Question

Of the following, the MOST important element of good rapid transit service today is the ________.

1) Frequency of service
2) Affordability of fares
3) Comfort of the vehicles
4) Accessibility to stations

Answer 1

The MOST important element of good rapid transit service is accessibility to stations, as it ensures wide demographic reach and high ridership, essential for public utility and economies of scale.

Step-by-step explanation:

The MOST important element of good rapid transit service today is accessibility to stations. While frequency of service, affordability of fares, and comfort of the vehicles are significant, accessibility ensures that a wide demographic can reach the transit system, which is essential for high ridership and public utility. Urban transit systems can achieve economies of scale, which means they can operate more efficiently as the quantity of riders increases, as indicated in transit system data showing millions of riders benefitting from such systems.

Furthermore, for a transit system to provide an allocatively efficient quantity of output, it must balance the price charged with the output supplied, potentially requiring a subsidy to maintain this balance and ensure access for all users. A practical example of operational considerations is that a one-hour one-way route with a 15-minute schedule would require four buses in each direction to maintain the schedule.