The product of this research is a readily usable reference guide to assist transit managers and staff to better understand, evaluate, and manage inventory. This Desk Guide summarizes inventory control techniques appropriate to the transit industry, decision-making techniques, and benchmark references. Because of the wide variance in the size of transit agencies and the services provided, the information presented in this Desk Guide should be construed as a framework for improving inventory management and customer service. Techniques adapted should be based on the size of the operation, types of material stored inventory, and the management tools available.

The objectives of this research were to describe inventory control techniques appropriate to the public transit industry, to establish benchmarks, and to create a decision modeling guide that can be used by transit professionals for better inventory management. It was not the intent of this research to investigate high-tech solutions to inventory management or materials handling.

Status: The study findings are available in TCRP Research Results Digest 28, which is available in portable document format (PDF). Double-click on the file below to access the RRD. (A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at https://www.adobe.com.)

TCRP Research Results Digest 28