NTD. Safety and Security was revamped with the addition of several data items not collected before. In addition, data is now reported in a monthly or quarterly basis depending upon agency size.
• The old tables for safety and security are no longer included in the Data Tables and are provided separately in the Safety and Security Module

For the 2002 Report Year, 613 transit agencies submitted data. Of that, 74 agencies received waivers from detailed reporting Nine or Fewer Vehicles Waivers. Thus, 539 agencies are included in the database. Agencies granted waivers are listed in Appendix B - Transit Agencies Receiving Nine or Fewer Vehicles Waivers; and deleted agencies are listed in Appendix C - Transit Agencies Deleted from 2002 Annual Publications. Appendix D lists agencies that had a mode/type of service deleted. Appendix E lists agencies by name with Appendix F listing agencies by UZA name.

49 USC 5335 requires the establishment of a uniform system of accounts and records, plus a reporting system for the collection and dissemination of public mass transportation financial and operating data by uniform categories. All applicants and direct beneficiaries of Federal assistance under 49 USC 5307 are subject to the reporting system and the uniform system of accounts and records. The NTD Reporting System assists FTA in meeting the need for information on which to base planning for public transportation services and in making public-sector investment decisions at all levels of government.

Definitions for transit terminology used in the 2002 NTD Annual Report publications may be found in the 2002 NTD Reporting Manual or on the NTD web site at www.NTDProgram.com.

Report Organization

The report consists of two chapters:

1. Chapter 1 - Understanding and Using this Report: Provides general information to assist the reader in using this and earlier reports.
2. Chapter 2 - The Data Tables: Financial and operating data by specific mode for individual transit agencies. Each table is described and general information is provided.

Data Tables Organization

The Data Tables in Chapter 2 are organized into four major groups:

1. Transit revenues
2. Transit expenses
3. Non-financial operating data
4. Performance indicators.

The first three groups of tables (transit revenues, expenses, and non-financial operating data) contain summaries of the data required by NTD. The fourth group displays performance indicators comprised of selected statistics derived from data in the first three groups. Typically, these indicators are computed as ratios, relating measures of input to measures of output (e.g., operating expenses per vehicle revenue hour), or measures of output to measures of service consumption (e.g., unlinked passenger trips per vehicle revenue hour).

The following chart details the numbering of the 2002 Annual Report tables and correspondence to 2001 tables:

Special Notes on Reporting and the Data Tables

Several general issues pertaining to the reporting system and this Annual Report are summarized below. These summaries are to aid in interpreting and using the data published in this report.

Number of Agencies Reporting Since 1995

Alphabetical by State

Transit agencies are organized alphabetically by state. This enables easier identification of specific transit agencies for data analysis.

Transit Agency Names

In the past, due to space limitations, transit agency names are abbreviated using 25 characters or less. Starting in 2002, the agency's full name is now included in all tables

Identification Number and Organization Type

A four-digit identification number is assigned to each transit agency. The first digit of this number corresponds with the FTA Region in which the transit agency is located (FTA Regions 1 through 10). FTA Region 10 is indicated with a zero (0).

The identification number is followed by the organization-type code:

Transit Agency Fiscal Year

The NTD Report Year was changed beginning with 1983 to correspond to the fiscal year of the reporting transit agency.

Database Adjustments

Financial and operating data summaries contained in this report are based on transit agency reports submitted for the current Report Year (2002). Audits or other reviews conducted after the publication date may result in minimal changes that more accurately reflect actual statistics. These changes are not available to FTA.

Mode and Vehicle Type Codes

The following mnemonic codes represented by two alphabet letters are used to describe modes and vehicle types in the tables:

Multi-UZA Reports

Some transit agencies, particularly agencies reporting commuter rail mode, provide data for transportation services serving more than one urbanized area (UZA). For NTD reporting purposes, a transit agency serving more than one UZA and filing a single report is assigned to the UZA that receives the majority of transportation service. For 49 USC 5307 apportionment purposes, relevant data are desegregated into the various component UZAs.

Purchased Transportation

Many transit agencies contract for some or all transportation services. Public agencies and/or private carriers may provide these contracted services. Contracted transportation services (called purchased transportation) are split in two categories:

1. Expenses for contract carriers where data are included in the purchasing agency's report (object class 508.01).
2. Expenses for contract carriers that file their own report (object class 508.02). Contract carriers using 100 or more vehicles to provide annual maximum service are required to file a separate report. Three tables (Tables 12 through 14) identify purchased and directly operated expenses. Note that contract carriers providing 100 or more revenue vehicles in maximum service must file a separate report and are listed as directly operated services. Transportation brokerage systems under contract to public agencies and managing 100 or more vehicles in maximum service are listed as purchased transportation. This results in operating data being reported twice:
   1. As an expense for the transit agency contracting with the provider(s), which is reported under object class 508.02.
   2. For the individual contract operator that provides purchased transportation services under the contractual relationship.

Reporting of purchased transportation has undergone several revisions beginning with the 1984 report year:

1. The ability to allocate expenses from an object class, such as purchased transportation expenses, to a functional category. Thus, purchased transportation expenses could be reported by function:

• Vehicle operations (010)
• Vehicle maintenance (041)
• Non-vehicle maintenance (042), and
• General administration (160).

  Prior to 1984, reporters were required to submit all purchased transportation expenses under general administration. Between 1991 and 1995, expenses allocated to object classes 508.01 and 508.02 for purchased transportation were reported under either vehicle operations (010) or general administration (160).

2. In 1995, FTA required all agencies contracting for transportation services to fully detail their purchased transportation costs by mode, function, and object class. The reporting change also required reporting the full cost of the purchased transportation services, including all costs whose funding sources were not included in the contracts. However, many agencies experienced problems complying with the new requirements, so until 1997 FTA allowed agencies to report purchased transportation expenses under object class 508.01 as in previous years. Table 12 includes purchased transportation expenses detailed by function.
3. In 2002, a new change was introduced to the reporting of purchased transportation expenses. Other costs incurred by the buyer (reported on the B-20 form - Contractual Relationship form s) is now detailed by function and object class. These are expenses incurred by the buyer of service that are associated to the purchased service. Contract costs are reported by function only as in the past.

Deleted, Questionable, Waived, and Not Reported Data

Appendix E documents all data items that were deemed questionable during the data validation process. The data is listed by module and forms, and for each agency/mode/type of service/data item, the affected tables are indicated. The data affected are those where the transit agency failed to respond satisfactorily to questions raised during the validation process, and/or did not collect the data in accordance with FTA's definitions and requirements. In addition, "W" indicates that the reporting agency was granted a waiver, deleted data is indicated with a "D", and "N" indicates data that was not reported.

Data may be deleted or considered questionable by FTA when one or more of the following circumstances exist:

• A transit agency did not submit the required declarations, CEO Certification, and/or Independent Auditor Statement
• For Title 49 USC 5307 purposes (formerly Section 9 of the Federal Transit Act, as amended), the Independent Auditor Statement declared that the data were not collected in accordance with FTA's definitions and requirements
• Issue(s) associated with the reporter's documentation, declaration(s), and/or data were not fully resolved prior to the closure of the database
• Required data were omitted
• A transit agency did not provide the complete cost of directly operated service
• A transit agency reported the identical data for 2001 and 2002
• The reported data were considered questionable following validation
• Required documentation for non-rail fixed guideway directional route miles was not provided
• FTA granted a reporting waiver.

Vehicles Operated in Maximum Service

Data for vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) are reported by mode and type of service on the Transit Agency Identification form (B-10). VOMS is the revenue vehicle count taken during a transit agency's maximum season of the year, on the day of the week that this maximum occurs. It is not taken on a day when a special event or other extreme set of circumstances would cause the resulting tally to represent a one-time event rather than a recurring maximum service requirement. Because it does not include spare and stored vehicles, this fleet-size measure provides a more meaningful estimation of a transit agency's operating characteristics.

Vehicles for Directly Operated and Purchased Transportation Services for a Specific Mode

For tables covering directly operated service only, the specific vehicle counts provided are only for those directly operated by the transit agency, as reported on the Transit Agency Identification form (B-10) for directly operated services. Therefore, a transit agency may be grouped in a larger fleet-size category than the number of vehicles shown in a specific table.

For example, a transit agency that both directly operates 450 non-rail vehicles and purchases services involving 75 non-rail vehicles, for a total of 525 vehicles is grouped in the 500-999 vehicles operated in maximum service category. However, in a directly operated services only table this transit agency would show only 450 vehicles in the vehicles operated in maximum service column, because only 450 vehicles are directly operated. Footnotes have been added to specific tables to indicate when vehicles operated in maximum service data are derived only from directly operated services.

Multi-modal transit agencies are included in categories for the number of vehicles operated in maximum service for the combined fleet size for all modes.

Vehicles Available for Maximum Service

Data are reported on the Transit Agency Service form (S-10). They include:

• Spares
• Out-of-service vehicles, and
• Vehicles in or awaiting maintenance.

They do not include:

• Vehicles held for sale
• Emergency contingency use, etc.

If the total active fleet for a given mode varies during the year, the reported figure represents the same time period as that used to report vehicles operated in maximum service. Thus, the difference between vehicles available for maximum service can be used to compute a transit agency's spare ratio.

Total active fleet data from the Revenue Vehicle Inventory form (A-30), reporting in Table 25, has been consistent since 1984. Unlike the vehicles available for maximum service data described above, the total active fleet data in Table 25 represent only those vehicles owned by the reporting transit agency at the end of their fiscal year and are reported by vehicle type, not mode.

Completeness and Accuracy of the Data

The data submitted to FTA are subjected to extensive analysis and validation. The process includes:

• A detailed examination of each transit agency's report
• Identification of errors or questionable entries, and
• Resolution of any problems by FTA, transit agency personnel and program staff.

FTA's role is to identify and resolve questions regarding the data's accuracy and determine whether or not the data is included in the National Transit Database and the Annual Report. FTA can reject a transit agency's report if the report is not in full compliance with reporting requirements. FTA may also refuse to enter data whose reliability is questionable. FTA does not change reported data.

The quality of the database improves each year as FTA simplifies and clarifies reporting procedures, enhances the reporting software and designs more sophisticated validation checks. Data validation encompasses primarily a review of reported data for consistency and reasonableness. The limitations of these procedures, as well as the volume of data submitted, may permit some erroneous data to find their way into this report. Errors of significant magnitude have been identified and corrected, but some minor errors remain. Minor errors generally result from difficulties experienced by transit agencies in obtaining information, or from misinterpretation of certain data requirements or definitions.

Caution

With the limitations described above and keeping in mind that weather conditions, topography, contractual work rules, etc., are not reported, users of this report should not draw unwarranted conclusions when examining the data. Although comparative evaluations are appealing, analyses cannot account for apparent differences in performance. Such evaluations should encompass a more detailed examination of underlying factors (unique aspects of the transit agency's operating environment, specific management practices, or unusual events during the period covered).

Further Information on the Reporting System

The following FTA documents are available to assist the reader gain a greater understanding of NTD reporting requirements:

• National Transit Database, Uniform System of Accounts (USOA), January 1995
• 2002 Reporting Manual
• FTA Circular 2710.1A, Sampling Procedures for Obtaining Fixed Route Bus Operating Data Required Under the Section 15 Reporting System, July 18, 1988, and FTA Circular 2710.2A, Sampling Procedures for Obtaining Demand Responsive Bus Operating Data required Under the Section 15 Reporting System, July 22, 1988. These two circulars suggest optional sampling procedures for collecting unlinked passenger trip and passenger mile data required for reports. Complete instructions and worksheets are provided for transit agencies wishing to use these procedures.
• Data User's Guide to the FTA Section 15 Reporting System, Transportation Systems Center, June 1, 1989. The User's Guide is available through McTrans Center [telephone (904) 392-0378].

These and other documents are available upon request from:

Federal Transit Administration
National Transit Database
P.O. Box 457
Merrifield, VA 22116-0457
(703) 205-2475

Industry - Government Cooperation

The National Transit Database (NTD) Reporting Program evolved from the transit industry-initiated Project FARE (Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Elements). Over the years, a cooperative working environment has developed between the transit industry and the Federal government regarding issues relevant to data collection and the reporting system. Private and public sectors have recognized the importance of, and need for, timely and accurate data from which to assess the continued progress of the nation's mass transportation agencies.

A Reporting System Advisory Committee was established in January 1983 to make recommendations on improving the quality and usefulness of data collected under the program. Many of these recommendations were then incorporated in the Annual Report. The Advisory Committee's charter expired on September 30, 1986.

In its ongoing efforts to continue this cooperative effort, FTA urges all interested parties, including transit operators; state and local governments; planning organizations; trade unions; research organizations; etc, to review and critique this edition of the Data Tables and all publications comprising the Annual Report. Comments and suggestions should be forwarded to FTA at: www.fta.dot.gov, or: www.NTDProgram.com.

Data Availability

The Data Tables for Report Years 1996 through 2002 can be downloaded from FTA's web site at www.fta.dot.gov and the FTA NTD Project's web site at www.NTDProgram.com. The files are in .pdf and .xls format.

Complete databases (in both .dbf and .xls formats) going back to 1996 are also available for download at www.NTDProgram.com.

The data contained in the Annual Report are also available on disk organized by table and are compatible with PCs using Lotus 1-2-3 software. For further information on availability and associated costs, please contact:

Additionally, complete data (including data not published in this report) and data for prior Report Years, are also available from:

NTD Project
U.S. Department of Transportation
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
DTS-49, Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 494-2259
Fax: (617) 494-3260

Chapter 2

The data in this publication have a broad range of applications. They are, however, subject to the limitations discussed in Chapter 1 relating to the need to perform a more detailed examination of underlying factors and data consistency. The statistics in Chapter 2 allow transit agencies to compare their performance more selectively; e.g., by selecting those agencies defined as being within the same peer group by virtue of climate, topography, demographic characteristics of the population served, or factors other than industry averages.

Caution

Some users of the data may tend to overstate the significance of comparisons that are based strictly on data contained in this report. Performance measures obtained using these data should be viewed strictly as tentative indicators of potential areas of improvement. If a specific indicator appears to imply below-average performance relative to industry peers, more detailed analysis is needed to reveal the factors underlying the below average value.

Chapter 2 presents a detailed performance snapshot during a particular period for 539 transit agencies. Since the majority of agencies have reported in prior Report Years, the data can also be used for time-series analyses. Such analyses can contribute to conclusions on the current and evolving conditions and problems of specific transit agencies, and the transit industry as a whole. Time-series analyses, however, must consider two important factors:

1. Beginning with the 1983 report, annual reports were published based on transit agencies' fiscal years, rather than the Federal Fiscal Year period (at that time, July 1 to June 30). See Special Notes on Reporting and this Annual Report in Chapter 1 for additional details.
2. Beginning with the 1990 Annual Report, individual transit agency statistics are reported.

Special Notes on the Desegregated Data Tables

Users of these tables should refer to the Special Notes on Reporting and the Data Tables section in Chapter 1 for a better understanding of the data, particularly the discussions of purchased transportation; public and private transit agency identification; vehicles operated in annual maximum service; and questionable data items, to avoid confusion. Especially when performing comparative analyses using previously published reports, users should refer to these sections as well as the discussions of individual tables in this chapter.

Reporting Changes

Through the NTD, FTA has implemented several reporting changes since 1992. The following exhibit summarizes these changes, and should be referred to when undertaking analysis involving two or more Report Years.

Reporting Changes Summary 1995 to 2002

Transit Revenues

Tables 1 through 11 contain information on types of operating and capital funds applied for individual transit agencies. Operating funds applied are reported by transit agency totals, not by individual modes. Table totals are provided for national totals, fleet size, and size of urbanized area; however, these totals vary depending on the number of transit agencies reported.

Also, for these tables the number of vehicles operated in annual maximum service includes those vehicles used for both directly operated and purchased transportation services included under the same transit agency's identification number, as reported on the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406). The only exception are Table 11 (Capital Funds Applied by Type of Expenditure) and Table 15 (Operators' Wages), which details data by mode The NTD uses accrual accounting to record financial data; i.e., revenues reported are those that resulted in liabilities for benefits received during the fiscal year, regardless of whether or not payment of the expenditure was made during the reporting period.

Table Descriptions

Transit revenue applied data are presented in the following tables:

Table 1 - Summary of Operating Funds Applied

Compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned form (F-10) (old Form 203) and reported system wide. This form incorporates the revenue data by describing the funding sources for operating expenditures, using directly generated funds (USOA object classes 401 through 440) and the contribution of Federal, state, and local government funds to the operating subsidy of transit agencies.

This table includes only operating revenues expended in the reporting period under accrual accounting and is intended to provide a summary of operating funds by major categories:

• Fare revenues (directly operated and purchased transportation)
• Other directly generated revenues which includes park and ride revenues, other transportation revenues, concessions, advertising revenues, other auxiliary revenues, subsidy from other sectors of operations, and revenues accrued through a purchased transportation agreement.
• Directly generated taxes dedicated at their source (income, sales, property, gasoline and other taxes), tolls, and other dedicated funds.
• Federal assistance, including urbanized area formula funds and other federal (other USDOT funds, other FTA funds, and other federal funds)
• State and local assistance. For each of these categories, two items are shown: Funds allocated out of the general revenues of the government entity and dedicated taxes, bridge, tunnel and highways tools collapsed into a single item. Tables 4 and 5 provide a breakdown of dedicated taxes by type (income, sales, property, gasoline, other) for state and local sources respectively.

Under Directly Generated Funds, the data in the column Dedicated and Other includes:

• Funds dedicated to transit at their source (income, sales, property, gasoline, and
• Other levied taxes as well as bridge, tunnel, and highway tolls. These are fees the transit agency has the legal authority to impose.

The Other Federal Public Funds column details operating funding from sources including:

• Planning Program, 49 USC 5303
• Research, Development, Demonstration and Training Program, 49 USC 5312, and
• Non-urbanized Area Formula Program, 49 USC 5311.

The aggregation of operating funds applied does not include some funding sources reported by private providers under contract to public agencies. More specifically, revenues accrued to a purchased transportation agreement and fare revenues are taken out in the aggregation of funds because these funding sources are also reported by the buyers of service. The items affected are then directly operated, purchased transportation fare revenues and other directly generated revenues, which include revenues accrued to a purchased transportation agreement.

View Table 1 .xls      View Table 1 .pdf

Table 2 - Directly Generated Sources for Transit Operating Funds Applied: Details by Transit Agency

Data are compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned form (F-10) (old Form 203). This is a new table and was created to provide more detail of directly generated sources of funds including the new sub-categories for auxiliary transportation funds - concessions, advertising revenues and other. It does not include directly generated taxes as these categories are detailed in Table 6. All other directly generated categories were included as separate items.

As with Table 1, in order to avoid double-counting of funds, directly operated and purchased transportation fare revenues does not include fare revenues reported by private transportation providers under contract to public agencies. In addition, revenues accrued to a purchased transportation agreement reported by these providers are taken out in the aggregation of funds.

View Table 2 .xls      View Table 2 .pdf

Table 3 - Federal Government Sources for Transit Operating Funds Applied

Data are compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned form (F-10) (old Form 203). This table provides a breakdown of Federal operating assistance funds by those attributable to urbanized area operating assistance funds and urbanized area capital assistance funds used in operations. Items include funds from the FTA urbanized area formula program (Section 5307), other FTA funds such as FTA Metropolitan Planning, FTA Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Formula program, non-urbanized area formula program among others, other USDOT grant programs, and other federal funds.

View Table 3 .xls      View Table 3.pdf

Tables 4 and 5 - State Taxes Dedicated at Their Source for Transit Operating Funds Applied and Local Taxes Dedicated at Their Source for Transit Operating Funds Applied

Tables 4 and 5 are compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned form (F-10) (old Form 203) and state and local taxes, respectively, applied to transit operations. Operating funding from dedicated taxes are desegregated by type of tax (income, sales, property, gasoline, or other). The Other Taxes column includes any other special state or local taxes dedicated at their source to transit operating funding such as payroll and utility taxes.

View Table 4 .xls      View Table 4 .pdf
View Table 5 .xls      View Table 5 .pdf

Table 6 - Directly Generated Taxes Dedicated at Their Source for Transit Operating Funds Applied

Table 6 is compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned (F-10) (old Form 203). This table provides a breakdown of directly generated dedicated taxes, by income, sales, property, gasoline, and other, applied to transit operations.

View Table 6 .xls      View Table 6 .pdf

Table 7 - Transit Capital Funds Applied - Summary and Federal Sources

Data were compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned (F-10) (old Form 103). This table provides a summary of state, local, and directly generated funding sources and detailed federal funding sources applied to capital. Federal sources of assistance are classified either as funds provided under 49 USC 5309, 49 USC 5307, or from other sources. State and local sources are divided into general revenue and dedicated. Dedicated sources restrict funds to transportation-related expenditures, while transit must compete with other public programs for general revenues. Dedicated sources of funds are desegregated into taxes (income, sales, etc.) and other (bridges, tunnels, state and local bonds, investment income, etc.).

The summary of capital funds applied include the following categories:

• Directly Generated Funds: For this category, two items are shown: (1) Dedicated taxes and tolls are collapsed into a single item. Table 10 provides a breakdown of dedicated taxes applied to capital by tax type (income, sales, property, gasoline, other); and (2) Other directly generated funds is a new item in 2002 and includes other directly generated funds such as fare revenues, auxiliary transportation funds, park and ride revenues, non-transportation funds, subsidy from other sectors of operations, and other directly generated funds.
• State and Local Assistance: For each of these categories, two items are shown: Funds allocated out of the general revenues of the government entity and dedicated taxes, bridge, tunnel and highways tools collapsed into a single item. Tables 8 and 9 provide a breakdown of dedicated taxes by type (income, sales, property, gasoline, other) for state and local sources respectively.
• Federal Sources: All federal funding sources are included as separate items in the table.

View Table 7 .xls      View Table 7 .pdf

Tables 8 and 9 - State Taxes Dedicated at Their Source for Transit Capital Funds Applied and Local Taxes Dedicated at Their Source for Transit Capital Funds Applied

Tables 8 and 9 are compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned form (F-10) (old Form 103). These two tables further desegregate the state and local tax revenue applied for public transit capital that was shown in Table 7.

View Table 8 .xls      View Table 8 .pdf
View Table 9 .xls      View Table 9 .pdf

Table 10 - Directly Generated Taxes Dedicated at Their Source for Transit Capital Funds Applied

Data are compiled from the Sources of Funds - Funds Expended and Funds Earned form (F-10) (old Form 103). Collection of these data is a new reporting requirement. Table 10 provides a breakdown of directly generated dedicated taxes by income, sales, property, gasoline, and other applied for transit capital.

View Table 10 .xls      View Table 10 .pdf

Table 11 - Capital Funds Applied by Type of Expenditure

Data are compiled from the Uses of Capital form (F-20) (old Form 103). Table 11 provides a breakdown of the capital funds applied and how they were used by mode and type of service for seven primary categories: revenue vehicles, service vehicles. Passenger stations, maintenance buildings, systems, guideway, and other. Aggregate totals for each mode reported by a transit agency are also provided.

Revenue vehicles include capital expenses to replace, rehabilitate, remanufacture, and expansion of existing fleet. It also includes major rail fleet overhaul.

Service vehicles include the acquisition or rehabilitation of service vehicles - vehicles that are not used to provide transit service for passengers. Examples of service vehicles include staff cars, supervisor vans, etc.

Passenger stations include the cost for design and engineering, land acquisition and relocation, demolition, and purchased or construction of stations. (See text for Table 21 for station criteria).

Maintenance buildings include the cost for design and engineering, land acquisition and relocation, demolition, and purchased or construction of maintenance buildings. Maintenance buildings include garages, shops (body, paint, machine), and operations centers.

Systems include information and communication systems that relay information between locations.

Guideways include the costs for design and engineering, land acquisition and relocation, demolition, and purchase or construction of guideway. Guideway includes the buildings and structures dedicated to the operation of transit vehicles, track and power systems for rail, and paved highway lanes dedicated to bus and trolleybus.

Other uses of capital include furniture and equipment that are not an integral part of buildings and structures, shelters, signs and passenger amenities (e.g. benches) not in passenger stations.

View Table 11 .xls      View Table 11 .pdf

Potential Data Applications

Tables 1 through 11 summarize the magnitude and source of transit funds applied for individual transit agencies. The data in these tables permit analyses of the extent to which specific agencies recover operating expenses from fares, as well as the extent to which they rely on various sources of directly generated, local, state, and/or Federal assistance to apply to their operation.

Transit agencies can use these data to compare the types of funds applied and the percentage distributions of their sources to those of other agencies. In general, the data permit cross-sectional and time-series analyses, but more specifically they allow analysts to examine individual agencies and to custom-define peer groups. For example, peer groups could be formed based on mode, fleet size, annual operating expenses, or other factors not contained in this report, such as climate and collective bargaining agreements. Comparisons can then be made to the individual transit agencies in the group averages.

Operating expenses are reported using accrual accounting and reported in the year they were incurred. This is the year in which they result in liabilities for benefits received, regardless of whether payment is made during the reporting period.

Tables 12 through 14 contain information on the types and amounts of expenses incurred by individual transit agencies. Transit expenses are reported by function and by object class. The number of vehicles operated in annual maximum service includes those vehicles used for both directly operated (DO) and purchased transportation (PT) services included under the same transit agency's identification number, as reported on the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406).

Functional classes divide operating expenses into four major categories or functions:

1. Vehicle operations (VO),
2. Vehicle maintenance (VM),
3. Non-vehicle maintenance (NM), and
4. General administration (GA).

Analysis of expenses by function must be qualified by the degree to which transit agencies uniformly allocate expenses among these categories. This analysis should include careful consideration of reporting limitations as well as detailed accounting practices at the specific transit agencies examined.

Expenses by function are reported for both DO and PT services beginning in 1997. Starting in 2002, other costs incurred by buyer were reported by function and object class. These are expenses incurred by public agencies that are directly attributable to the provision of purchased transportation services. It may include items such as monitoring, providing maintenance service or other resources the buyer uses to support the purchased transportation services.

Object classes divide operating expenses into categories such as labor, fringe benefits, services, and materials and supplies, among others.

While revenue data are summarized for all modes operated by a transit agency, the expense data are desegregated by mode. Multi-modal transit agencies were required to fully allocate expenses to the appropriate modes for each of the various functional categories in 1999.

The operating expenses summarized in these tables exclude reconciling items, e.g.:

• Interest expenses
• Leases and rentals, and
• Depreciation.

Reconciling items are reported only as agency totals and are not desegregated by mode or functional class. Reconciling items are required to provide an overall total that is consistent with the total operating funding applied and with published reports. These expenses are reported separately because local accounting practices for handling such items (particularly depreciation and amortization) differ widely. Generally, analysts using these data exclude reconciling items from operating expenses. Although this actually understates true operating costs, it resolves the problems inherent with inconsistent treatment of reconciling items.

Table Descriptions

Transit expense data for individual transit agencies are summarized in the following tables:

Table 12 - Transit Operating Expenses by Mode Type of Service and Function

Compiled from the Operating Expenses form (F-30) (old Form 301), for each reported mode. Purchased transportation expenses include both purchased transportation in report (object class 508.01) and purchased transportation filing a separate report (object class 508.02). Expenses for object class 508.02 are separated by both the buyer and seller(s); therefore the summary for tables excludes this object class to prevent double counting.

These expenses were collapsed under the column Purchased Transportation In Report prior to 1997.

Object classes 508.01 and 508.02 reflect the full cost of purchased transportation services except in cases where part of the funding for the purchased service is provided by the seller(s). Object classes 508.01 and 508.02 include:

• Contract expenditures by the buyer (net of purchased transportation fare revenues)
• Purchased transportation fare revenues.

In cases of purchased transportation involving 100 or more vehicles operated in annual maximum service, expense data are reported twice:

1. By the contracting agencies (buyer) as a purchased transportation expense (under object class 508.02), and
2. By the contract provider (seller), by function and object class, if the seller is not a brokerage system.

Brokers report separately if the purchased transportation agreements involve more than 100 vehicles operated in maximum service, but their expenses are lumped under object class 508.01 and are detailed by function.

In general, expenses reported under object class 508.02 are greater than expenses reported by the seller(s) due to contract costs incurred by the buyer as well as profit made off the transaction by the seller(s).

The summarization of operating expenses by UZA size, mode, and vehicle group totals is calculated by totaling all columns, except object class 508.02. This is to avoid double counting of data when operating expenses are aggregated.

View Table 12 .xls      View Table 12 .pdf

Table 13 - Transit Operating Expenses by Mode and Object Class

Compiled from the same form as Table 12. Object class categories correspond to those reported on the Operating Expenses form (F-30) (old Form 301).

501.01 Operators' salaries and wages
501.02 Other salaries and wages
502 Fringe benefits
503 Services
504.01 Fuel and lubricants
504.02 Tires and tubes
504.99 Other materials and supplies
505 Utilities
506 Casualty and liability costs
508.01 Purchased transportation (in report)
508.02 Purchased transportation (filing separate report)

In addition, 507 (Taxes) and 509 (Miscellaneous expenses) are included as Other. A separate column showing 510 (Expense transfers) is included in this table. Double counting of operating expenses exists in this table for a limited number of transit agencies (See discussion about object classes 508.01 and 508.02 above for Table 12). The summarization of operating expenses by UZA size, by mode, and vehicle group totals is calculated by summing all columns except purchased transportation filing a separate report (object class 508.02). This is to avoid double counting of data when operating expenses are aggregated.

Starting in 2002, other costs incurred by the buyer were reported by function and object class. For purchased transportation modes, expenses for object classes 501 through 506 include expenses incurred by the buyers of service net of fare revenues and contract costs associated to the purchased services. Seller's expenses are in general not reported by object classes 501 through 506, but are reported by function.

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Table 14 - Transit Operating Expenses and Object Class - Single Bus Mode Agencies

Data are compiled from the Operating Expenses form (F-30) (old Form 301). For the 2002 Report Year, 87 transit agencies operated only bus service this represents 14 percent of all transit agencies reporting to the NTD. Of these, 24 received a reporting waiver. Data are cross classified by major functional and object classes as per Table 13).

The summarization of operating expenses by UZA size, by mode, and vehicle group totals is calculated by totaling all columns except object class 508.02. This is to avoid double counting of data when operating expenses are aggregated.

The total number of buses operated in annual maximum service includes those buses used for both directly operated services (DO) and for purchased transportation (PT) services. The totals are included under the same transit agency's identification number as reported on the Transit System Service form (S10 old form 406) by type of service for the bus mode.

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Table 15 - Operators Wages: Details by Transit Agency

This is a new table and was created to accommodate operators' wages data. Data are compiled from the Operators' Wages form (F-5) (old Form 321) and is required from agencies directly operating 150 or more vehicles in annual maximum service but does not apply for vanpools and demand response.

The data is divided into operating and non-operating time. Operating time include:

• Platform time
• Straight Time Allowances
• Premium Time.

Non-operating time includes a single category encompassing all non-operating activities such as training time and other functions.

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Potential Data Applications

The expense tables summarize the costs of operating individual transit agencies. Data are desegregated into mode, function, and object classes. These data can be used to compare costs among various transit agencies and to determine potential areas for improvement. As discussed in Chapter 1, such analysis should incorporate careful examination of all causal factors underlying these differences. This examination can require information beyond that which is obtainable from this reporting system.

Tables 16 through 25 contain non-financial operating data for individual transit agencies.

The non-financial operating data includes the following modules:

• Resource Module
• Service Module
• Asset Module.

Data from the Safety and Security Module were not included in the 2002 Data Tables.

The resource module includes Employees form (R-10) (old Form 404), Maintenance Performance form (R-20) (old Form 402), and Energy Consumption form (R-30) (old Form 402). The data is included in Tables 16, 17 and 18 respectively.

The Service Module includes the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406) and the data is included in Table 19 and 20.

The Asset Module includes Stations and Maintenance Facilities form (A-10) (old Form 402 for maintenance facilities), Transit Way Mileage form (A-20) (old Form 403), and Revenue Vehicle Inventory form (A-30) (old Form 408). The data is detailed on Tables 21 through 25.

Table Descriptions

Non-financial operating data are provided in the following tables. For multi-modal agencies, data are desegregated by individual modes, and when applicable, by type of service.

Resource Module

Table 16 - Revenue Vehicle Maintenance Performance

Table 16 summarizes the number of revenue system failures. Data is reported for directly operated service only.

Analyzing data from this table generally requires additional data, such as vehicle miles. A reporting change was initiated in 2001 with the inclusion of system failures for major and minor mechanical reasons that prevent the revenue vehicles from completing their trips, or starting new trips.

Major mechanical failure is defined the same as the previous definition of interruptions for mechanical reasons (1997 and prior years). Such failures require assistance from someone other than the revenue vehicle operator(s) to restore the vehicle to an operating condition, and they usually prevent the vehicle from continuing in revenue service. Major system failures include malfunctions in:

• Brakes
• Doors
• Engine cooling systems
• Steering and front axle
• Rear axle and suspension
• Torque converters
• Similar major mechanical items.

Minor mechanical failures in general do not usually prevent the vehicle from continuing in revenue service. However, the minor system failures reported to the NTD in 2002 were those that prevented the revenue vehicle(s) from completing their trips, either due to internal policies of agencies or due to minor mechanical mishaps that prevented trip completion. Minor system failures are the same as interruptions due to other reasons (1997 and prior years) and include:

• Fareboxes
• Wheelchair lifts
• Air conditioning systems
• Similar minor mechanical items.

System failure figures should be viewed as gross indicators. Analysis of system failures as measures of maintenance performance should be undertaken with caution, requiring detailed examination of how system failures were defined and the individual agencies' policies for taking vehicles out of service. Application of data over time is also relevant in determining trends and conducting further analysis.

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Table 17 - Energy Consumption

Data for this table are compiled from the Energy Consumption form (R-30) (old Form 402). The number of vehicles operated in annual maximum service is those vehicles used for directly operated services only, as reported on the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406).

Fuel types reported are for revenue vehicles only and do not include lubricants. With the exception of KWH of propulsion power used in rail modes and KWH to charge bus batteries, all data is reported in gallons of fuel. When the fuel used is a mixture of fuels, each individual fuel type used in the mixture is reported.

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Table 18 - Employee Work Hours and Employee Counts

Employee work hours were broken down into full-time and part-time employee categories in 1999. Prior to that time only total work hours were reported. The column labeled Employee Type indicates whether the employees are full time (FT) or part-time (PT). Data is reported for directly operated service only.

The table is compiled from the Employees form (R-10) (old Form 404) and are collected for both employee work hours and an actual person count at fiscal-year end. Fractional entries for actual person counts result when employees work for more than one function, mode, or type of service. In those instances the actual person count is prorated among labor classifications and modes by type of service. When working on capital projects, an employee's labor is considered a capital expense; otherwise, it is an operating expense.

Some care is required for analyses of the data presented in this table. Work hours cover the entire Report Year, whereas employee counts are based on those employed on the last day of the Report Year. This may distort the annual average number of hours per employee.

While many transit modes are labor intensive, others are not. Due to the unique characteristics of their operations, some modes such as vanpool do not always provide complete employee-related data. Another reporting anomaly sometimes occurs when transit agencies providing directly operated service use contracted services for a portion of the service provision. In these situations, labor is either not reported for an activity (e.g., vehicle maintenance) or only reported for the labor that is engaged in activities associated with the contract services. As a result, labor is understated and, when reported within a directly operated report, can create misleading information. Examples of how this occurs include:

• Transit agencies acquiring operating labor through a purchased transportation arrangement
• Maintenance services performed by another municipal entity like a public works department
• Specific management services performed by a management services company.

When zero and/or low values are reported within a directly operated report, caution should be exercised in the use of employee-related data.

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Service Module

Service supplied data include vehicle miles, vehicle revenue miles, vehicle hours, and vehicle revenue hours and scheduled vehicle revenue miles. Transit agencies were asked to report both their scheduled and actual vehicle revenue miles of service starting in 1984. The purpose of adding scheduled vehicle revenue miles of service is to allow a transit agency to indicate whether it may have more or less service than was originally scheduled or planned. The difference between vehicle miles and vehicle revenue miles represents deadheading. Definitions of the above data terms can be found in the Reporting Manual Glossary.

Service consumed data refer to ridership information (measures of use of the service supplied) and include unlinked passenger trips and passenger miles.

Passenger mile data are normally collected through sampling because it is usually not part of a transit agency's routine operations and is among the most difficult to collect. While FTA has developed several such techniques, transit agencies were allowed to use self-certifying sampling techniques beginning with the 1990 Report Year. Regardless of the sampling technique used, it must satisfy precision and confidence level requirements of 10 percent and 95 percent, respectively.

Service supplied and service consumed data are reported on the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406); data are reported for average weekday, average Saturday, average Sunday and annual total. Only annual total is depicted in the data tables.

Table 19 - Transit Operating Statistics: Service Supplied and Service Consumed

This table summarizes transit agency service supplied and service consumed data. Data are compiled from the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406) for directly operated (DO) and purchased transportation (PT) service.

Vehicles available for maximum service represent the total annual active service fleet and include

• Spares
• Out of service vehicles, and
• Vehicles in or awaiting maintenance.

They do not include vehicles being held for sale, emergency contingency use, etc.

If the total active fleet for a given mode varies during the year, the reported figure represents the same time period as that used to report vehicles operated in maximum service. Thus, the difference between vehicles available for annual maximum service and vehicles operated in annual maximum service can be used to compute a transit agency's spare ratio. See Chapter 1 for further details on vehicle data.

With regards to demand response (DR), jitney (JT), publico (PB), and vanpool (VP) modes, data for the column Annual Scheduled Vehicle Revenue Miles have been zeroed. By definition, these modes do not have scheduled service.

For rail modes, service supplied (vehicle revenue miles, vehicle miles, vehicle revenue miles, vehicle revenue hours) refer to passenger car data. A separate table (Table 20) was created to accommodate train statistics.

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Table 20 - Transit Operating Statistics; Service Supplied and Consumed - Train Statistics

This is a new table created to accommodate train data reported on the Transit Agency Service form (S-10) (old Form 406). Data is reported by mode and type of service and applies to rail modes only.

Items include, number of train operated in an average weekday, train miles and hours, train revenue miles and hours.

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Asset Module

Table 21 - Passenger Stations

This is a new table created to accommodate transit stations, elevators and escalators, and ADA stations data. Data is reported by mode and type of service.
The passenger station information is only reported for fixed-route, fixed scheduled services (includes rail modes, bus, trolleybus, and ferryboat). All stations used for public transportation are reported regardless of who owns them.

To determine what constitutes a passenger station, the following criteria apply:

• All rail passenger facilities are stations (except light rail and cable car)
• All light rail and cable car passenger facilities in a separate right-of-way that have platforms are stations
• All bus and trolleybus passenger facilities in a separate right-of-way that have an enclosed structure for passengers for such items as ticketing, information, restrooms, concessions, and telephones are stations.
• Stops on-street on in medians for cable car, light rail, bus, and trolleybus are not stations if at most they have shelters, canopies, lighting, signage or ramps for accessibility requirements, i.e., no separate, enclosed buildings.
• All transportation, transit or transfer centers, park-and-ride facilities and transit malls, if they have an enclosed structure for passengers for such items as ticketing, information, restrooms, concessions, and telephones are stations.

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Table 22 - Maintenance Facilities

Data are compiled from the Stations and Maintenance Facilities form (A10) (old Form 402). The number of vehicles operated in annual maximum service represents those vehicles used for directly operated and purchased transportation services.

This table includes data for maintenance facilities owned and leased by transit agencies. Prior to 1999, only maintenance facilities owned by transit agencies were reported.

In 2001, for purchased transportation, only the maintenance facilities leased by service providers were reported. Starting in 2002, categories for purchased transportation leased facilities were expanded with the inclusion of facilities leased by public agency for service provider and facilities leased by service provider.

The data summarizes transit maintenance facilities based on the number of vehicles assigned to the facility. In addition, two classifications of facilities are defined for general-purpose use and heavy maintenance work.

• A general-purpose facility is the most commonly reported facility, because it provides running repairs, servicing, and vehicle storage as well as component repair and overhaul.
• A heavy maintenance facility is one wholly dedicated to component repair and overhaul, and usually only the larger transit agencies have such a facility.

The number of vehicles assigned to a facility will vary depending on its size (capacity) and the number of modes operated by the agency. Also, unique geographical features and/or constraints that may make it more economical to operate more than one facility to support a small fleet of vehicles may result in a greater number of facilities being reported for the transit fleet than would normally be required. Many transit agencies are operating multi-modal service (e.g., bus and demand response systems), and in such cases the facility is required to be allocated among the modes using the facility.

For example, if a transit agency reports 100 total vehicles, of which 70 are buses and 30 were demand response, it would allocate the facility as .7 for bus and .3 for demand response. When relatively small transit agencies report multiple facilities, one needs to consider some of the factors mentioned above and whether or not a proper allocation was performed.

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Tables 23 and 24 - Transit Way Mileage - Rail and Non-Rail

Data are compiled from the Transit Way Mileage form (A-20) (old Form 403), directly operated and purchased transportation services.

Tables 23 and 24 display transit way mileage in separate groups:

1. Rail, and
2. Non-rail (including Ferryboats)